Haven't we met before?

POV Edward

Indeed, ten minutes later she’s back, holding a strange-looking device in her hand.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a defibrillator, but with this I can control the bed myself.” She jokes at the sight of my suspicious look at the strange thing in her hands.

Despite the nerves that are starting to creep up on me, I find myself grinning at her joke.

The corridors are still relatively quiet as she expertly pushes my bed through the hospital corridors. Nurses, doctors and dieticians are the only people walking around. Only when we get close to the emergency room do we see the occasional stray visitor wandering around.

When we arrive at the operating theatres, we have to wait a while before being allowed into the pre-op room. Slowly my nerves start to get the better of me and I clench my hands.

Suddenly I feel a small, warm hand being placed over my cold fist. “Are you OK?”

I look at her, annoyed. No, of course I’m not! I want to yell at her. But then I see her flinch at my expression and feel her hand slide away from mine. Quickly I clamp my other hand over it, trapping her hand between mine. “Sorry, I’m not angry with you... it’s just...” She stops me before I can continue.

“You don’t have to say anything, I understand. It was a stupid question. Of course you’re not OK! You probably have nerves running through your body!”

I say nothing, only nod. She is absolutely right, I do have jitters. Then I suddenly realise something.

“You’ve been looking after me for several hours, but I still have no idea what your name is.” She looks at me in surprise before looking down at her chest.

A sheepish grin appears on her face.

“’Whoops! I completely forgot to put on my badge... oh well... But, uhm, my name is Alex, short for Alexandra.”

I give her a broad grin and forget about the surgery for a moment. “Nice to meet you Alex...” Before I can continue, the door to the operating room opens and a man walks towards us.

“Mr Winter?”

I nod and immediately feel my stomach turn. This is it!

Before I go in, Alex bends over before getting up. “Sleep well Edward, I’ll see you tonight...” And then she’s gone and I’m alone with the surgical staff.

POV Alex

As I put my normal clothes back on in the changing room and throw my dirty scrubs in the laundry basket, I think about Edward.

I don’t normally go into the pre-op room with a client, but something about the big tough guy has triggered my protective instincts. He may be big and intimidating, but a little voice in my head told me that he didn’t feel so tough and strong at all.

Luckily, one of my colleagues from the day shift had arrived early and, after consulting with her, I was able to escort the tough biker to the OR.

I look at the clock and see that it is already half past eight. Bart must have left for work by now, I just hope he woke Nena up. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d forgot her. ....

Quickly I walk down the hall to my oncologist. Luckily, I am the first to arrive and the receptionist is a familiar face. As I sign in, my colleague is already calling the doctor, who comes walking towards me less than two seconds later.

“Good morning Alex, how are you?” Her cheerful smile gives me courage and I walk a little more reassuringly behind her.

Less than ten minutes later, I am back outside her office, feeling ten pounds lighter and almost crying with happiness. The results were good. No metastases were found and I don’t have to come back for another six months, but the best news was that I can stop taking the medication that keeps me in the menopause!

With a big smile on my face, I walk through the corridors towards the exit. I’m not there yet, but it’s a start!

As I park the car in front of the door, I see that Bart’s blue BMW is no longer in the driveway and I sigh. On the one hand, I’m glad that he’s not at home, now I don’t have to hear about how hard it is for him to look after Nena in the evening hours...as if he still has to change her nappies....the child is thirteen! But what bothers me the most are the disapproving looks he throws at me. I know I’m not the woman I used to be, but that’s not surprising, is it?

On the other hand, it also bothers me that he’s not there for me, I miss my buddy... my crutch, but if I’m honest, he hasn’t been for a long time.

Unlocking the door, I pricked up my ears to see if I could hear any sign of life from Nena, but the house was dead quiet and I started cursing inside. But as I enter the living room, a note on the dining table catches my eye.

‘Hi Mum. Did you have a good day at work? Dad had to work overtime and spent the night with Mark, a colleague. I’m at grandma’s. She left tomato soup for you on the kitchen counter and I had to tell you not to set the alarm because she’s making dinner. See you later and sleep well! I love you! XXX’

A sweet note, clearly written by my 13-year-old daughter, that makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

Both my mum and Nena have been incredible pillars of support for me recently, but what bothers me is the comment about Bart. Who is this Mark? I’ve heard him talk about colleagues often enough, but I’ve never heard the name Mark before.... I push the thoughts away, I don’t want to go there...

I warm up the soup my mother made for me and enjoy it while watching the news.

After the soup I take a quick shower before crawling under the covers. My mind wanders to last night and I grin at my own thoughtlessness. Where I got the courage to pull a cigarette out of a giant biker’s mouth is still a mystery to me. And with a broad grin on my face, I fall asleep.