Invasion. An unwelcome intrusion into another's domain. That was the definition, according to most of the dictionaries. One synonym they all seemed to have left out was Bella Ledford. A doctor. A neurosurgeon. More specifically, the new Head of Neur...
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The truth didn't leak further than the meeting room. Tightly secured, the cracks were filled and locked down. Not that Bella wanted to think about it any longer. Now that Jackson knew, she should've felt lighter, freer, thought to have all the possibilities in the world.
That was not true.
Bella became more stressed. Warier. Felt more shame than she did before.
After the meeting, they didn't talk because duty called. Jackson went one way, Bella the other. Catherine remained in the room, tasked with planning a reaction to the most challenging backlash she will ever face in her entire career.
While the secret remained, no one could tell how much time left to tick away before the other women found out about the NDA's loosened brackets.
Once the surgery had finished, Bella left. Got in the Uber she called. Showered. Plopped in bed with a book, and read the entire thing.
Jackson called her three times that evening. Each time she let it ring until her voicemail spoke back to him. He did not leave a message. Instead, he texted her.
Jackson Avery: Take the day off tomorrow. I love you.
That was all he said. Bella locked her phone after she read the message displayed on her screen.
Mentally, she thanked god she finished her book because she sure as hell wouldn't have been able to read anything after that. Ledford wasn't even sure how she fell asleep that night with those three little words replaying in her mind.
As suggested, though, she took the day off.
And it made things relatively worse. To walk into the hospital with the fear of hearing about things she didn't want to, made her anxiety double. Thankfully, she didn't have scheduled surgeries but she did have to work on trial-stuff.
Locked away in a room.
Alone.
Tom had to travel home because he had a VIP to take care of back at Hopkins. A part of Bella wished she could've joined him, if not for the surgery, then for the simple reason that she hasn't been back to Baltimore since she left.
In the middle of reading a research paper on her laptop, Bella jumped in surprise. She forgot to silence her phone, so when she got a message, it pinged loudly.
Ethan Ledford: I haven't heard from you in a while. How's everything? I might be going to Los Angeles soon for a conference (still waiting for it to be confirmed) so I thought I might come see you after? Let me know. E. x
Instantly, a smile stretched her lips far, curled them upwards. Thinking it over in her head, she calculated that her brother had just finished work. The seven-hour time difference meant it was five in the afternoon at home.
![[BELLA LEDFORD]Seattle, Washington](https://img.wattpad.com/a4529a728d67df910fbcd8967c59cfcb0c7e4e9b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6e5177417277544a6953797036673d3d2d313231343735353437342e313665356432303934313165373839653438393630333530393035352e676966?s=fit&w=720&h=720)
