Wonderland

❄B32❄ Medical Records

Chapter Thirty-Two

Brayden's POV

Medical Records

It felt like forever before Heather's surgery ended. When it did, I was led into a recovery room. My heart broke when I saw her lying on the hospital bed. There was an IV stuck into her right arm, and a heart monitor was attached to her. I could hear it beating steadily. She was sleeping, from what I could tell.

"The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet. She'll be awake in around half an hour," a nurse told me.

"The surgery went fine, though, right?" I said, my voice sounding shrill.

"As far as we know, it is. However, she'll have to follow a strict diet and take the medications we prescribe. Also, we'll have to keep her here for a few days to make sure that nothing life-threatening will occur."

"But she'll be fine," I repeated, firmly.

"Yes, she will. Are you her boyfriend?" The nurse smiled kindly at me.

"N—" I started, but Bridget, who was right beside me, jabbed me in the ribs and said, "He is."

"It's sweet how much you care for her. Please don't stress out too much; she'll be fine." The nurse smiled at me one last time before disappearing out of the room.

"Why did you tell her that?" I demanded.

"You're so dumb, Braid On," she said, under her breath. "If you act like her boyfriend, you'll be able to get more information from them. If you're just her friend, they won't tell you much."

"Yeah, but...still. I don't like lying to professionals," I said, uncomfortably.

"It's a white lie, Brayden; it's not going to hurt anyone. Don't you care about her?"

"Yeah, but tell that to my real girlfriend."

"She won't know—unless that is, I told her about it."

Just then, I heard footsteps coming from behind. I turned around in time to see Esmond walking into the room with the doctor I had seen earlier caring for Heather.

"Greetings," the doctor greeted, extending his hand out to me. "I'm Dr. Joel." He shook Bridget's hand, too, before flipping through the pages in his folder. "The surgery was a success, and I've made contact with her father. He'll be here tomorrow."

"Good," I said, relieved.

"Now, you said you guys were her friends, right?" Dr. Joel looked between the three of us.

"Yes, except he's her boyfriend," Bridget chirped, pointing at me. I tried to keep a straight face.

"Yeah," I said, nervously, fiddling my fingers. Realizing that that may cause suspicion, I quickly dropped my hands and hid them behind my back.

Esmond shot me a 'what-are-you-guys-doing' look.

"Let's talk outside," Dr. Joel said, glancing back at Heather. He gestured for us to follow him outside. He closed the door behind him so that, if Heather did wake up, she wouldn't be able to hear the conversation that will be taking place outside.

"How long have you guys known her?" Dr. Joel wondered.

"I met her a month or so ago," Esmond said. "My brother, though, has known her for a few years."

"I don't know her that well," Bridget said, sheepishly.

Dr. Joel nodded. "Okay, that's fine. I was just wondering. Have you guys noticed any mood shifts or personality changes in her? Anything unusual?"