Saving Hearts

Chapter 1: Wesley

Chapter 1: Wesley

"Dr. Wesley Hawkes to OR room 2," the voice called over the intercom.

I would have been out the front door if that page had been announced two seconds later. I barely reached the front desk before I turned around and headed back to the 5th floor. As I stepped off the elevator, the first face I saw was Jeremy Hunter, my friend for over 15 years, tall stature, waiting for me in the center of the hall. Jeremy is a trauma surgeon from Kansas who transferred to Hopkins five months ago.

"I should have known it was you," I laughed as I approached him. "Do you have a surgery for me?"

He handed over his patient's chart for me to read.

"She's got a fractured arm, two broken ribs, and bruises all over her body. I'm just going in to fix some of the internal bleeding. It's nothing I can't handle." Jeremy informed me.

"What happened to her?" I questioned as I returned the chart to him.

Such trauma could arise solely from being beaten.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think they caught the person. She will wake up in a lot of pain, but she will survive." He added.

I could only shake my head in disapproval. As a medical provider, my role is not to pass judgment on the guilty but to offer healing to the sick. Nonetheless, what happened to Jeremy's patient was truly atrocious. I could only hope that this patient gets justice.

"What do you need me for?" I questioned as he led the way down the corridor.

"I'm supposed to meet this beautiful woman at a bar by the harbor," Jeremy stated.

I could tell by the way his story started it would end with him asking me for a favor, which Jeremy frequently does.

"Long story short, I won't make it to the bar because I'll be saving a life. You, on the other hand, are free," He ended as we stopped at the OR doors.

"Is there a question in there somewhere," I pushed.

"I thought you could meet her there instead." I crossed my arms and gave him a long, fixed stare. "Come on, man. When is the last time you've been on a date?"

"How would it look if I showed up instead of you? What if she falls for me? Why would you take a woman on a date to a bar?"

"I already text her, and she's just looking for fun, and as long as one of us is getting lucky, I'm happy. Bars are fun."

I laughed at Jeremy as he wrote down the address without waiting for my answer. He was right; I don't get out that much. I am often busy and not interested in going out. What could it hurt? I openly took the address from him after wishing him luck in surgery.

"Just do me one favor and take off the wedding ring," Jeremy ordered as I walked back toward the elevator.

I ignored him and hastily took the stairs down to the lobby before I heard 'paging Dr. Wesley Hawkes' again. It's not every day I leave the hospital at 7 pm. I was going to enjoy my early release. Going to meet a beautiful woman seemed like my best option. Once I was inside my car, I looked at the paper Jeremy gave me.

Under the bar address, he wrote.

Name is Nicole. Double D breast and Angelina Jolie lips

Jeremy is a self-proclaimed comedian who never misses the opportunity to make a joke. He is three years older than I am, but he might be five years younger mentally. He and I were roommates at Brown University during our undergraduate years. We stayed in touch even though we went to different grad schools. A few months ago, he called me to inform me he was coming to Baltimore to work at Hopkins. He's been getting me into trouble ever since. I will not lie and say Jeremy is noble because he's far from it. He's never been a one-woman man and has no problem speaking his mind. However, he's always had my back. If he ever needs a cover story, I'm more than willing to provide him with an alibi.