The General's Replacement Doctor Wife

Chapter Twenty-seven

Olivia drew in a steady breath and let it out in a long sigh, repeating the motion until the turmoil within her subsided.

Only after she had gathered herself did the realization settle in. Being uninvited to tonight’s gathering was, in fact, a favor.

There wouldn't be a need to stand for hours confined in an unforgivingly tight dress. She wouldn’t have to endure hours of social interaction, force a smile until her jaw ached, or pretend she belonged in a place that had never truly made space for her.

Instead, she could remain at the hospital, free from restraint and expectation, where she could simply be herself. 

A faint sound of footsteps behind her cut through her thoughts. She turned to see Nurse Jessy hurrying toward her, a folder clasped in her left hand and holding a tablet on the other.

“There you are, Dr. Hilton. The patient's operation will be in two hours. It would be best if you rest for now and prepare.”

Olivia gave a small nod, her expression settling into a calm, composed stillness. She lifted her brows, the gesture causing her naturally long lashes to arch gracefully.

“How many surgeries do I have today?” 

Jessy slipped the folder from her left hand under her arm, securing it against her side, then used her now-free fingers to tap and swipe across the tablet screen.

“You have two surgeries, Dr. Hilton,” she answered, her eyes still fixed on the display, reviewing the schedule. “The first one will commence soon, and the last…” She paused briefly, scrolling. “It doesn’t have a set time yet, but it will most likely be later this evening.”

“Thank heavens,” Olivia murmured, relief easing some of the tension in her chest.

A week ago had been a different story. What was supposed to be a manageable day had turned into a grueling ordeal when the assigned surgeon suffered a fractured wrist just hours before their procedures. Two complex surgeries had been pushed onto Olivia without warning, back-to-back.

She had worked through sheer exhaustion. There was a moment, clear as day in her memory, when she was certain her legs would give out right there in the operating room. But they hadn’t.

And somehow, despite everything, both surgeries had gone well.

At least today, it seemed, would be kinder.

Olivia straightened. “Do you have the details on the first case?”

Jessy nodded and pulled the folder from where it had been tucked under her arm. “Here.” She handed it over. “I figured you’d want to review it ahead of time, so I brought the file with me.”

“Thank you.”

Olivia took the patient’s file, her fingers brushing lightly over its smooth cover before closing around it. She flipped it open and began scanning the contents.

“Annalise Flynn. Twenty-eight years old…” she read under her breath.

“The patient is a preschool teacher,” Jessy said after a brief silence, filling in what the file could not. “It was a hit-and-run. One of her co-teachers witnessed the incident and brought her straight here.”

Olivia’s eyes paused on the page.

“A preschool teacher…” she repeated. Her grip on the file tightened ever so slightly. “What kind of person would want a sweet young woman dead?” The question slipped out before she could stop herself.

“There are more deranged people out there than you’d think, Dr. Hilton..” 

Olivia let out a humorless huff. “That, I agree with.”