Surgeon – Chapter Twenty-Two

NOT EDITED

Chapter Twenty-Two

4:25 AM; CLINSTONE, THE MASON HOUSEHOLD, GUEST BEDROOM

Bo startled himself awake, the bed shaking beneath him as he fully came to. He blinked a few times, gaze slowly scanning over the wall in front of him. A night light cast a soft glow across the photos hanging in the room. Jacob and Alice’s presence in at least a few of them gave him a pretty good clue where he was.

“You okay?”

Bo flinched before freezing for a moment. The voice was Jacob’s. Bo hadn’t exactly determined if that was cause for further alarm or not. He looked back over his shoulder, finding Jacob lying on the other side of the bed, his eyes still closed. “What are you doing in here?”

“Makin’ sure you’re okay.” Jacob cleared his throat. “I’ve been where your head’s at. Better not to be left alone with it. Especially at night in the dark.”

Well, that much was certainly true. Being left alone with his thoughts the majority of every day and every night hadn’t exactly served Bo well in life. “Thank you.”

“You betcha.”

“You were in my headspace after your mom died, if I… remember correctly?”

“You do. And yeah, after my mom died. I woke every day hoping the day before had been a dream and she’d be alive, and when she wasn’t, I spent the rest of the day hoping I’d die by the end of it. It’s a horrible place to be, and I don’t wish on anybody, but if somebody I know is in it, I’m going to do what I can to help them through it. Maybe even out of it.”

“I… appreciate that. And you. Thank you.”

“You betcha,” Jacob repeated. He gave Bo’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “Get some shut-eye. I’ll try to chase off whatever dreams are bothering you.”

11:00 AM; CLINSTONE, THE MASON HOUSEHOLD, KITCHEN

Jacob looked over his shoulder at Bo as the blonde walked into the kitchen, arms delicately wrapped around himself. Jacob smiled. “Good morning,” he greeted.

Bo nodded, looking a little… far away. “I’m sorry about last night. It wasn’t William’s or your responsibility to shoulder my problems.”

“You didn’t hurt anyone by telling someone you were hurting. And you don’t have to apologize for being on the edge or being depressed. You’ve been through a lot, and our coworkers aren’t helping to make that any better.” He offered a soft, reassuring smile. “I’m just you told Will, that he told me. I’m glad you changed your mind.”

Bo nodded slightly. “Well… thank you. I’ve not had much experience with the… lack of judgment for it.”

“The only person in this entire house that will judge you, is you.” A pause. “So, you want chocolate chips in your pancakes?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m making breakfast.”

Bo glanced at the clock above the stove. “Isn’t it brunch?”

Jacob chuckled. “You know, that’s exactly what Alice asked me the first time she came over for breakfast,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s breakfast because I’ve only been awake for, like, twenty minutes.”

Bo’s gaze shifted to the floor. “I–I think chocolate chips could work.”

Jacob smiled. “Good. You can sit down, if you’d like.” When Bo didn’t move, Jacob reached out and pulled out the chair closest to him. “Here.”

“Thanks,” Bo said quietly as he lowered himself into the chair.

“No problem.” Jacob eye-balled about a cup worth of chocolate chips into the bowl of pancake batter. “Do you think that sleeping in the same bed last night makes us friends?”

“I… Yes, probably. I suppose so.”

“So… you can call me Jake?”

Bo let out a breath that sounded like an airy laugh. “Sure, Jake.”

“Hot damn—dog. Hot dog,” Jacob said.

“Real nice save, Jay,” Alice said as she walked into the kitchen, Elijah cradled in one arm. She crossed the room and leaned up to kiss his cheek. 

Jacob turned his head, meeting her lips instead. A smile turned up either corner of his mouth as he ran a hand over Elijah’s head. “Charlotte still sleeping?”

“Yeah, she gets the late mornings from you,” Alice said.

Jacob scoffed. “Wounded.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to face Bo. “Good morning, Bo.”

“Good morning, Miss Tangwerai.”

“You can call me Alice, if you’d like,” she said. Bo nodded. “You’re sticking around for breakfast, then?” Again, Bo nodded. “Good. We’re glad to have you.” As she walked past him, she brushed his hair away from his forehead. Bo closed his eyes, a faint smile forming on his face. It had been a long time since he had been cared for, and until now, he hadn’t been aware that he had missed that feeling.

As soon as this case was over, he knew he had to visit his mother and father. That visit was long overdue.

12:00 PM; MINNESOTA, THE SURGEON’S HOUSE, OFFICE

“Brooke has healed up quite nicely,” he said.

Gordon nodded. “There shouldn’t even be much of a scar.”

“Right.” He cleared his throat, shifting in his desk chair. “I’m going to reshape her face today.”

“And then what?” Gordon questioned.

“While Brooke heals, I’ll reshape your mother’s face, and we’ll move on from there. Three to four days of healing time between each surgery, give them some time to recuperate in between.”

Gordon nodded. “Yeah, Dad. Sounds good. Do we have all of the… parts found?”

“Found but not yet taken, yes. We’ll wait until we’re close to the next surgery.” He steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “I’ll be slimming Brooke’s nose down tonight, as well. It needs to be straighter. After she’s healed from that, we’ll see where we’re at with appearances and lay out the rest of the plan.”

Again, Gordon nodded. “Sure, Dad.” He pushed himself out of his chair. “I have to get to work. I’ll see you tonight for Brooke.”

He nodded once. “See you then, son.”

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