Chapter 5 - The Morning of the Surgery
Tuesday morning arrived with a cold, pale dawn over Denver.
The St. Anthony Medical Center was bustling with nurses and morning staff. I lay in a pre-op hospital bed, wearing a blue gown, an IV already inserted into the back of my left hand.
Dad sat on the vinyl chair beside my bed, holding my left hand tightly. He hadn't left my side for forty-eight hours.
My mother and Lena were nowhere to be found.
After Dad had confronted Mom on Sunday night about her online rumors, Mom had taken Lena and stayed at a hotel near the airport, refusing to speak to us unless I agreed to "issue a joint statement restoring Lena’s reputation."
I had ignored her messages.
At 7:15 AM, the door to my pre-op cubicle opened.
Dr. Arisaka walked in, accompanied by his surgical assistant. "Morning, Tessa. How are we feeling?"
"Nervous," I admitted.
"That's completely normal," Dr. Arisaka said smoothly. "The plan today is an open labral repair with anchor placement, along with a capsular shift to tighten the ligaments. It's about a three-hour procedure. You'll be under general anesthesia."
He turned to Dad. "Mr. Vale, you can wait in the surgical lounge on the third floor. We'll call you as soon as she's in recovery."
Dad stood up, leaned down, and kissed my forehead. "I love you, Tess. You are so brave. I'll be right here when you wake up."
"I love you too, Dad," I whispered.
As the anesthesiologist injected the clear liquid into my IV port, a strange sense of peace washed over me. The warm, heavy numbness spread up my arm and into my chest.
For thirty-four years, I had carried the emotional weight of an entire broken family on my shoulders. Today, those shoulders were being surgically repaired.
When I woke up, I was going to carry only myself.
Four hours later, the world came back in blurry, hazy shapes.
The smell of antiseptic was thick. The steady beep... beep... beep... of a heart monitor echoed in my ears. My right arm was completely numb from a nerve block, encased in a heavy, rigid abduction pillow sling that held my arm away from my body at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Tessa?" Dad's voice was soft, sitting right beside me.
I blinked, my vision slowly focusing on his face. "Dad?"
"I'm here, sweetheart," he said, smoothing my hair back. "Dr. Arisaka said the surgery was a complete success. He placed four bone anchors in the joint. He said you're going to make a full recovery, but you have to be extremely disciplined with your rest."
"Good," I rasped, my throat dry from the breathing tube. "Water?"
Dad handed me a cup with a bendy straw, helping me take small sips.
As I swallowed, the door to the recovery room swung open aggressively.
A nurse tried to stop her, but my mother pushed her way past the curtain.
Karen looked frantic. Her hair was unwashed, her eyes wide and manic, holding her phone in her hand as if it were a ticking bomb.
"Arthur!" Karen shouted, ignoring the quiet signs posted everywhere. "Tell her to pull it down! Tell her attorney to stop!"
Dad stood up immediately, stepping between Mom and my hospital bed. "Karen! What the hell are you doing here?! She just came out of surgery!"
"Caleb posted the video!" Karen shrieked, her voice echoing down the hospital corridor. "He posted the Alder House security video on Facebook and tagged our entire family! The venue review pages are flooded! People are calling Lena's employer! She's about to lose her job at the marketing firm!"
I lay in the bed, watching my mother scream about Lena's job while I was still groggy from general anesthesia.
Dad didn't raise his voice. He simply reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a folded white envelope, and handed it to my mother.
May you like
Karen paused, her screaming dying in her throat as she stared at the envelope. "What is this?"
"Those are divorce papers, Karen," Dad said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "And a formal notice of eviction from our home. You and Lena have until Friday to clear your things out of my house."