Chapter 22 Can I Get Your Number?
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On the hospital bed lay an elderly woman battling a severe illness. A brain tumor was pressing against her optic nerve, and without intervention, she faced the imminent danger of losing her vision.
“Dr. Lange, my mother’s condition must be a great challenge for you!”
The speaker, Miriam Simpson, was the woman’s daughter and appeared to be in her mid–20s. Though not stunningly beautiful, she had a pleasant and approachable charm.
Her gaze lingered on Thomas’s intense eyes, brimming with both admiration and affection she could not conceal. “From the moment we arrived at the hospital, the director and other senior staff praised you, calling you an expert in neurosurgery. Now that my mother is in your capable hands, I feel completely reassured!”
“Ms. Simpson, you flatter me. They were simply being polite,” Thomas replied.
“Dr. Lange, you’re far too humble!” she countered.
He responded with a faint smile, choosing not to elaborate. Passing the CT scan to Rosalie, who stood nearby, he leaned closer to the elderly patient. “Madam, how are you feeling? Do you have any headaches?”
“Just a little … ” the woman murmured.
“Can you point to where it hurts?” Thomas asked softly, lightly pressing the back of her head. “Is it here?”
“Yes, that’s the spot,” she confirmed.
The elderly woman nodded, letting out a weary sigh. “Dr. Lange, my vision is becoming blurrier by the day. Do you think I’ll lose my sight entirely? I don’t want to live in darkness!”
“Don’t worry, Madam. We’ll do everything we can to help,” Thomas reassured her with a calm voice.
As he spoke, he lightly patted the back of her hand, a gesture meant to ease her growing
unease.
Standing nearby, Rosalie noticed this small act of kindness.
In her experience, Thomas had always come across as distant and composed, maintaining a
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Chapter 22 Can I Get Your Number?
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clear boundary with those around him. Yet, seeing this unexpected tenderness toward a patient surprised her.
“Dr. Lange, you truly have such a kind heart,” the elderly woman remarked warmly.
“Dr. Lange, is my mother’s condition very serious? Will her eyesight improve after the operation?” Miriam asked anxiously, her concern evident.
“We’ll need to wait for the specialists to conduct a group consultation and provide their conclusions,” he replied cautiously, refraining from giving any definite assurances.
Dr. Lange kept his response measured, avoiding any firm commitments.
Rosalie found herself admiring his cautious approach.
In today’s tense environment between doctors and patients, every word a physician utters carries weight and the potential for conflict. It was wise to refrain from making definitive promises, especially when surgical outcomes could be unpredictable.
“Dr. Lange, in that case, can I get your phone number?” Miriam asked hesitantly, her cheeks flushing slightly. Realizing her request might seem too forward, she quickly added a justification, “You know, in case there’s an emergency with my mom and I need to reach out to you…
“Certainly!”
Thomas, focused on jotting down notes in the medical record, responded without a moment’s pause. Without glancing up, he said, “Dr. Hawthorne, please give Ms. Simpson your phone number.”
“Wait, what?”
Rosalie, caught off guard by the sudden request, blinked in confusion.
Miriam, equally perplexed, stared at him, unsure of what had just happened.
Thomas finally glanced up, his tone calm and practical as he explained, “Ms. Simpson, Dr. Hawthorne is my assistant. If you have any questions later, she’s the one you can reach out to for advice. I’m often tied up with surgeries and might not be able to answer my phone promptly. In an emergency, contacting Dr. Hawthorne will likely get you a quicker response.”
What an impeccable excuse…
Not a single flaw in it!
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Chapter 23 The Hospital Isn’t the Place for Romance
