Mr Jefferson was settled on the ward and had been put on a nitrate drip, Kelly went back to the cath lab. The rest of her clinic was more straightforward, to her relief, and she managed to catch up with Luc afterwards.
‘Thank you for talking to Mr Jefferson with me.’ She’d liked Luc’s warm, easy manner and the way he’d described things without being dramatic and terrifying their patient even more. He’d acknowledged Mr Jefferson’s fears and reassured him.
‘No problem,’ he said.
‘You actually do the surgery off-pump?’
He nodded. ‘I’m assuming that’s unusual for here, then?’
‘Yes, it is. I haven’t actually seen off-pump surgery done before.’ And it was the first time in a long time that Kelly had been interested in seeing something different—that her old passion for her job had resurfaced instead of being buried by the fear that she might have missed something and let a patient down, the way she’d let Simon down.
‘If you can spare the time, you’re welcome to scrub in and observe as much of the operation as you like,’ he offered.
‘I’d love to. I won’t be able to stay for the whole thing, but maybe I could come before or after my clinic tomorrow, if that’s OK?’
‘Whenever fits your schedule best,’ he said.
‘Thanks. I’m definitely taking you up on that.’
‘Actually, you can spread the word that I’m always happy to have observers,’ Luc said. ‘The actual operation is only a part of caring for our patient. I’m a great believer in all areas of the team knowing exactly what happens in the other parts of a care plan, and the more we all understand what each other does, the more we can work together and help our patients.’
‘That’s very much Sanjay’s approach as the head of the department,’ Kelly said. ‘Cross-fertilisation of ideas. And you’re welcome in my cath lab any time, as are any of your students.’
‘Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.’ He smiled. ‘So is Mr Jefferson settled in?’
She nodded. ‘His wife’s just gone home to pick up his things. She had a bit of a chat with me beforehand. She’s worrying about losing him.’
‘Understandable, in the circumstances,’ Luc said. ‘But that must’ve brought back some tough memories for you.’
She shrugged. ‘If anything, what happened to Simon has probably helped me empathise a bit more with my patients and their partners.’ There had to be some good coming out of such a senseless death.
‘You’re still brave,’ Luc said, patting her shoulder.
Again, his touch made her feel all flustered. Which was crazy. She hardly knew him and this wasn’t supposed to happen. ‘You have to get on with things,’ she said.
As if realising that she desperately wanted him to change the subject, Luc said, ‘So Mr Jefferson’s on his own and he’s got time to worry, then. I’ll go and sit with him for a bit. Catch you later.’
Surgeons had a reputation for arrogance, Kelly thought, the next morning, but Luc Bianchi definitely wasn’t one of them. Yesterday he’d deliberately taken time to sit with a nervous patient and reassure him. Today, he was courteous to the rest of the team in the operating theatre, asking them to do things rather than barking instructions at them, and even checking that they were OK with his choice of music to work to; and he’d made it clear that he was happy to explain anything he was doing and why.
She was fascinated by the glimpses she had of the off-pump bypass surgery where just the small area he was working on was kept still and the rest of the heart was visibly pumping. As a student, she’d been fascinated by cutting-edge treatments. Since Simon’s death, she’d focused on keeping things safe and steady. Work hadn’t been a chore, exactly, but she’d become hyper-focused. She managed to be there for the end of the op too, when Luc was closing up; his movements were deft and very sure.
‘Thanks for letting me sit in,’ she said before he went to scrub out. ‘Can I buy you lunch and ask you a ton of questions about the op?’
‘I’d be delighted to have lunch with you and answer anything I can,’ he said, ‘but I’m paying. I might have to rush back here if the team beeps me too.’
In other words, if Peter Jefferson developed any complications before he came round in the intensive care unit. ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Thank you. I’ll see you when you’ve scrubbed out.’
* * *
The more time Luc spent with Kelly Phillips, the more he liked her. The kind, calm way she treated her patients; her inquisitive mind; the way she treated all her colleagues with respect.
‘Was that really the first OPCABG you’ve seen?’ he asked when he’d scrubbed out and joined her.
‘Your predecessor preferred working on pump,’ she said. ‘So, yes, it was my first off-pump bypass graft. And it was fascinating.’
‘And you have questions?’
‘Absolutely. Let’s get lunch, and I’ll pick your brain,’ she said with a smile.
She asked a lot of questions. All bright, thoughtful questions. Luc answered to the best of his ability, and finally she nodded.
‘Thank you. I understand a lot more, now. But the most important thing is that you’ve made a real difference to Peter Jefferson’s life.’
‘We’re not quite out of the woods yet,’ he said. ‘But I hope so.’
* * *
Over the next couple of days, Peter Jefferson moved from the intensive care area to the ward. But, when Kelly came to see him on Friday morning during her ward round, he started crying. ‘This is so pathetic. I can’t understand why I feel like this. I was a finance director, used to making decisions and dealing with huge sums of money, and now I’m crying all over the place and it’s just not me. And I can barely even get out of bed without help.’ He looked despairing. ‘Now I’m just a shuffling old man.’
She sat on the bed next to him and held his hand. ‘You’ve been through major surgery, Mr Jefferson. Lots and lots of people feel like this afterwards. You’ll have good days and you’ll have wobbly days. But the rehab programme will really help you, because you’ll meet other people who are going through it too or are a couple of weeks further down the line than you are, and that will help you realise that what’s happening to you and how you’re feeling is all perfectly normal. It’s going to take time to get you back on your feet and doing the same things you did before you had surgery, but you will get there. Just be kind to yourself.’
Luc walked onto the ward at that moment. ‘Good morning,’ he said with a smile. ‘I just popped in to say hello to you before I go into the operating theatre today.’
Mr Jefferson wiped his eyes. ‘I’m sorry. I’m being so stupid.’
‘You’ve had major surgery with a general anaesthetic. Of course you feel wobbly,’ Luc said. ‘Tell me, do you play chess?’
‘I
