‘We’ll monitor Aida very closely. We can use various things after surgery to reduce inflammation and scarring. A series of steroid injections might be appropriate or silicone gel sheeting used to flatten the scar. Aida knows that she has to follow my instructions to the letter for her aftercare. It was the only reason I agreed to do her surgery in the first place.’
Lexi could feel the hairs rise at the back of her neck. Iain wasn’t joking. She could just imagine how stern he’d been with Aida before agreeing to her surgery. The scarring was a complete surprise to her. She was sure she’d seen semi-naked pictures of Aida before, and nothing had been noticeable. How had she managed that?
Of course. The beauty of photographic touch-ups. She knew better than anyone how fickle the beauty industry was. As long as they got the picture they wanted it didn’t matter how they got it—or whether it was an accurate portrayal of the person or not.
Her feet moved slowly backwards, edging towards the wall again. She wished she’d known about the surgery beforehand and had given herself a little time to prepare. Watching breast surgery and having breast surgery were two entirely different things. In a way she was glad she’d slept through her own surgery and had never had to think too much about it all. She had to press her hands against the cool wall to stop herself automatically lifting them and holding them against her breasts.
She glanced downwards. There they were. Perfect, in every way.
If only she’d got them because she’d wanted them and not because someone else had criticised her. It almost made her feel like a fool.
But she was stronger now. More resilient.
She was happy with her shape and regardless of anyone else’s opinion she had more confidence like this.
Iain’s concentration was intense in Theatre. Woe betide anyone who interrupted the master at work. But the theatre staff were comfortable with him, obviously used to his techniques and procedures. He hardly needed to utter an instruction.
The surgery flew past. Quickly followed by another, more standard breast enlargement. He turned to face her as he scrubbed for yet another surgery.
‘Now would be a good time to grab a quick bite,’ he said to Lexi.
As if on cue, her stomach gave a low rumble. ‘Haven’t you finished yet?’
He shook his head. ‘Not by a long shot. I’ve got some reconstructive surgery to do on a professional football player’s knee and then some facial surgery on a lady with head and neck cancer. That one will last around four hours.’
Lexi tried to stop her jaw from hitting the floor when she realised exactly how long Iain would be in Theatre. ‘I didn’t know you did things like that. If that surgery will take so long, shouldn’t it have been done first?’
He gave a little nod of acknowledgement. ‘You’re right. We normally do the most complicated surgery first but Carol Kennedy has enough on her plate. She wanted to keep things as normal as possible. She wanted to drop her kids at school today and has told them that she’s got business in the city for a few days.’
Lexi felt a little tug at her heart as she recognised the name of the well-known TV presenter. ‘She has head and neck cancer?’ Her voice came out as a squeak, even though she was trying to be as professional as possible. News like that usually spread like wildfire and she was surprised she hadn’t heard a thing.
Iain gave a curt nod. ‘I’ll talk you through it later. Now, go and eat.’
One of the theatre nurses gestured towards the door and held it open for her as she walked towards it. ‘Come with me. I’ll show you where you can grab a coffee. We’ll have to be quick, mind. Iain will be starting again within ten minutes.’
Lexi followed her quickly to the nearby kitchen. This would be an ideal time to see how much she could find out about Iain from his colleagues. She hadn’t really met many of the staff from Kate’s before.
She gave a grateful smile as the nurse poured out some coffee and handed her a cup. ‘Take some biscuits. They’re on the table. It’s a free for all in here.’
Lexi smiled. ‘Thanks for that. Have you worked with Iain long?’
The nurse lifted her eyebrows. ‘Happy Harry?’
Lexi nearly choked. ‘Is that what you call him?’
The nurse laughed. ‘Actually, he’s not the worst. Leo Hunter used to be much more grumpy but since he’s met Lizzie he’s all smiles. His brother Ethan seems to have taken on the mantle of biggest bear.’ She walked over to the table and sat down next to Lexi. ‘But to be fair to him he’s still not recovered and he works far too long hours—they all do—but Ethan’s trouble is he’s far too stubborn to use his stick.’
Lexi frowned. ‘I’ve never seen Ethan walking with a stick.’
‘Exactly. I’ve worked in orthopaedic theatres for too many years not to know when someone should be using a stick.’
Lexi pressed her lips together. It was time for a subject change, but the nurse was already back on her feet and washing her cup. No one got to hang around for long here. ‘Let’s go, Lexi.’ She gave her a quick wink. ‘Let’s not keep our Scots laird waiting.’
Lexi followed her pale green scrubs out the door. Iain was near the end of scrubbing and his premiership footballer was being wheeled in the door. She almost couldn’t believe the range of operations that Iain was involved in.
The surgery on the footballer player took several hours and her legs were already beginning to ache by the time a very nervous-looking Carol Kennedy was wheeled in. It was obvious she recognised Lexi immediately, and if she was surprised to see her she didn’t show it. Instead, she gestured to her to come over.
Lexi’s stomach was churning. She’d met Carol at numerous charity events over the years and had always found her to be as charming in person as she was on television. She reached over and gave Carol’s hand a little squeeze. ‘I’m so sorry to see you here, Carol.’
Carol nodded nervously, tears pooling in her eyes. ‘Iain spoke to me beforehand about the filming. It’s fine with me. I’ll have some time to explain to the children when I go home.’
‘Are you sure, Carol? The last thing I want to do is invade your privacy. If this is something you want kept out of the media, I completely understand. You know that my lips are sealed and I’ll never breathe a word.’
Carol nodded gratefully. ‘I appreciate that, Lexi. I’ve been fighting this cancer in private for quite some time. But after the surgery today I’ll have some scars. Iain will do whatever he can, but I will have some scars around my neck that I don’t want to have to spend my life telling lies about.’ She shook her head. ‘In a few days’ time I’ll be home and will have told my children. If filming the surgery helps other people and helps raise the profile of the clinic for the charities, it’s fine with me.’
Carol gave a little nod as the anaesthetist signalled to her to lie back against the pillow. Lexi gave a final squeeze of her hand as the anaesthetist started slowing injecting the milky substance into her vein. A few seconds later Carol’s body relaxed and her breathing was assisted. Lexi watched as Carol’s head was tilted backwards but instead of sliding a tube down Carol’s throat, as she’d expected, the anaesthetist slid a tube down her nose.
Iain saw the expression on her face. ‘When we’re doing surgery on the head and neck we often use nasotracheal intubation. It means we can maintain the patient’s airway but still have access to do surgery in and around the face, mouth and neck.’
Lexi nodded. It made sense. If Iain needed access to the inside of Carol’s mouth, it would be virtually impossible if a tube was down her throat.
‘So what are you going to do for Carol?’
There was something so strange about seeing someone she knew lying on the operating table. Even