Hurts So Good (Neil Melendez (The Good Doctor) x OC)

For You

I found out later that same day that yes, flowers could be brought in the room.

Dr. Young enters the hospital room with a big sincere smile on her face. The elderly woman has always been a beacon of light ever since I've met her, what with her gentle voice and slow movements, I've always found her to be an inspiration, someone to look up to.

"These are for you, dear. I thought your room might need some personal touches."

"Thank you! They're beautiful, I literally asked if I could get flowers into the room just a couple of hours ago," I inspect the flowers carefully (what did you expect from a florist?), it's a purple-pink-white bouquet created with gerbera daisies, roses and lots of white sweet peas. Finally a pop of color, besides the typical blue of hospital gowns.

"Ask and you shall receive, it works pretty well most of the time. But enough of this, I wanna know how you're feeling."

"Ah, that's a good question, where do I start..." nervous giggles try to come out of my throat but I supress them, "the baby is fine and that is the most important thing. Then there's my arm, which was almost completely crushed, "could have been amputated if the car had been heavier", that's what I was told by a resident this morning. I'm getting operated again tomorrow because my nerves are...compressed? Or something. Basically my right arm is on fire at the moment, and I'm taking this as a pre-birth test, the longer I can go without screaming in pain now, the easier it'll be then."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm confident everything will be alright, the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital has some of the best surgeons in the country. Do you know who'll execute the procedure?"

"Dr. Melendez or one of his team I guess..." that's when I see her face subtly changing, "is everything okay? Do you know him?"

"No, I mean YES, yes of course I know him. I know his name! Rumor has it that he's the most handsome man in the hospital," that's when I feel my face subtly changing. Why am I getting hot now? The nerve damage must be expanding.

"Well, I'm... not complaining. Let's leave it at that, shall we?" by now my face is burning even worse than my broken arm and my eyebrows have a life of their own, expressing what I definitely didn't want to express into words: that he is indeed a handsome man and that that made me juuust a tiny bit uncomfortable given the state I was in: messed up both physically and hormonally, with no make up on and zero clothes other than the gown I was given. Awesome, eh?

"And tell me, did they tell you the sex of the baby? That's one of the reasons we were having our appointment."

"Ah, right. Well, I actually would have asked you not to tell me, because I wanted it to be a surprise but... when I woke up and asked about the baby Dr. Browne said it's a baby girl!"

"Your mum counts on baby number two then..."

I look at her, squinting my eyes, "What exactly did she write on that note I gave you?"

"Nothing you have to know right now! The right time will come," she starts getting up and then she reaches for her coat, "I must go now. Please, Ms. Miller call me whenever you need something, okay? I'll visit again as soon as possible."

"Thank you, doctor, for the visit and the flowers. I feel better just looking at them."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I'll see you soon, have a good night."

*

I swear this day has been one of the longest 24 hours I've ever experienced. It's now 8pm, and I'm calmly eating my scarce dinner ("you can't have too much food or liquids before the operation" this is what Dr. Murphy told me) with my left hand, trying not to mess anything up, especially the blankets. Mum I really miss you, I could use a hand right now.

What I realized so far into this experience is that I got a little bit of my sense of humor back. That's a win for me: since mum died I felt like I was just surviving then I started feeling better the moment I found out a little creature was growing inside me. But being ran over, twice, is what I feel snapped me out of my misery almost completely.

"For you."

I turn my head toward the door and I see... a giant bouquet. How did I get so lucky? Then I also see who stands behind the bouquet and I nearly choke. It's Dr. Melendez. How on earth is he still so fresh looking after all these hours?

"Oh, I see someone got the flowers already," is it me or does he look a little bit disappointed? It's definitely me, 100% sure it is me.

"Yeah, but one can never get enough flowers so... I kindly accept these as well, thank you," a shy smile crosses my face, "but I need another jar of water," I add all in one breath.

"I'll tell the nurse to bring one in, no worries. So... you got a visitor?"

"Just Dr. Young from the Fertility Clinic, remember?"

"Yes, yes, of course. You told us to give her a call."

I nod my head. I push aside my food in order to be able to get a closer look at the flowers. Jasmines, orange dahlias, japanese anemones and baby's breath. I wonder what he would think about the fact that he got me two of my all time favorite flowers, but I don't say a thing about it, instead I just start reading the flowers.

"Dahlias... Inner strength and change. Jasmine and baby's breath are similar, they stand for love and purity. Anemones can represent anticipation and fragility... Is this a hidden message? Be ready for a big change whenever the baby will come? It goes along great with the flowers Dr. Young brought with her: gerbera daisies reflect youthfulness, innocence and energy, pink roses convey joy and sweet peas symbolize good wishes... Interesting choices," then I direct my eyes towards him, "I love them, thank you ."

"I had no idea you could give secret messages with flowers, I'll keep that in mind next time," he smiles widely; I think this is the first time I've actually seen a genuinely amused smile on his face and I feel like he should smile more because it suits him. "If I may, the big change would have come anyway, accident or not. Having a baby always implies big changes, but I'm sure you knew that already."

"You have to think carefully when planning a pregnancy. I have a rough idea of what will happen, but I'm... I think I'll go with the flow. I don't wanna plan too much. I'll see what the world decides to throw at me and play along, taking decisions as we go," his reaction is one I most certainly did not expect from a doctor

"That's awesome, Ms. Miller. Live life the way you want it for yourself and your baby girl. There's no bigger regret than not doing what you really wanted to do, especially now that you have to choose for two."

"Please call me Jade... or Jayjay I mean I'll stay here how long? Another year?! Might as well call me by my first name... or nickname" I try to laugh but the perspective of not getting out as soon as possible kinda scares me.

"Alright, and Jade it is. I think we will keep you at least another two weeks. It'll all depend on how fast your body is going to recover. You're tough we've seen that, so I'm positive you'll do great. Also... Since we're talking about this, have you got any question or doubt regarding tomorrow's procedure?"

"Not really, Shaun's been very thorough with the various explanations so... I was just wondering though... Shouldn't the man who's going to cut my arm open again go home and relax for the night so that his hands will be able to perform magically well in the morning?"

"My hands always work magic, even after a 36 hours shift, be sure of that," he tells me with a hint of a grin on his face. I'm surprised at his behavior, and I'm betrayed once again by my eyebrows, which start moving upwards in a very sarcastic "oookkkaaay" position.

"So sure of yourself. Wow," I pause mid-sentence, then continue but this time I'm murmuring, "normally I wouldn't say this, but your confidence gives me some peace of mind."

"I've had residents call me 'arrogant' on their first day, so thank you for choosing your words carefully, I appreciate it," he says that trying to hide a laugh, so the memory must be somewhat nice for him. He proceeds to stand up, goes for the door, then stops and says, "I will do my best in order to grant you a bright future with your girl. I don't know why yet, but I think you deserve to be happy. Goodnight Jade."

And leaves.