Limitless Love (Lotus House #4)(48)

The doctor entered, dark hair with sprinkles of white dotting his temples. He had a salt-and-pepper short-cropped beard to match, kind eyes, and a soft smile. He bent over toward Monet’s face and placed his hand over hers.

“You ready to get the stitches removed?” he asked softly as a petite blonde with pink scrubs entered with what I guessed was Monet’s medical file on a tablet.

“Are you doing the removal?” Monet asked.

He nodded and went over to the in-room sink and washed his hands. “With this large a wound, I’d feel better doing it myself. Mandy here will assist.”

“You’re in good hands, Dr. Holland,” the nurse added and then washed her hands as well.

Both medical professionals donned gloves. The nurse went behind the table closest to where the tray was. I moved out of the way toward the front of the table where there was a bit more room. No fucking way was I not going to hold her hand or pet her hair while they tended to her.

I tucked the small chair next to her head and put one hand on her hair and the other on her hand. She gripped it firmly as the doctor poked and prodded at her back, checking the wound.

“Looks really good, Dr. Holland. I see you’ve heeded our instructions. The seal looks tight, but I’ll remove the stitches and then we’ll place some adhesive strips in strategic locations that might be at a higher risk of opening when you’re moving around and more active. You’ll still want to be careful for the next couple weeks, but you should be able to continue normal movement, go to work, resume sexual activities…” He glanced at me and then back to the wound.

Monet’s cheeks pinked prettily. I kissed her temple, letting her know the embarrassment wasn’t just on her. I squeezed her hand and stroked her hair.

“All right, Mandy, let’s clean the entire area.”

Mandy opened the alcohol and poured a healthy dose onto a stack of gauze. She ran the wet gauze all over Monet’s back. Instantly gooseflesh prickled against her skin.

“Are you in pain?” My heart pounded and I held her hand firmly.

“No, just cold.”

Mandy used the smaller cotton balls on the stitches, wetting and cleansing them at the same time.

“Okay, Mandy, hand me the scissors. Dr. Holland, I’ll snip them all first. Then both Mandy and I will ease each stitch out from the knot side and do our best not to tug too hard or open the wound. Everything looks really great and your healing process is stellar. I don’t anticipate any problems.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

With every snip I flinched. Eighty fucking times. Monet, on the other hand, held perfectly still and stared at the wall across the room. I wanted to do something for her, say something that would make this easier. I was at a total fucking loss.

The doctor and nurse started at opposite ends of Monet’s wound with their tweezers and scissors, snipping and tugging each string out.

Monet’s eyes closed tight.

“Hey, let’s try Dara’s chant. Om Mani Padme Hum. You know that one?” I asked softly.

Her eyes flickered open. “Yeah, okay.”

“First, breathe with me, beautiful. In for four beats and out for four like in Dara’s classes. Okay?” We both knew the yoga breathing process from taking regular classes at Lotus House. I’d taken Dara’s meditation classes a few times but never thought I was any good at letting go of the monkey mind. Still, chanting helped get me in a better headspace. For Moe, I’d try anything to get her to stay relaxed and not focused on the procedure.

Monet followed along with my breathing, pairing our breaths. I placed my face directly in front of hers and ran my fingers through her hair. Her gaze stayed on mine as we breathed together, our faces only a scant few inches apart.

I inhaled long and full before letting out the words along with my breath. “Om Mani Padme Hum…” I let the last word run long, humming until all the breath inside my lungs was gone. Then together we breathed in again and continued to chant softly. “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Every so often she’d wince and lose her place, but I’d bring her back to our combined meditation and she’d relax into it once more.

It felt like the process took hours when it probably was only twenty minutes or so.

“Now we’re going to apply the tape. As you know, it will fall off on its own. Don’t help it. Just take normal showers and let it ease off over time.”

“I will,” she whispered.

For another ten minutes, the doctor applied the tape and inspected the wound. “Looks really good. You’ve been a great patient. If you have to wear a bra over the next week, I’d suggest something really light with no elastic.”

“You could try those camisole bras. Those are pretty good,” the nurse offered.

Monet nodded, her eyes still pained and weary.

“We need to remove the ones from your neck now. Can you sit up?”

I helped Monet get up and twist her legs around to the side.

The doctor grabbed a light hanging near the wall, flicked it on, and adjusted it near Monet’s upper body. “Almost done.” He looked at the neck wound as she lifted her head.

“This will be quick. The wound is perfectly closed, though tugging on the sutures will hurt a bit since the area is so thin and sensitive.”

“Please, let’s just get this over with. I’m fine. Carry on.”