Chapter 172 "Doctor Stone ?" Theresa jolted out of thoughts and rubbed her eyes. "Hey, where were we?" she asked, forcing a smile to hide her embarrassment. Everyone stared at her as if she had said something offensive. Her cheeks warmed as she shifted in her chair. Doctor Jackson cleared his throat before leaning forward. "The meeting is over, Dr Stone." "Oh." Her blush deepened. The rest of the doctors stood up, and she did too, but waited for them all to leave before moving.

"Not you, Dr Stone," Dr Jackson said. He was the leading physician in San Francisco and the owner of Jackville Hospital. Theresa swallowed as she faced him, keeping a smile on her face. "Hey Doctor. " "Don't," Dr Jackson said, frowning. "I understand the situation with your family, but we can't have you blanking out in the middle of a meeting." She lowered her eyes, guilt rippling inside her. "I apologize, sir." "I brought you in because I needed your expertise.

But unfortunately, my team learnt nothing." He shook his head. She hadn't realized she had been that far gone. Her thoughts had been filled with her encounters with Hector. She had needed him, and when he came, she pushed him away. The guilt doubled in her chest, and she tried to shake it away. She told herself she was protecting him from the harsh truth of the pregnancy. Yet with everything with Andrew and her dad, he was the one person she ran to. Dr.

Jackson sighed loudly, pulling her back to reality. "You're doing it again, Dr. Stone. I don't think this can-" She interrupted him, refusing to let her emotions overtake her ability. "I can do this Dr Jackson." "No, you can't," he said, standing up. Disappointment colored his face. "I need you to be stable, but it's obvious you're not." Pain coursed through her, enough to sharpen her thoughts and pull herself together. "I am." Dr. Jackson waved a hand as he picked up his laptop.

"I'm sorry I thought you could handle this, with everything going on. Don't worry, we'll still pay you for the consultation." She heard the resolution in his voice, and it lit a fire inside her. "You called me cause I'm the best. Yes, I'm going through a lot, but that doesn't stop me from saving lives. Those are two separate things, Doctor." Dr Jackson looked at her and she saw the hesitation in his eyes. "Besides, who will you call?" she added.

"Nobody else can do this and you know that." "Fine, fine," he said, giving in. "I'll hold you to your word, Doctor. Elaine Chase is in critical condition. She was transferred here, because they believe we can help. She's a celebrity, one mistake, and we're all done." "I'll do my best, Doctor." Chapter 172 He regarded her for a long moment before nodding. "Alright. Get ready, surgery starts in an hour. Go prep. Then he latt. When Theresa was alone, she sank into the chair and exhaled.

"So close." Her phone buzzed and she reached for it. When she saw it was Wills again, she frowned. She hissed in frustration and answered. "What do you want?" "Baby, I'm in the hospital, I got attacked by-"Wills said softly. "I don't care and I'm not your baby! Don't call me. We're done, if you contact me one more time, I'll sue you!" Then she hung up. It was when she checked her call logs that she found out Wills had called her thirty-seven times before. She groaned and blocked his line.

Steadying her nerves, she stood up. Her mind drifted to Hector, and her chest tightened. Even though she had told him she had surgery, it still hurt to know that he didn't even call her. What was she expecting? She'd pushed him away, wouldn't kiss him, wouldn't let him make love to her, yet she was dying for attention. "Fucking pregnancy hormones," she muttered, heading toward the small private room Dr. Jackson had arranged for her.

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Thirty minutes later, she was in the operating room; scrubbed, gowned, gloved and ready. She reviewed Elaine's imaging chart one last time before the procedure began. As soon as she made her first incision to remove the bullet in Elaine's legs, her nerves just disappeared. The surgery took a little over an hour, but when Theresa was done, her legs felt weak. "Looks good, Dr Stone," Dr Jackson said behind his mask. Theresa assessed Elaine's legs, pride blooming inside her. "Thank you, Doctor.

Let's just hope she stays away from real guns in her next movie." Everyone in the room laughed. Theresa finished up and went to clean herself in the private room. As she stepped out, a nurse approached her. "Dr. Stone, Dr. Jackson needs you in his office." "Alright," Theresa smiled and followed her. Though she knew the way, she let the nurse lead her in silence. "Here, Doctor , " the nurse smiled, gesturing to the office. "Thank you," Theresa replied and entered. "Hello, Dr.

Jackson." He looked up from his computer. "Dr. Stone. Thank you for today." " You're welcome, Doctor." He leaned forward. "I wanted to let you know that the press is outside. Somehow they found out that Eliana Chase is here. I know your… family situation, that is why I'm informing you." She bit her lips, instantly regretting not bringing any security. She had assumed she was safe.

The security was only meant to protect her from Rosie , and since Rosie didn't know she was here, Theresa thought there was no need for them. "Shit." Chapter 172 " What ? " " Nothing , Doctor , " She shot him a quick smile. "Thanks for the warning." " There'sanother exit. Just go get your car and the nurses will direct you." " Alright. Thank you. Doctor." "I'll keep you updated via email." " Alright, bye," Theresa said and left. Theresa returned to her room, gathered her things.

Just as she reached the reception, she saw him. " Hector?" Shock surged through her. "Hey, beautiful," Hector smiled and then approached her. He held out a bouquet of flowers. "Tho are for you." She swallowed, collecting them, her cheeks heating up. She couldn't look him in the eyes, so she looked away. "What… are you doing here?" "I'm sorry, mi reina," he said gently. "For everything." Guilt rose in her chest and forced her to meet his gaze.

"Oh, Hector…" He took her hands and kissed them, one after the other. She closed her eyes in relish at the touch of his lips. " I am a fool, and I apologize." She touched his face, her heart pounding with regret. "It's not you, Hec. It's me. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away." "You're stressing out, mi reina. I know," he said softly. "You told me you would be here. I came because I was scared you'd push me away." "Oh, I will never," Theresa said, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Behind him, some nurses had gathered, mumbling to themselves. Theresa's stomach churned as the thought settled. It was now or never. She straightened up and took a step back. Hector's brow lifted in confusion. "I… have to tell you something." Her hand trembled, and she tucked a strand of hair back to steady herself. "I was giving you… space because… I'm pregnant, and it might not be yours." She waited, fear twisting within her as she studied his face for a reaction. But she got none.

After a moment, he finally spoke. "Do you want to go back to Wills? " She blinked. "No. Never." That wasn't the question she had expected. Hector stepped closer and pulled her into a hug. "Then congratulations to us." Chapter 172 Her heart sank as she clung to him. I hope it's a girl, and she has your eyes, mi reina." " Oh, Hector…" But the sweet moments were cut short when a nurse rushed in. "Doctor Stone, your car." Theresa turned sharply.

" What?" " Your car…" the nurse repeated, breathing heavily. 14 She and Hector ran, following the nurse. When they reached the garage, Theresa's stomach dropped. The car was ruined. Its body had been destroyed with something that looked like Wolverine's claws. The tires were slashed, the windshield destroyed. On the driver's side, two words were scrawled into the metal: Watch out. Hector cursed in his native tongue, but Theresa froze, her body trembling as a horrible question echoed in her mind: Was this done by Wills… or Rosie?