Take My Breath Away

The manager asked the saleslady to fetch a glass of water. Then he put on a pair of white gloves and carefully slid back the glass on the cabinet, allowing access to what was inside. Then he took the pen out of the display case and handed it to Evelyn with a flattering smile. "Here's the pen you've been eyeing, Miss Huo."

"Thank you!" Evelyn took the pen and examined it closely.

The manager gave his sales pitch. "Miss Huo, this writing implement is a limited edition. There are only three of these in the world. The other two can't even be found in this country. Take a look at the barrel of the pen. That's real gold right there, alongside the champagne decoration. And check out the precious red resin. The nib is made from the purest gold. This is definitely made for a man. Did you want to use it yourself or is it a gift?"

"It's a gift," said Evelyn.

The manager took the glass of water from the saleswoman and placed it next to Evelyn. "An excellent choice for that special man in your life. Or am I assuming too much? If you need a more feminine pen, I can show you something else." The words spilled out in a rush. It was obvious he wanted the commission. Then he added in a low voice, "Please, have some water."

"Thank you. Please pack this one for me. Also, I'll take a look at that other pen you mentioned. The one more suited for a lady." Evelyn took the glass and elegantly sipped the water.

"Yes, Miss Huo. It'll be just a moment." The manager asked the shop assistant to bring a few pens befitting a lady for Evelyn to choose from. He selected a red one for her and added, "This pen's cap is mounted with a large diamond, giving it a special shape. It's also uniquely numbered and limited in quantity. Ideal for collectors. Not too ostentatious but elegant; very suitable for your temperament."

"Sounds good! I'll take this one too," she said, looking at the other pen that was already packed up next to the register.

"Yes, Miss Huo. We're on it. Please wait a moment." The store manager took the second pen and wrapped the packaging for her in person.

The cashier came to her with a POS machine. "Miss Huo, your total comes to $430, 000. Will you pay by card or some other way?" she asked Evelyn, smiling sweetly.

"Swipe it!" Evelyn said. Evelyn took out a black card from her purse and gave it to the cashier.

"Okay, thank you!"

When Evelyn came out of the store, all the shop assistants immediately put aside their work and saw her out respectfully.

But this kind of scene was too common for her and she saw nothing wrong with it.

The operation lasted a long time. Eight hours passed, and Sheffield was still in the operating room. He had stepped out to grab a drink of water and a snack, but even then he was monitoring the procedure.

Evelyn was thoroughly ready to go home. After putting the files away, she stared blankly at the handbag in front of her.

She wondered how Sheffield would react when she gave him the pen. Happy? Moved? Surprised?

Yes, the pen was a gift for Sheffield. She knew that a doctor like him must carry a pen with him all the time. Some had one pen in their pocket; some had a few; she had even seen doctors whose pockets were filled with pens.

She thought a pen was a good, practical gift.

After a long time, she closed her eyes and pinched her eyebrows as she looked outside. It was getting dark.

What was she doing just now?

She was staring at the bag like a teenage girl imagining how Sheffield would react.

She glanced at her watch. It was 19:20. Nearly ten hours had passed since she and Sheffield last talked.

Maybe he had already left the operating table. She wondered why he hadn't even texted her yet.

Standing in front of the French windows for ten more minutes, she couldn't take it anymore. She took the bag with the pen and left the office.

In Y City First General Hospital

After ten hours and five minutes, the operation was finally over.

The surgery was a success. Everyone in the operating room was relieved. Cheers could be heard from the OR, and the doctors and nurses were all smiles.

With no time to take off his scrubs, Sheffield slid down the wall and sat on the ground, head down. He was exhausted.

The doctors and nurses near him rushed over and asked, "Dr. Tang, what's wrong?"

"Dr. Tang, are you okay?"

"Let's get you up, doc!"

Sheffield took off his mask and waved at them. "Don't worry. Nothing a week in the tropics wouldn't fix." He gave them a weak grin, a pale imitation of his joker's smile.

"Oh man! You must be exhausted, doc."

"You're awesome, Dr. Tang! I've never seen such a difficult surgery. It's really an honor!"

A male doctor, whose hair was thinning, wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "Me too! I've been a surgeon for so many years, but this is the first time that I have seen a doctor perform an operation that way. I was so scared I didn't know what to do. I would have flinched if Dr. Tang hadn't been so confident."

"Dr. Tang, you hit a new record. Let's go party!"

Shaking his head with a smile, Sheffield said, "Let's have dinner another day. There's a bed at home with my name on it." He planned to stay with Evelyn tonight.

"Okay. Let me help you up. Then you can go home and get some rest."

Sheffield refused their help. He stood up with his hands against the wall. He stretched out and rolled his neck, and felt much better.

Right after he walked out of the operation room and put his clothes into the biohazard bin, he saw a nurse walking towards him with his phone. "Dr. Tang, your phone rang, but I didn't answer it."

In case there was an emergency call or something important, normally, before the surgery, Sheffield would give his phone to a nurse and ask her to answer his phone for him.

He got excited, because he thought it was Evelyn, but calmed down when he saw the meaningful look in the nurse's eyes. He saved Evelyn's phone number but he didn't associate it with a contact. So, he figured it couldn't have been her.

The nurse whispered, "It was the dean's daughter! Don't worry. It's our secret."

He had saved Dollie's contact info, so her name popped right up when she called.

Dollie had watched him do it.

Sheffield took his phone from the nurse. "Thank you. But I'll take all the calls myself from now on." What if Evelyn called? He didn't want to miss any of her calls.

The nurse misunderstood him. She was thinking that he didn't want her to answer the phone because he was worried that Dollie might misunderstand. "Don't worry, Dr. Tang, I get it!"

Looking at her mischievous smile, Sheffield was aware that she might have misunderstood him, but he did not explain. He slid the answer button. "Hello."

"Sheffield, I heard from Dad your surgery was a success. Congratulations!" Dollie said.

How well-informed she was! An ironic smile appeared on his face as he said in a lukewarm tone, "Thank you."

"I'm at the hospital, just outside the OR. I've been waiting a long time. I can't wait to see you!" Dollie said with a smile.

"Okay." Sheffield changed into his shoes and walked out.

There were many people outside the operating room, many of whom were related to the patient. The patient was still inside the operating room for follow-up treatment and had not come out yet, but the family had been informed that the operation was successful.