The Secret of My Wife’s Ex

An urgent page from the ER ripped through my evening. When I arrived at the hospital, I found my wife, Serena, whod been away on a business trip for days, clinging to her ex-boyfriend, whispering to him.
They were both covered in blood. Next to them was a mangled baby stroller.
The moment she saw me, Serena rushed over. Miles, you have to save the boy. Hes all Leo has left. If anything happens to him, I dont think Leo will survive.
Her words caught in her throat, her eyes red-rimmed. The raw pain in her gaze was a knife in my gut.
Leo dropped to his knees in front of me. Please, Im begging you. I know youre the top pediatric surgeon here. Youre the only one who can save him.
I changed into my scrubs and walked into the operating room without a word.
The child was critical, a victim of a severe car crash, and needed an immediate transfusion.
Get Type A from the blood bank, now! the head nurse yelled.
Serena shot up. Im Type A. I can donate.
But Leo cut her off instantly. No, you cant. You have you forgotten? Youre his mother. Direct relatives cant donate blood to each other!

The air in the room turned to ice.
Head Nurse Debbie, a long-time friend, shot me a worried glance. The entire hospital knew how hard Serena and I had fought to have a child. After terminating three pregnancies early in our marriage due to work pressure, shed been unable to conceive. Wed tried everythingfrom Eastern medicine to Western specialists, even folk remedies.
Just last week, wed had a successful embryo transfer via IVF. Id poured every ounce of my time and energy into caring for her, for our future child.
And now Leo, Serenas ex, had a child that was hers.
My breath caught in my mask. Through the glass, I saw Serenas look of stunned surprise, followed by a flicker of guilt as she glanced at me. But that guilt was quickly replaced by a thrill of maternal joy. Her eyes were shining now, completely forgetting her role as my wife, forgetting everything Leo had ever put her through. All she could see was her child.
I watched as my wife embraced another man, her head buried in the crook of his neck, murmuring words I couldnt hear.
Dr. Carter? Were running low on plasma. The boys vitals are dropping, his O2 sats are tanking
Dr. Carter?
My assistants voice snapped me back to reality.
A junior nurse approached me, her eyes wide. Doctor, your nose its bleeding.
I looked down. The trickle had become a torrent, far worse than before. It was soaking the front of my scrubs, pooling in the clogs on my feet. I immediately requested my deputy chief to take over the surgery while I got myself checked out.
As I was leaving the OR, Serena and Leo confronted me.
What the hell is this? Leo snarled. Youre just walking out in the middle of surgery?
He was in a major accident! Who else in this hospital can handle this besides you? Are you doing this on purpose? Serenas voice was sharp, all trace of concern for me gone, replaced by pure, unadulterated fury. Is it because hes my child with Leo? Is that it? Are you trying to kill him out of spite?
I wanted to explain that the deputy chief was brilliant with trauma cases, that he had more than enough experience. That the boy was in good hands.
But before I could speak, Leos hand cracked across my face. Hed swung with all his might. The impact sent me stumbling back, my hand slapping against the wall to keep my balance.
I didnt
Before I could finish, the OR doors swung open. Family of the patient? a nurse asked.
I am! Serena and Leo yelled in unison.
The nurse gave me an awkward glance before handing them a clipboard. His condition is critical. This is a critical condition notice. We need you to sign.
Critical? He was talking when we brought him in! He called me Dad! How can he be critical? Leo demanded, his voice cracking.
Serena, however, whipped her head around to face me. You! she shrieked. This is your fault, isnt it? You didnt treat him properly on purpose!
Her fingers dug into my wrist like claws, ignoring the stares of everyone around us. All she cared about was her interrogation.
I shook my head, trying to pull free. Serena, my nose is bleeding heavily. I need to get to the ER. Let me go.
Let me go!
At that, she seemed to snap. Like a woman possessed, her fist connected squarely with my nose. Stop faking it! Its just a nosebleed! Wipe it off! You just dont want to save him! I know youre doing this deliberately! Ill file a formal complaint against you, I swear it!
Just then, Leo, who had been signing the forms, saw the grim prognosis and collapsed. Serena finally let go of me and rushed to his side, cradling his head, even performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
A searing pain shot through my abdomen. I looked down. My fresh clothes were already soaked with blood. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a nurse rushing toward me, my name a frantic cry on her lips. I managed to mumble a few words about my condition before the world went dark.
In the ER, the diagnosis was swift and terrifying. Blunt force trauma to the head causing a cerebral hemorrhage, and a ruptured artery in the abdominal wall. This is critical. We need an emergency consult and to get him into surgery, now.
Wheres his wife? the ER doc barked. I need to inform her. With these symptoms, we have to suspect a critical issue with his clotting system.
His wife The nurse trailed off, then went to find Serena.
But Serena was entirely focused on Leobuying him milkshakes and cake, holding him, cooing at him. When told of my life-threatening condition, she had only one response.
Same old tricks he pulled as a kid. Youd think hed grow out of it.
Her words stunned the staff into silence. A junior nurse tried to explain the severity of the situation, but Serena waved her away. Im a little busy right now. My son is in surgery, fighting for his life. I dont have time for his drama. Besides, hes in a hospital, isnt he? Its not like youre going to let him die.
She said it with such chilling self-assurance.
But we need a family member present!
Serena actually laughed. I know how hospitals work. If it were truly life-or-death, youd operate without consent. The fact that you need me here means its not that serious.
No matter what anyone said, she refused to leave Leos side.
Meanwhile, my condition was so critical that specialists were being called in from across the city. Several of my old mentors from my residency program, men Serena knew well, were rushed in by ambulance to perform a joint surgery.
When she saw them arrive, she flew into a rage. She grabbed one of them by the arm. Why does he get a team of specialists for a damn nosebleed, while my son is dying in the OR with a critical notice? Tell me! Youre not going in there! Youre staying here to consult on my son!
Leo, now conscious, joined her, physically blocking my mentors, scratching their arms as they tried to get past.
Serena pulled out her phone. Leo, let them go. Ill call the board and report this hospital for malpractice. Miles Carter has no right to be a doctor. After this call, lets see how many of them still have a job.
One of my mentors was aghast. Isnt that his wife? Why is she with another man? Miles is in critical condition, and she doesnt seem to care at all.
Tell me about it, another replied. We were all in the same program. We wouldnt have come if it wasnt life-or-death. And now shes threatening to report us.
As they spoke, waves of pain wracked my body. Cold sweat poured down my face. The anesthesiologist looked at me. Dr. Carter, trust us.
Okay, I nodded.
Just as the anesthesia began to take hold, I saw something Id never seen before: the doors to the operating room were being forced open. Serena had somehow incited a mob of other patients families.
Were reporting this hospital for abuse of power! one of them shouted. You give your own doctors preferential treatment while our loved ones suffer!
That mans son is still in surgery, and this doctor just walks out because of a nosebleed!
It took several nurses, orderlies, and security guards to drag them away.
Serenas voice was the last thing I heard before I went under. Miles, look me in the eye and tell me you didnt do this on purpose! Were husband and wife! That boy is my son, which makes him yours, too! How could you do this? If he dies, I will never forgive you!
As her voice faded, a different kind of pain washed over me. All those years together, from when she was a nobody to the head of her new media department. All those years Id worked to become a respected surgeon. Every anniversary, she would gaze at me with such apparent devotion, making a wish over a candle and promising to be with me forever.
And I believed her. Every time. She played the part of a loving wife so perfectlyearnest, devoted, with a clumsy sincerity that seemed so genuine.
But the moment I saw her looking at Leo, I understood. Some love isnt in the actions; its in the uncontrollable beat of your heart when you see that one person. She had never, not once, looked at me that way. Her love for me was a performance, a grand, elaborate show. And when it came down to a choice between me and Leo, she would always choose him.
The pain receded, replaced by the gentle voices of my mentors as I drifted back to consciousness.
Youre one lucky man, Miles. If we all hadnt been here, I dont know.
Take it easy. Dont even think about coming back to work for a long time.
I tried to nod, but they just waved and left. As they walked out, I saw them being escorted away by hospital administrators and the police.
Serena had made good on her threat. Using her network of news blogs, she launched a vicious smear campaign against me and my mentors. The main story focused on the image of my mentors being taken in for questioning right after saving my life.
The internet exploded.

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