Free As the Wind

My mother came to Chicago for heart surgery, but my husband, Danny, flat out refused to be her attending surgeon.

I am up for Chief of Surgery this year. What if someone reports me for favoring my own family?

He was the top cardiothoracic surgeon in the hospital, a recognized genius with a scalpel. Yet as his wife, I had to beg him on my knees to save my own mother.

My heart ached as I supported my parents' weight. I glared at him. "You cannot even help us get a hospital room?"

He frowned. "Your parents are from a ranch in Montana. They could be carrying livestock bacteria. I cannot risk the safety of my other patients."

My dad awkwardly hid the hand stitched shearling coat he had spent months making for Danny behind his back. His face flushed with deep embarrassment.

My eyes turned red with fury. Just as I opened my mouth to yell at him, Danny's phone rang. His tone instantly melted into something incredibly soft.

"Carol, do not panic. I already got Eleanor a private room. I will handle her surgery personally in three days."

Eleanor was the mother of his childhood sweetheart, Carol.

My dad let out a heavy sigh. "Sadie, maybe your mom and I should just head back. Taking medication at home is fine too."

I watched Danny hurriedly walk away to find Carol and her mother. My mind was made up.

"We are doing the surgery. And I am getting a divorce."

I found them near the VIP ward. Danny was gently supporting Eleanor's arm. His voice held a tenderness I had never received.

"Take it slow, Eleanor. The bed is all ready for you."

Tears pooled in Carol's eyes. "Danny, I am so sorry for the trouble. Thank God we have you."

Danny reached out and softly patted her hair. "Do not be silly. Your problems are my problems."

"I will do the valve replacement myself to keep the risks absolutely minimal."

Eleanor patted his hand. "You are so busy, yet you still take care of me."

Danny quickly shook his head. "Please do not say that. If Carol had not moved to Europe back then, I would be your son in law right now. I still keep the sweater you knitted for me."

I watched them laughing and talking like a real family. My fingernails dug so hard into my palms that the skin broke, but I did not feel a thing.

My dad wiped the corners of his eyes. "Sadie, this is our fault. We should never have come. These big city hospitals have strict rules. It is perfectly normal for people to look down on us."

My mom nodded in agreement. "Your dad is right. I will just skip the surgery. My chest pain is nothing new anyway. I can tough it out for a few more years."

"Please do not fight with your husband over my stupid illness."

I grabbed her calloused hand, my voice choking up. "Mom, this has nothing to do with you."

"It is just that in his eyes, I am not worth the effort."

I had been married and living in Chicago for six years. My parents never once asked to visit. I knew they missed me enough to lose sleep, but they were simply too scared to impose.

During our second year of marriage, my mom carried a heavy cooler of fresh lamb and sat on a freezing Greyhound bus for thirty hours just to see me. She arrived in the middle of the night and sat outside our apartment door until dawn, too terrified to knock and wake us up.

When Danny finally saw her, his brow furrowed in deep annoyance.

"Why didn't she call ahead? This is just creating chaos."

He complained the lamb smelled too gamey. He turned right around and threw it into the apartment dumpster.

Last year, my dad mailed us a box of his homemade smoked cheese. Danny opened the package, looked disgusted, and tossed it aside.

"Is this even sanitary? I am not getting food poisoning from this."

He then took the beef jerky my mom made from scratch and fed it to Carol's dog.

I never told my parents any of this. I could not bear to let them know their pure love was being trampled on.

I used to scream and cry about it. Every time, Danny would apologize and tell me not to be so overly sensitive.

But the next time, he would do the exact same thing.

I endured it for six years. I got so used to swallowing the pain that I convinced myself this was just how he was.

But seeing him shower Carol's family with endless devotion while treating my parents like toxic waste was a massive wake up call.

I suddenly realized my entire six year marriage was a pathetic joke.

Danny walked Carol and Eleanor toward their VIP room. As they passed us, my dad forced a polite, eager smile.

"Danny..."

Danny stopped in his tracks. He corrected my dad with ice in his voice. "Call me Dr. Danny."

It was as if my dad was not his father in law, but just some ignorant stranger breaking hospital protocol.

The smile froze on my dad's face.

"Dr. Danny, I just wanted to ask about Sadie's mom..."

Danny kept a blank, strictly professional face. "Wait for your turn to be notified. And stop wandering the halls."

He turned around and continued escorting Eleanor.

Carol shot me a filthy look. "What is that smell in the hallway? It smells like a barn."

Before I could even curse her out, my mom panicked and took two steps back, terrified that she actually smelled bad.

I wrapped my arm around her shaking shoulders. She was still trying to defend him. "Doctors have lots of rules. Your dad and I just lack manners."

The tears finally broke free and spilled down my cheeks.

I was done trying to warm up a heart made of ice.

I pulled out my phone and called my best friend Brooke. She mentioned before that her uncle was a director at this hospital.

When she heard what happened, her voice shook with sheer rage.

"Is your husband completely out of his mind? His own mother in law needs heart surgery, and he gives a VIP room to some other woman's mother?"

"Sadie, stay right there. I am on my way."

Ten minutes later, Brooke marched down the corridor in her heels. A middle aged man in glasses followed right behind her.

"Uncle Warren, my best friend's mom needs cardiac surgery. Can you please check if there is a bed available?"

Dr. Warren flipped through his clipboard and nodded. "A double room just opened up in the East Wing. I will schedule the surgery myself. There is a top specialist from Boston doing a visiting residency here this week."

Before I could even say thank you, my dad's eyes welled up with tears. He wiped his rough hands on his jeans repeatedly before daring to shake the doctor's hand.

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much."

Brooke saw his nervous posture and spoke with absolute sweetness. "Do not thank us, sir. Sadie's parents are my parents."

"Some people are just blind and heartless. It has nothing to do with you two."

She raised her voice slightly so it echoed down the hall. "Unlike a certain doctor who wears a white coat but acts like a total scumbag."

With the room sorted, Brooke had to rush back to her office. I told my parents to rest in the new room while I went down to the cafeteria to buy them food.

When I came back with the takeout containers, I froze.

My dad was crouching in the hallway, scrambling to pick up scattered belongings. My mom stood against the wall, her shoulders hunched in deep shame, her eyes completely red.

A snooty woman standing in the doorway was loudly complaining.

"They should not let hicks from the ranch stay in this wing. Who knows if they have parasites."

My dad nodded profusely while grabbing his things. "I am so sorry. We are packing up right now."

He looked up at me and forced a painful smile. "It is fine, sweetie. We were bothering the other patients."

My mom turned her face away and quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Danny was standing right there, arms crossed, watching them with cold indifference. He did not say a single word to defend them.

My blood turned to ice. It felt like a giant hand was crushing my heart.

Just as I charged forward, Carol covered her nose and spoke in a shrill voice.

"There are all sorts of tick borne diseases out in the country. Who knows what kind of bacteria they brought in."

"Dr. Danny did not even dare give them a room. If they infect a patient, who is going to take the blame?"

My lips trembled with absolute fury. "Carol, shut your damn mouth!"

She widened her eyes in fake innocence. "Sadie, I am just reminding everyone to be careful about infections."

"Dressed like that, it is no wonder people misunderstand. You are really embarrassing Danny."

I saw red. I raised my hand and shoved her hard.

Carol stumbled backward and hit her shoulder against the wall.

"I give you a friendly warning, and you get violent?"

Danny immediately reached out and steadied Carol. He glared at me, his voice sharp and commanding.

"Sadie, are you done throwing this tantrum?"

"Your parents should have some self awareness! Stop causing trouble for everyone else!"

My dad hunched over and gently pulled my arm. "Sadie, let it go. It is my fault."

My mom swallowed her sobs and whispered, "Let's just leave. We are making people hate us."

I looked at Danny's self righteous, arrogant face and let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

"Danny, I want a divorce."

His face darkened. "Sadie, stop acting crazy. You assault someone and then threaten me with divorce?"

When I did not answer, he looked away, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. "If this is just about getting a room..."

He pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "Add an extra bed in the six person ward on the third floor."

He hung up and looked at me like he was doing a charity case.

"You have your bed. Figure out the surgery yourselves, and stop calling me biased."

Carol smiled triumphantly. "Danny has gone above and beyond. Just because you are married does not mean you can leech off him for everything."

I held my mom's freezing hand and spoke with dead calm.

"Do not worry about us, Dr. Danny. We already hired a real specialist. Go back and serve your precious Eleanor."

The surgery was a complete success. My mom recovered incredibly well.

The six person ward was way too noisy, so I signed the early discharge papers and brought my parents back to my apartment.

I cleaned out the guest room and went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for a rich chicken stew.

My mom laid in bed, watching me run around the apartment. "Sadie, do not exhaust yourself."

My dad squatted on the balcony, soaking up the afternoon light. "The sun in Chicago just does not feel as warm as the sun back home."

That quiet, peaceful atmosphere shattered the second Danny walked through the door.

He came in from work and immediately stared at the faded canvas sack my dad left by the wall.

"Are you turning my apartment into a clinic? I just bought a brand new mattress for that guest room. If your mom's incision leaks onto it, how is anyone supposed to sleep there?"

I heard rustling coming from the guest room. My parents were frantically packing their things.

A year ago, I would have cried and screamed at him for saying something so cruel. But now, I felt absolutely nothing. When a heart turns completely cold, there is no energy left to argue.

"I paid half the down payment on this place. If you do not like looking at them, you can pack your bags and leave."

Danny stared at me in total shock. He never expected me to talk back like that.

He threw his briefcase onto the sofa and stormed into his study without another word.

The next evening, I came home from work to find Carol sitting on my living room sofa, flipping through channels with the remote.

Eleanor was drinking the chicken stew I had spent hours making for my mother. "Oh, you are home? Danny was worried about us, so he told us to stay here for a few days so he can monitor my recovery."

Carol arrogantly barked an order at my dad. "Hey, your bag is in the way. It is filthy and smells bad."

My dad quickly scrambled to his feet, grabbed the canvas sack, and hauled it into the bedroom.

Danny frowned at the scene but kept his mouth shut.

I tolerated those two women for three torturous days.

On the fourth night, Carol suddenly started sobbing, her eyes turning red.

"The jade bracelet my dad left me before he died is missing! I left it right on the coffee table. Where did it go?"

Eleanor rubbed her daughter's back to comfort her, but her glaring eyes locked onto my parents like daggers.

Danny stayed quiet for a long moment. He rubbed his temples and looked straight at my dad.

"If you saw it, just hand it over. Carol will not press charges."

My dad froze in absolute shock. "We did not see anything."

Carol cried harder, looking like a fragile victim. "We are the only ones here! You cannot possibly think my own mother stole it."

My mom's hands shook violently as she opened the canvas sack. She started pulling everything out, item by item.

Washed clothes. Prescription bottles.

Things piled up on the floor until the bag was completely empty.

"We might not be as rich as city folks, but we do not steal," my mom said, her voice breaking.

Danny let out a heavy sigh. "Carol, didn't you want that new diamond bracelet from Tiffany's? I will take you to buy it tomorrow."

"Sadie's parents just do not know any better. Do not hold it against them."

He still believed they were thieves. He genuinely thought he was being generous by letting it go.

My dad kept his head down. He had no idea what to do with his hands.

This old rancher, who had lived on the plains his whole life, a man who never shed a tear even when he was thrown from a wild horse, now had red, watery eyes.

I picked up my phone and booked a suite at the best hotel down the street.

"Mom. Dad. Pack everything."

"We are not staying here anymore. This place is disgusting."

Ever since I married Danny, he constantly complained about how hard he worked to provide for us.

I felt bad for him. Even though I made a great salary as a television host, I never spent money recklessly.

But all the money I saved was being blown on Carol.

Since he wanted to play it like this, there was no reason to save his face anymore.

Carol glared at me, humiliated and angry. "What exactly do you mean by that, Sadie?"

"Your parents are petty thieves! The only reason I am not calling the cops is out of respect for Danny!"

I completely ignored her pathetic lies and looked dead into Danny's eyes.

"My parents are honest, decent people. You are not worthy of making them prove their innocence."

Danny's face went rigid. A flash of panic hit him as he stepped toward me.

"Sadie, where are you going this late at night?"

"Stop acting out. Just come back inside."

Right at that moment, Carol's anxious voice rang out.

"Danny, my mom's chest hurts! Please come check on her!"

Danny stopped dead in his tracks. He turned his head to look at Eleanor on the couch.

The door slammed shut behind me, completely severing his hesitant gaze.

Once I got my parents settled into the hotel, I called my lawyer.

"Mr. Davis, please draft a divorce agreement for me."

For the next few days, Danny did not call me once.

Carol, on the other hand, posted on social media three times a day, making sure to tag me in the most obnoxious way possible.

There was a picture of Danny carrying shopping bags for them at the mall, with Eleanor trying on gold rings and smiling from ear to ear.

There was a photo of him wearing an apron in the kitchen. The caption read: Someone said my mom needs iron after surgery, so he cooked personally.

And then there was a picture of two hands intertwined on a walking path. The wedding band on Danny's finger had been replaced with a matching couple's ring he bought with Carol.

I set my phone face down. My stomach churned with violent nausea.

He always claimed he only saw Carol as a little sister. I was pretty sure they were much more than that.

Six years of marriage. Did he ever actually love me?

My chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe. All the memories I had intentionally buried came rushing back to the surface.

The time I ran a fever of a hundred and four degrees. I called him for help, but he was at Carol's apartment fixing her plumbing. He told me to just take an Advil.

I took an Uber to the emergency room by myself. Danny never sent a single text to ask if I was alive.

He treated my parents like poor beggars looking for a handout, unworthy of stepping foot in his home.

But he treated Eleanor like a queen, giving her his absolute best.

The phone screen went dark. I stared at my own pale reflection in the glass and suddenly realized how pointless this all was.

Loving the wrong person was fine, as long as you walked away in time.

I let out a long breath, turned to my parents, and gave them a real smile.

"I already submitted my transfer request to the network. They approved it. I am taking the anchor job back home in Montana."

"I am flying back with you tomorrow. I will take care of you for the rest of my life."

I took the finalized divorce agreement from the lawyer and went back to the apartment to pack my final things.

The second I pushed the door open, the sound of loud laughter and clinking glasses filled my ears.

The dining table was covered in expensive catering and a massive, custom tiered birthday cake. Eleanor sat at the head of the table, cutting the first slice.

Danny was leaning down to pour wine into Carol's glass. When she turned her head, her nose brushed playfully against his jaw. They shared a deeply intimate smile.

Their mutual friends were sitting around the table, laughing and teasing them.

"Danny used to play house when we were kids. He always said he was going to be Carol's prince charming."

"When Carol decided to stay in Europe, Danny was so heartbroken he just settled and married whoever was available."

So that was the truth. I was just a placeholder he used out of spite.

Eleanor smiled warmly. "Danny, Carol, you two really need to cherish each other from now on."

They looked like a perfect, happy family. I was just the intruder crashing the party.

Danny finally noticed me standing there. He awkwardly dropped his hand from Carol's shoulder. "Why are you back?"

I forced out a freezing smile and slapped the divorce papers onto the table. "Sign it."

Carol looked at me with pure disgust. She leaned in close to my ear and whispered viciously.

"Two shameless old beggars raised a little bitch. Who are you putting on this dramatic show for?"

"If you really wanted to divorce him, you would have done it already. Do not try to scare us with some stupid piece of paper."

Hearing her insult my parents was the last straw. I grabbed a full glass of red wine from the table and splashed it directly into her face.

Danny's face twisted in absolute rage. He raised his hand and slapped me across the cheek.

"Sadie, what the hell is wrong with you!"

"Today is Eleanor's birthday banquet. If you want to act like a lunatic, get the hell out!"

My cheek burned, instantly swelling and going numb. A metallic taste flooded my mouth.

Hurried footsteps echoed from the entryway. My parents rushed in, completely out of breath from rushing over.

My dad saw the red handprint on my face instantly. His eyes went furious as he stepped firmly in front of me.

"Danny, how could you hit her?"

A guest standing nearby asked out of curiosity, "Danny, who are these two?"

Before I could even speak, Danny answered in a dead, monotone voice. "Just some former hired help."

My fingertips went ice cold. "Danny, what kind of hired help spends three months hand stitching a winter coat just for you? What kind of hired help takes a thirty hour bus ride in the freezing cold just to see you, and is too terrified to even knock on your door?"

The living room fell completely silent. You could hear a pin drop.

My dad pulled weakly on my sleeve. "Sadie, stop. We are just an embarrassment."

I patted his hand to comfort him, my eyes locked onto Danny like a predator.

"For six years, you took my endless patience as your given right. You took my parents' pure love and stomped it into the dirt."

"Danny, you absolutely disgust me."

The guests exchanged wildly uncomfortable looks. Someone muttered, "Did he say hired help? Because they sound exactly like his in laws."

"Now that you mention it... Danny never did have a wedding..."

Carol's eyes immediately turned red. She delicately wiped her wine stained face, pretending to cry.

"Sadie, why do you have to humiliate everyone like this?"

Eleanor clutched her chest, faking a sudden weakness. "Stop fighting. It is our fault. Carol and I will leave right now."

Danny barked at me in furious defense. "Your parents have no manners, and you decide to act just as classless?"

"If you have something to say, say it in private! Why make a joke out of us in front of everyone!"

He opened his mouth to keep yelling, but I raised my hand and threw the thick stack of divorce papers directly into his face.

The pages scattered everywhere, raining down onto the floor.

I looked at his stunned, open mouth and spoke every word with lethal precision. "Danny, we are getting a divorce!"