---- Chapter 252 Liam nodded and followed behind her as they headed to the ICU. For major surgeries like this, post-op patients were always placed under close observation, even if everything went smoothly, It was standard protocol to keep them in the ICU for at least 24 hours. 'And given who Margaret was, she needed even tighter monitoring. Wendy changed into sterile scrubs. After she and Liam finished checking on Margaret's condition, they finally stepped out.

Back in the break room, the two of them collapsed onto the small couch. Wendy rubbed her shoulder. "One high-precision surgery like that wears me out more than doing three smaller ones back-to -back." "No kidding," Liam said, leaning back with his eyes closed. " And I was right there the whole time. You probably would've needed another hour if you'd been solo." Then he suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at Wendy's leg.

To avoid any interference during surgery, she had trained herself to walk without crutches , even though she was still recovering froma fracture. Anyone who'd been through it ---- would know just how much pain she had to push through. And because she had to stay sharp for surgery, painkillers weren't an option. Liam pressed his lips together, ready to speak, but Wendy beat him to it. "I'm fine.

Probably just more worn out from having to hold my leg steady the whole time." He said, "The surgery's done. You really should get some rest now."" Wendy glanced at the clock and shook her head. "No can do. We've got a post -op review scheduled half an hour after the surgery. The committee is planning out the next steps. We've got maybe ten minutes to breathe." Liam was tired too, though nowhere near as drained as Wendy. His role hadn't been as physically demanding.

He let out a quiet hum and decided not to argue. At this point, all he wanted was to let her get some rest. The room went completely quiet. Liam leaned into the couch and shut his eyes. But only a few seconds passed before he felt her head drop lightly onto his shoulder - Wendy had fallen asleep without even realizing it. Any trace of sleepiness he had vanished instantly. 'The blinds were drawn, and the break room had gone dim and silent.

The only thing he could hear was Wendy's slow, steady breathing right beside him. ---- When she was exhausted , her breathing always got heavier. Sometimes, she even snored a little. To him, even those little sounds felt oddly endearing. About 15 minutes later, the phone call they were expecting from Gregory still hadn't come.

To give Wendy more time to rest, Liam texted Gregory himself and told a small lie-he said they still needed time to sort through surgical notes and asked to delay the meeting by an hour. After all, everyone had been waiting for Wendy's results all morning. They'd been holed up in that conference room since 8:00 am, so canceling outright wasn't a realistic option. Gregory agreed and rescheduled the meeting for later that afternoon. Liam saw the reply and finally exhaled in relief.

He set his phone aside, tilted his head slightly, and leaned in toward Wendy's soft, messy hair. Then he closed his eyes. At 2:00 pm, Wendy's phone vibrated and woke them both from their nap. Wendy jolted upright, eyes flying open as she realized she'd dozed off on the couch. Wait a second. Whatever her head had been resting on was warm and soft, not the faux leather of the couch. She looked up and saw Liam, who had just woken up too.