Self-control

Yera was inside the operating room with her team. They were performing a colon cancer surgery.

Everyone knuckled down. Except for one.

"Cut," Yera instructed. She looked at her assistant surgeon, Dr. Wang, and repeated, "Cut!" Still no movement. The nurse gently elbowed Dr. Wang, who was startled and looked at Yera as if he was waiting for her to repeat what she said.

Yera frowned, and in a stern and clear voice, she said, "Get out, Dr. Wang!"

She looked at an intern who was standing in the corner of the room and instructed, "You, come here!" Then she gestured for the intern to get the operating tools Dr. Wang was holding.

"Cut!" Yera authoritatively instructed, and the intern quickly obeyed.

"What is your name?" Yera asked the intern, who answered her question while staying focused on the ongoing operation. Dr. Deyna Song's clear and confident voice helped the intern feel assured about what she was doing.

"I only want people who could rise to the occasion in my team when I'm in charge of an operation. I expect no less. You have to be in good condition. If you are not feeling well, nor are you confident that you can perform well, then give up your spot and make sure you swap with a capable one. Lives are always at stake here, so I refuse to work with people who are easily distracted. We can't afford to make any mistakes because these are lives we can never bring back if we make even just one simple slip," Yera explained as she continued to do wonders with her hands and tools. 

"Cut!" She said, and the intern followed. During surgery, she would narrate each and every action, so everyone would know what she was doing. 

"You found a gem, Dr. Gong," commented one of the doctors who happened to drop by and watched Yera from the adjacent room.

Dr. Gong nodded. He was also amazed by Dr. Deyna Song's operating skills.

Dr. Wang, who got kicked out, entered the adjacent room to watch the ongoing operation. He apologized to Dr. Gong, who sighed and frowned at him. He would scold Dr. wang later when the other Doctors were no longer present.

"She really reminds me of the late Dr. Yera Han. That one was an Iron Lady," commented one of the doctors who had had the chance to meet Dr. Han at a conference a few years ago, when she was still alive.

....

"Sir, I heard Madam kicked a doctor out of the operating room," reported Assistant Ron. It was today's most trending news among the hospital's employees.

Xander was not surprised. He could bet Yera would throw out even more incompetent staff in the following days because that was how she was. She was very strict and meticulous when it came to surgeries, and she couldn't care less whether the one she ousted was her senior colleague or not.

Xander let out a mischievous smile at the thought of Yera being tired after the surgery, and she would fall into a deep sleep later in their room.

He was thinking of ideas on how to sneak onto the bed and sleep with her.

He waited for her to finish her duty… He would often wait in the car first with Assistant Ron, and as soon as Yera appeared in the basement parking lot, and upon the confirmation from security that there was no one around, the car would stop in front of her. 

True enough, Yera was exhausted. She dozed off as soon as she stepped inside the car.

Assistant Ron shook his head when he saw his boss's wide smile as he held his wife in his arms.

Yera did not even notice that Xander had carried her from the car toward their room. He gently put her on their bed. She was deep asleep.

Xander removed her shoes and tucked her in. He showered and changed to his sleepwear before he went back toward the bed.

He blew out his cheeks as he contemplated whether he should sleep beside her. He was not worried about her getting angry if she found out. He was afraid that he would not be able to control himself once she was near him.

"Self-control, Xander..." He murmured, reminding himself before he lay down next to Yera.

He laid on his back beside her without moving at all and was just looking at the ceiling. He managed to do that only for a few minutes before he was itching to move and decided to lie on his side, so he could look at Yera. 

His heart leaped when Yera also unexpectedly moved sideways, facing him, at the same time. She looked so peaceful in her sleep.

Xander could not resist the temptation to touch her delicate and angelic face and raised his hand to caress her well-shaped eyebrows, her eyes that were closed with long and curly lashes, and the line of her prominent and pointed nose as if he was memorizing every part of her face. 

Then he touched her red and kissable lips, and Xander felt something had ignited within him. He longed to taste those lips once more.

'Self-control!' An internal voice reminded him.

But Yera surprisingly moved closer to him. In her sleep, she was propelled toward the warmth emanating from Xander's body. And, Xander, without a second thought, pulled her closer into his warm embrace. 

He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Goodnight, my darling…"

Then he drew out a long breath before he closed his eyes. He tried to meditate to regulate the throbbing of his heart. And, most importantly, to control the swelling of his little buddy down below.

'Yeah, good luck with that…' Xander could almost hear his little buddy mocking him.

He would have to practice his self-control really well because he really did not want to take her when she had not given him her heart yet. Xander was willing to wait for Yera to come to him on her own will no matter how long it would take. Because he wanted her everything; her mind, her body, and most notably, her heart.

His face suddenly twitched as he mused, 'I won't have you taken away from inside her heart, Bernard. But can I somehow squeeze in?'

Then he wondered if it would really take a long time to squeeze himself into her heart… 'Can you take my side and help me just this once?' He asked Bernard, hoping somehow that he would hear his plea…

After a few more minutes of exercising self-restraint, Xander managed to calm himself and fell asleep.