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What Robbie McAvoy Didn't Know

What Robbie McAvoy Didn't Know

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  Arya SueCompleted
Language: English
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Synopsis

Winning Back the Wife

Face Slapping

Bias

Independence

Hypocrisy

After Death

Plot Twists

Feel-Good Story

Jim Hartley, the most respected veteran specialist at Lydian Medical Center, sat for his final interview before retirement. When the host asked if any patient had left a lasting impression on him, he fell silent for a long moment, then let out a heavy sigh. "There is one. My worthless daughter. "She graduated from one of the country's top medical schools, and then threw it all away to be with some penniless nobody. "I only wanted what was best for her future. The night they'd secretly arranged to meet, I locked her in the house and kept them apart. "What I never imagined was that the boy would go on to study medicine himself. These days, he's the youngest oncologist at Fairview General Hospital." A murmur rippled through the studio audience. Sensing an opening, the host pressed further. "If it were happening now, would you still keep the two of them apart?" Jim faltered. His eyes slowly reddened. "It's too late for that. My daughter died of stomach cancer three years ago." The segment went viral the moment it aired, climbing straight to the top of the trending charts. Robbie McAvoy, the story's leading man, had no idea any of it had happened. He'd just wrapped up a critical stomach cancer surgery and was on his way home to meet his wife, Whitney Portman.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Robbie McAvoy walked in the door just in time to catch the tail end of the interview playing on the screen.

Beside him, his wife, Whitney Portman, let out a startled gasp. "Honey, isn't that your ex-girlfriend's father? I heard his daughter—"

Before she could finish, Robbie's voice cut through the room, cold as ice. "I've never had an ex-girlfriend."

Whitney froze.

As if realizing how harsh he'd sounded, Robbie pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, and when he spoke again, his voice had softened. "Whitney, I'm sorry."

He crossed the room and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Marrying you was the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me. Just promise me you won't bring up people who don't matter anymore, okay?"

When he said "people who don't matter," something like hatred flickered through his eyes.

My soul drifted silently at his side, and I didn't miss it. Even a heart that had stopped beating years ago could still ache. I let out a quiet sigh.

Six years, and he still hated me this much. Hated me for standing him up. Hated me for vanishing when he needed me most. Hated me for letting him hear about my engagement to someone else. And most of all, hated me for failing to save his Grandma Maggie.

That hatred had become the fuel that drove him to claw his way to the top. In just five years, he'd become the youngest rising star in the hospital—more celebrated than even my father had ever been, the same man who'd once looked down on him.

Whitney didn't say anything else. She just patted his back gently, a small comfort.

A little while later, Robbie got called in for an emergency surgery. He didn't even stop to eat—just grabbed his keys and rushed back to the hospital.

The moment he stepped through the doors, he ran into my father, who'd just come from finishing his interview.

Robbie's expression darkened instantly. He walked past as if he hadn't seen him at all. Only as they passed each other did he catch the old man's quiet sigh.

"What happened back then—I'm the one who wronged you both."

Robbie didn't break stride.

"No need to apologize." He tilted his head, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "In fact, I should be thanking you for tearing me and Selena apart back then. If you hadn't, I never would have gotten where I am today, and I never would have met a wife as sweet and devoted as Whitney.

"Did you know? It wasn't until after I left Selena that I realized there was a woman this perfect in the world."

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9 Chapters
Chapter 1
Robbie McAvoy walked in the door just in time to catch the tail end of the interview playing on the screen.Beside him, his wife, Whitney Portman, let out a startled gasp. "Honey, isn't that your ex-girlfriend's father? I heard his daughter—"Before she could finish, Robbie's voice cut through the room, cold as ice. "I've never had an ex-girlfriend."Whitney froze.As if realizing how harsh he'd sounded, Robbie pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, and when he spoke again, his voice had softened. "Whitney, I'm sorry." He crossed the room and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Marrying you was the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me. Just promise me you won't bring up people who don't matter anymore, okay?"When he said "people who don't matter," something like hatred flickered through his eyes.My soul drifted silently at his side, and I didn't miss it. Even a heart that had stopped beating years ago could still ache. I let out a quiet sigh.Six years, and he stil
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Chapter 2
With that, Robbie didn't spare Jim another glance. He turned and walked away without looking back.The grueling four-hour surgery wrapped up soon after. While Robbie was scrubbing out, the anesthesiologist came over and let out a long breath."That was way too close. The patient's eyes flew open halfway through—scared me half to death." He paused. "Come to think of it, a surgery that risky... back in the day, only you and Selena Hartley could have pulled it off, right?" He shook his head. "Such a shame she'd already quit by the time you joined the hospital. Otherwise, I could've watched the two of you work together, as husband and wife—"Before he could finish, the faucet shut off with a sharp click, and silence dropped over the room.After a long moment, Robbie gave a thin smile. "You've got it wrong. She and I were never married."My soul drifted in the air, and I gave a bitter smile. He wasn't wrong.Robbie and I never made it to the altar, not even at the very end.Six yea
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Chapter 3
Grandma Maggie's condition took a sudden, violent turn, spiraling downward without warning. Every doctor on staff tried everything they could to save her, but the surgery she needed—only I could perform it.By the time I broke through the door and ran out, my feet were bleeding.By the time I reached the hospital, it was already too late.I became the doctor responsible for a catastrophic medical error. Grandma Maggie's resuscitation failed, and she died in agony.Robbie stood at the end of the hallway, his eyes cold as ice."I liked you. More fool me. But what did my grandmother ever do to deserve this?"The youngest oncologist at Lydian Medical Center, Selena Hartley—is this how you treat your patients?"My grandmother is dead. Are you satisfied now?"I shook my head frantically, desperate to explain. But Robbie wouldn't so much as look at me again. He turned and walked away, indifferent.Because of what happened, my father and I had a violent falling-out. I signed papers fo
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Chapter 4
"But she'll never hear any of it now," Jim said.Robbie's movements stilled for a moment. He swept a cold glance over my father's face.Jim seemed lost in some private grief, his voice heavy. "Tomorrow I'm taking Selena's ashes and leaving the country. If there's anything you still want to say to her, you can find her at the cemetery on the west side of town..."Robbie stood rooted to the spot, the overhead light washing his face pale. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there when the anesthesiologist's hesitant voice pulled him back."What did Dr. Hartley mean by that? Now that I think about it, I really haven't heard anything about Selena in a long time."Robbie shed his scrubs, his expression settling back into its usual indifference. He hung the garment on the rack, his tone mocking. "A woman like her always had a flair for the dramatic. Though I do need to take tomorrow off—to go to the cemetery on the west side of town.""To... confirm something?"Robbie lowered hi
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Chapter 5
The camera had originally been mine, meant to document Grandma Maggie's treatment. It had recorded, in detail, everything I'd done to prepare for her surgery. I'd planned to give it to her once she recovered, a keepsake to look back on. I never imagined it would end up as my last testimony instead.Robbie's hand was shaking when he took the camera. He carried it home and set it on the table, staring at it for a long, long time. In the kitchen, Whitney was cooking, the sound of her spatula scraping against the pan drifting through the apartment. Robbie didn't get up to help. He just sat there, still as a statue.Eventually, he pressed play.The moment the screen lit up, my face appeared on it, smiling wide, eyes crinkled with joy. Robbie's breath caught.On screen, I said, "Today's March twelfth. I had a meeting with my mentor and a few colleagues." My voice was light, full of hope. I explained that Grandma Maggie's condition wasn't great, but there was still hope. I flashed a t
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Chapter 6
The camera sat on his desk, its dark lens pointed straight at him. He couldn't bring himself to turn it on. He didn't dare see what came next.The days passed. Robbie kept going to the hospital, kept coming home for dinner, same as always. But he grew quieter and quieter. He'd sit in the study for hours at a time, just staring blankly at the camera. He didn't know what he was so afraid of, but he never found the courage to open it and watch the rest.Whitney asked if something had gone wrong at work. He said no. He didn't touch the camera again.Not until that day. Not until he stumbled across a clip from Jim's interview. In it, the host had asked him which patient had left the deepest impression on him. Jim fell silent for a long time before he answered."My worthless daughter."Robbie sat there and watched that clip—barely twenty seconds long—more than fifty times, over and over, as if he were trying to confirm something, as if he were searching for even the smallest sign that J
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Chapter 7
"The doctor said... it's not good." My lips trembled, and the smile I gave looked worse than crying. "There's a shadow on my lung. I need further testing."I set the report down and stared at the camera for a long time."Robbie." I said his name once, then shook my head and let it drop.In the final piece of footage, I was sitting on a hospital bed, the wall behind me a blinding white, the curtain a pale blue. I was wearing a hospital gown washed so many times its color had faded to nothing, my hair thinned enough to show my scalp. My face had wasted down to bone, my skin sallow, my lips bloodless. But I still forced out a smile."Robbie." My voice was so faint, like a feather caught in the wind. "I saw you today."Robbie's pupils contracted sharply.I went on, slowly. "You were walking down the hallway in your white coat. A group of interns were gathered around you, and you were teaching them something. You looked so impressive. So confident." I paused a while. "You've become a
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Chapter 8
"Selena, I'm sorry..."Selena, I'm sorry..."Robbie repeated the words over and over, his voice fraying from hoarse to raw.The wind blew past, tousling his hair. It blew through my soul too.I drifted over to him and crouched down. I reached out and gently ran my fingers through his hair. My hand passed through the strands—no touch, no weight—but he seemed to feel something anyway. His body flinched, and he lifted his head, looking around.He saw nothing."It's okay," I said softly. The wind carried my voice away, and he didn't hear it.But something in him seemed to catch it anyway. His whole body went rigid."Selena... is that you?" He asked the empty air, his voice trembling like a candle flame in the wind.No one answered. He couldn't hear me anymore.I stood up and turned around. My mother stood in the light not far off, smiling, arms open toward me. Her smile was gentle as sunlight on still water.I ran to her as fast as I could. I threw myself into her arms, and she
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Chapter 9
Robbie looked up."You never loved me. Did you?"He didn't answer. Silence was answer enough.Whitney gave a small smile—one with both bitterness and relief tangled into it. Then she shut the door and left.Robbie curled into the corner of the study, holding the camera against his chest, clutching it tight. Like it was the last reason he had left to keep living.After the divorce, his health kept deteriorating. He stopped eating. Some days, he'd take only a single sip of water. Other days, not even that. He grew unrecognizably thin, his eyes huge and hollow, the shape of his bones visible through his skin. His face turned an ashen gray, his lips cracked and bleeding.He started coughing. At first, it was just an occasional cough here and there. But it got more frequent, more violent, until every fit left him gasping for a long time afterward just to catch his breath.One morning, he sat up on the couch and was seized by a sudden, violent coughing fit. It doubled him over, wracke
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