On the elevator ride down, April felt her cheeks burn. Her mind reeled, momentarily forgetting the humiliating fact that he had seen her pants down. She covered her face for a second, mortified beyond words.
He's got to be kidding.
There was no way he remembered a thing. She had to make sure he stayed confused, had to make him believe he was mistaken.
As soon as she stepped outside the hospital premises to get some air, someone nudged her, and she nearly jerked out of her skin.
"April!"
"Jorge!" She fell straight into his arms. Her only safe space. Her tall, lanky childhood best friend with impossible blue eyes.
"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Jorge said, examining her closely.
"Where have you been?!" She pulled back with furrowed brows, deliberately switching the attention away from herself. "If we had come together like we planned, that idiot wouldn't have bullied me in the elevator."
Jorge let out a humorless laugh. "What idiot? Who?"
"I don't know. Some psycho who carries himself like his dad owns the entire place."
Jorge burst into laughter. "Maybe you've already caught his attention. He probably has a crush on you."
"Crush my foot."
"So where exactly are we heading?" he asked, watching her exhale like she had just run a marathon.
"Here."
"Here where?" He glanced around, confused.
"Just… here," she sighed. "I need real air, Jorge. You won't believe this. He barged into me in the bathroom and called me a maniac."
"No way!"
"Believe me! He walked in like he owned the place. The worst part?" She winced. "My pants were down when he came in."
Jorge gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth.
"Tell me you're kidding, April. What the hell was he doing in the ladies' bathroom?"
"Uhm…" April cringed. "It was actually the gents."
Jorge threw his head back, laughing even harder.
"Jorge, it's not funny!"
"Says who?" He wheezed dramatically. "Oh, and that reminds me. Let me tell you something else that isn't funny. We went to see our professor for the first day briefing… but since you weren't there, he was furious."
April slapped both hands over her mouth. "Oh my God. Really? What did he say?"
"He was pissed that we weren't complete, so there was no briefing. I heard he doesn't tolerate nonsense, and could even fire you on your first day if he thinks you're dumb. I hope he doesn't think you are."
"But he hasn't even met me yet!"
"Listen, April." Jorge lowered his voice. "We need to be careful. Our professor actually owns this hospital. Nobody messes with him."
April flipped her hair back with a scoff. "Fine. Let's go before we ruin our futures."
They turned around, only to nearly collide with a group of paramedics rushing critically injured patients inside on oxygen, each strapped to fast-moving gurneys. Alarms blared in sharp, frantic bursts.
Jorge, who had been slightly ahead, stopped abruptly. He grabbed April's wrist with sudden urgency.
"Wait. Look at that hand."
April followed his gaze, her heart instantly slamming against her ribs. The hand dangling weakly off the gurney wore a familiar bangle, one she had seen almost every day of her childhood.
Her lungs tightened.
"That's… Maya's bracelet," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Jorge… that's Maya's. That's definitely hers."
Maya was April's younger sister.
But deep down, April knew that the bracelet on Maya's hand was that same bracelet Adrian has given her twelve years back. For some dumb reasons, she had held tightly to it and now it was going to be her doom.
For a fleeting moment, they stood frozen. Then their voices broke out together.
"It's Maya!"
They bolted after the gurney as the paramedics rushed toward the emergency room.
"Please wait!" April cried, her breath hitching painfully. "That's my sister! Please, please, stop!"
She tried to reach for Maya, her fingers shaking, torn between taking the bracelet off her hand and worried about her severe condition, but a paramedic gently yet firmly blocked her.
April's voice cracked. "What happened? What, what happened to her?"
"There was an accident," the paramedic said quickly as they wheeled the gurney inside. "But she will be fine, ma'am. Please step back."
April and Jorge went in after them, refusing to lose sight of her. Machines beeped rapidly as doctors swarmed around Maya.
A nurse stepped forward, her expression tight with practiced urgency. "You both need to stand back. If she is your sister, call your parents immediately. She will need emergency surgery."
"S-surgery?" April's voice splintered as her stomach dropped. Her vision blurred. Money. Bills. Debt. "Is she going to be alright? Please, just tell me she will be okay."
"Yes," the nurse replied briskly, attempting reassurance. "But it's serious. There was a car accident. Her ribs broke and punctured her lungs. We will have to remove part of her lung and repair the ribs before they cause further damage."
April swallowed hard, forcing her voice steady. "Please. Let me in first. As you can see, I'm a staff member here and…"
"Are you sure?" a deep voice cut through the chaos.
April stiffened and turned sharply.
It was Adrian, already in scrubs, gloves halfway on, clearly preparing for surgery. Her gaze dropped to the name badge pinned to his uniform, and realization struck hard.
So he was the one in charge.
She cursed herself for not connecting the name sooner. Adrian Smith.
His expression was unreadable, but his eyes locked onto hers like he had been waiting for this moment.
"What?" she snapped, unrepentant, determined to keep him believing he had mistaken her for someone else. "Are you planning to fire me right now?"
"Are you really asking?" He arched an eyebrow, stepping closer. "Oh. So now you know me?"
"Listen," she said sharply, "that's my sister over there, and I don't have time for your…"
"She will be fine," he cut in coldly. "Why didn't you report with your colleagues when you were summoned?"
April rolled her eyes hard. "Look here, psycho. My sister's life is on the line, and you are blabbing about this?"
A low ripple of gasps and murmurs spread across the room.
Adrian's eyes widened slowly.
"Psycho?" He stared at her in disbelief. "Did you just call me that?"
"You are a doctor, for goodness' sake!" April flailed her hands in the air. "Why would you revere a meaningless summons over someone's life? How does that even make sense?" she flared.
"Are you nuts? Or is this your idea of blackmail?" Adrian snapped, then gestured sharply behind her. "Her treatment has already commenced while you're standing here yelling. You know you're in the wrong and are only trying to use her as a façade. Isn't that it?"
"Really?!" April shot back heatedly. "My sister is fighting for her life, and here you are whining about why I didn't show up?"
He pointed a finger at her. "I don't want to hear that line again if you don't want to lose your job."
"I bet you would be a real psycho if you fired me over personal issues that have nothing to do with work."
"Real what? Real psycho?" He scoffed, leaning forward slightly. "Did you say personal issues? Like not reporting when you're summoned? Or like right now, when I called for a meeting and you're here arguing your ass off?"
"Hey!" April raised a hand between them. "Don't use derogatory terms on me, bro. And you know exactly why I'm here. Or is my sister's life…"
"Bro?" Adrian snorted loudly, glancing around the room. "Who is your freaking bro, maniac?"
That was when April realiz
ed the entire ER had gone dead silent. Only the soft beeping of monitors filled the space. Every eye was on them, wide, stunned, whispering.