Chapter 1
Every day is the same, go to work on time, go home and sleep, then go to work again. I am working on autopilot at this point in my life. Nothing makes sense at all.
This is one of those stressful days in the ER. I just finished a 12-hour shift in the hospital. I am so tired I can barely change my clothes. By the time I get to my car, it's raining and I can barely see two feet in the distance. I am about to get in when an ambulance rolls into the emergency bay. A nurse comes running to my side.
"Doctor Hall, we need you! The dayshift surgeon hasn't arrived yet." so I do the logical thing, shut my car door and run to the ER.
My breath hitches as soon as I see the man that's with the patient. I don't have time to dwell on him because the patient seems to be heavily bleeding through a wound on his chest.
I step closer to the hospital bed, put on a pair of gloves, and start to examine the guy that seems to be passed out meanwhile talking to the handsome man I haven't seen in a very long time.
"Hello, I'm doctor Tina Hall. I will be your surgeon. Now please tell me what happened," as I pull off the bandage that covers his chest an arterial spray hits me, and the nurses standing by, "Is he shot or did he get stabbed in the chest?" I don't give him time to answer.
"Let's get an IV in and 5 of morphine, please." That's when I look up at Mr. Handsome over by the window.
"We were on a job and he got shot by a handgun... Is he going to make it?" he looks so worried and I have a hard time answering.
"He is if I have any say in it. Nurse, call the OR that we are on the way and call the blood bank that we need O negative. NOW! Let's keep pressure on the wound." I shout orders.
Once everything is set in motion, we make our way to the elevator, "You will have to stay here, I will get a nurse to update you every half hour Kade." I say his name after a long time and somehow it seems right. I thought I buried these memories, these feelings long ago but it seems as soon as I look into his forest green eyes they come rushing back like waves.
"Please dolcezza...," he says with so much vulnerability that I have to look away to hold back myself from hugging him, "I can't live if he dies."
"I promise I will do everything I can but I have to go now bonito..." and with that, I run to the elevator. The whole elevator ride to the 5th floor feels like forever.
When did he move to New York? How did this happen? What am I going to do if his friend doesn't make it? What am I going to say if he does? Okay, get it together Tina. You will be fine, he will be fine. There is no other option.
