Page 3

CHAPTER 3

Ben

I can’t believe I had to leave the scene of the accident. I could have been a help to people, but I was forced back to the hospital by the chief of surgery. Smiling, I shake my head as I slowly drive toward work, down a nearly empty street since it’s blocked off behind me with multiple cars strewn across the intersection, all lanes blocked.

Max was a force of nature tonight. Watching him fight to save that girl trapped in the burning car, his determination and strength seemed almost otherworldly. Like a guardian god from old Greek mythos. The scene flashed in my mind’s eye once again, the flames crackling around him, casting flickering shadows on his face. He never once flinched, didn’t hesitate. Every movement he made was precise, powerful, and full of purpose. My belly flutters with nerves as I think about how close I’d come to making a real connection with him at the restaurant.

My phone buzzes again, pulling me back to my own reality. The ringtone cuts through the noise in my head, a harsh reminder of my responsibilities. I fumble to answer it, my gaze fixed on the road ahead of me.

“Dr. Ben,” the voice on the other end says, urgent and unyielding. “We need you back at the ER immediately. I know Chief called you, but there’s a big one coming in. We’re receiving reports of a multi-car, multi-victim accident. Your presence is required for surgery.”

My heart sinks. It’s going to be a really long night. “I understand. I’ll be there right away.” I hang up the phone and let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

Thankfully, before I left, I’d gone back into the restaurant and located the nice man who’d taken my order, Hector. I’d explained how I was needed back at the hospital for an emergency, and he nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. I’d handed him a piece of paper I’d scrolled my name and phone number across and folded it twice before giving it to him. He took it and looked back up in my face, “What’s this?”

I’d said, “Remember the nice-looking guy I was sitting next to tonight.”

He nodded.

“I am hoping you’ll give this to him if you see him again tonight. There wasn’t time for me to give it to him myself.”

Hector’s eyes lit up as the understanding of what I was hoping he’d do settled in his mind. “I’d be happy to, Doc.”

“Thank you so much, my friend.” I tapped the counter with my fingers for emphasis and rushed out the door.

“Be safe out there,” Hector called out to me as I left.

A honk from an angry driver brings me back to the present. I’m getting closer to the hospital parking garage, but I can’t stop thinking about Max. He was so handsome and kind. Strong and brave. The perfect man for me.

I shake my head, trying to focus on the road. It’s been so long since I’ve dated. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. But then again, those vibes between us were unmistakable. I haven’t lost all my swagger, have I ?

I pull into the hospital parking lot, my mind still racing. A car comes toward me, high beams on, blinding me for a moment. I squint against the light, seeing a flash of bright light in the shape of a cross. It triggers something in the back of my mind, a memory that I can’t quite grasp. Something about tonight feels so nostalgic, so familiar. Déjà vu.

Shaking off the unsettling feeling, I park and head inside, ready to face the chaos awaiting me. But as I push through the doors, my thoughts drift back to Max. Something in the back of my mind can’t seem to let go of a feeling I’m having. A memory of something I can’t quite put my finger on. There’s no time to dwell on any of this right now. Whatever it is, I just hope he’s okay. And I hope I hear from him soon.

The emergency room is a storm of activity, nurses and doctors moving in a carefully orchestrated dance of urgency. I’m immediately swept into the whirlwind, donning my scrubs and snapping into professional mode. My surgical nurse is running down a list of injuries my first patient of the night has and I’m to fix. Without taking a breath, she says, “Doc, the first patient is already prepped for surgery.

“Thank you,” I say as I process in my head the young female motor vehicle accident victim with severe internal injuries. It’ll be a race against time to get to all of her injuries before she bleeds out.

I quickly scrub in, my mind laser-focused on the task at hand. Hours pass in a blur of blood, sweat, and adrenaline. Not once, but twice, this young woman’s heart stopped, but we’d managed to bring her back. She was strong, a fighter. We manage to stabilize her, but there are more coming in. Behind me, I can hear gurneys being brought into the next room with the latest victim being prepped.

The night is relentless. Between surgeries, I catch snippets of news from the accident. It was a chain reaction, a pile-up on the highway. The number of vehicles involved was mind-bending. Our trauma hospital isn’t able to take all the injured survivors and they are now being rerouted to the next closest trauma centers.

Each passing hour, the numbers keep rising. More victims. More chaos.

During a brief lull, I lean against the wall, exhaustion tugging at me. My phone buzzes again, and for a moment, I hope it’s Max. But it’s just another update from the ER. I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples. The memory of Max’s determined face flickers in my mind, giving me a small surge of strength. He did his part back at the intersection accident and now I must do mine, here in the OR.

Doesn’t take long, and I’m called back into another surgery. This one is a middle-aged man with multiple fractures and internal bleeding. The team moves like a well-oiled machine, each of us playing our part. The minutes blur together, and I lose myself in the rhythm of the work. First, stop the internal bleeds. Next, stabilize the shattered femur with a series of screws and titanium plates. He’ll need another surgery on this leg, maybe two. Right now, it was about saving his life, later he’ll need to worry about walking again.

When we finally finish, I step back, my body aching with fatigue. I strip off my gloves and head to the break room, hoping for a moment of respite. Collapsing into a chair, I let out a long breath, as I sip on nearly day-old coffee. Bitter and room temperature. Exactly the opposite of what I prefer.

I pull out my phone, checking for messages. Nothing.

The break room door opens, and Doctor Piper walks in, looking just as tired as I feel. “Long night, huh?” he says, sinking into a chair across from me.

“Yeah,” I reply, forcing a smile. “Seems like it never ends.”

He nods, rubbing his eyes. “You think you’ll leave before sun-up? ”

Shaking my head, I look down at my hands, the skin still puckered from too many hours in latex gloves. “Doubt it.”

“Same,” he says. “This accident is for the record books. Nearly thirteen dead, thirty-eight severely injured, and who the fuck knows how many superficially.”

“Damn,” I say. “Unbelievable”

“Incredible is an understatement.”

I nod, feeling a swell of pride. Not just in myself, but my mind quickly thinks back to Max and how he single-handedly saved that girl from the burning car. The image of him fighting the flames, his determination, his strength, it’s etched into my mind.

The doctor stands up, stretching. “Well, back to the grind. See you out there.”

“Yeah, see you,” I say, watching him leave.

I sit for a moment longer, letting the exhaustion wash over me. The memory of Max’s bravery gives me the strength to stand up and head back into the fray. The night is far from over, and there are more lives to save. But in the back of my mind, there’s a glimmer of hope, a flicker of excitement. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll hear from Max.

The hours drag on, a relentless march of time filled with the cries of the injured and the hum of medical machinery. Finally, as dawn begins to break, the stream of patients slows. The chaos begins to ebb, leaving a weary calm in its wake. I finish my last round, checking on the patients we’ve managed to save. The hospital is a patchwork of relief and sorrow, lives changed forever in the span of a single night.

I head to the locker room, stripping off my scrubs before stepping into the staff showers. A few squirts of bodywash and shampoo are quickly able to scrub away the smell of the night, but my heart feels heavy. It’s more than fatigue. It’s more than simply being disappointed I haven’t heard back from Max. As I step out of the shower, towel dry my hair, and glance into the mirror, I see a reflection of fatigue and determination. Despite my typical healthy, toned physique, I see a bit more rib than I’m used to and think back to the large plate of Mexican food I never got to eat. My stomach grumbles reminding me I have not eaten in nearly twelve hours.

It’s been a long night, but we made it through. I made it through. Turning back to the locker, I quickly put on my street clothes and close the door. Whatever was nagging at my mind earlier in the night hasn’t left me, but I am truly too tired to care about it—right now, anyway.