Rachel's POV “You two know each other?” “Yeah, we kind of got married last week,” I snorted as I filled the charts. “Alan, why did you want to go New York City Hospital when we had someone we know work here?” The man, who I had learnt was Jason, asked. As it happens, it was Jason, Bruce and Alan who had rushed into the ER a few hours go with another man named Cameron who had collapsed in their office. Cameron was also Jason’s father and it seemed to me that he was like a father figure to the rest of them too. “Yeah, except I didn’t know.” Alan mumbled begrudgingly. I rose my eyebrows in surprise and gave him a questioning look. Seeming to slip from his trance, he corrected himself, “I mean, it slipped my mind. I thought New York City Hospital was closer.” I shook my head in despair of his dishonesty. It was perhaps a habit of his to lie so effortlessly with everybody, “Anyway, the patient is stable and will be out of surgery in an hour or two, if all goes well. Doctor Degrassee-
Rachel's POV "That’s your husband?” Emilia cocked her head toward where Alan and his friends were sitting. “That isn’t a human, Rachel. That’s a fucking greek god.” “Damn,” Mark sighed beside me. “I can’t believe that’s what you were complaining about.” I gaped my mouth at the both of them, looking over at Henry to see if he’d back me up. And like the good friend that he was, he frowned at the both of them, “What’s the matter with the both of you? Is that all you wish for in a husband - good looks? What about his cock?” My jaw dropped to the floor as Mark and Emilia burst out laughing. “Well, considering his looks, I’m guessing he’s great in bed too, right?” Mark spoke, trying to hide his grin. “What part of I hate him to the core did you not understand?” I asked them, annoyed. “I was even tempted to tear his skin open today while suturing his wound." “Jesus, I gotta be careful around you.” Emilia said took a small step back. “Oh yeah, you better.” “Anyway, Rachel.” Mark spoke
Rachel's POV The next day, the four of us gathered in the resident’s lounge. While Henry and I were changing into our scrubs, Emilia was getting ready to go home after a long night shift. Beside her, Mark had passed out on the locker door after coming back from a long surgery. “I want to kill him.” I said as I shut my locker door with a bang. Mark - who was resting his head against the locker beside mine - shook out of his trance at once and yelped in surprise. “Jesus, what the hell?” he scowled at me and placed his hand over his chest. Henry chuckled, “Go home, Mark. I’m sure Doctor Merch can manage one day without you.” Mark had a night shift the previous night which meant he had the day off. But much to our surprise, he was hell bent on working today too. Among us, Henry and I were the ones who always insisted on working more at the hospital. The both of us were very workaholic and extremely introverted, so naturally, our social life was cut down to a bare minimum. In that res
Rachel's POV We got pulled into an emergency trauma surgery right when we were about to leave the hospital and that delayed things for worse. By the time we were let off the hook, it was almost ten and we simply changed plans and decided to go to a club rather than a bar. I wasn’t a fan of clubs - the loud music and crowds were not really my thing - but after enduring a tiring week, I thought clubbing could help me blow off some of my heat in its busy vibe. Amy was a sweetheart and never complained about our change in plans. Amy had never been particular about things like me. While I never openly declared my disapproval, I had always tormented myself with the disappointment that things didn’t go my way and simply didn’t understand how people like Amy could move on so quickly. It was something I really wanted to change about myself because it brought harmony to nobody. In fact, it was beginning to pose as a self-destructive trait as I was essentially ruining my chance at having a fu
Rachel's POV“I can’t believe you did that,” I didn’t waste any time after we entered our flat. “I was out with friends, Alan. With friends!”“Would you even let me explain?” He asked calmly, clearly contrasting my pitch.My expression didn’t budge but my glare hadn’t intensified either. Sensing that it was my way of acknowledging his request, he proceeded with a huge sigh.“Last night, I got a call from Douglas. From our conversation, it just seemed to me that he hated the idea of I being married to you and that led him to dislike you too - as you’re my wife.” I said. “I was worried ever since. My mind has been on that thing for the entire day and even when I came home and didn’t find you here.“So naturally, I was fucking tensed. I called up Jason to check if you were in the hospital but a nurse told us that you went out with your colleagues. And to make matters worse, you went to the Club that Douglas owns.”My eyes widened in surprise. Alan had revealed to me on our wedding night
Not even coffee was going to help me.Until yesterday night, I was certain that I had lost contact with the word hangover because it had been ages since I last indulged myself in alcohol consumption.More often than not, I was a responsible drinker - I usually never made it past two drinks. On the occasions that I did get past two drinks, I learned to handle the alcohol uncommonly well. I was never fond of drinking anyway, so I seldom had any trouble dealing with its after-effects.It was quite odd that for being someone who always sought an escape, I never quite used alcohol as an aid.Well, it was mostly because I wanted to avoid creating more problems for myself. In that area, my plate was quite full. Drinking obviously created issues —ranging from a mild hangover to liver cirrhosis.But last night had clearly been an exception. I was drunk out of my mind. But boy, was it liberating. Just putting all the worries aside, all the troubles and stress - and merely focussing on relieving
Rachel's POV “Great work, Dr.Windsor. You’re going be one hell of a surgeon.” I never deemed myself accomplished until I impressed the people around me who let me help them. Hearing words like that from my mentor, I allowed myself to feel proud of my actions once in a while. At the end of the day, it’s not the hardships that you had to go through to get here that shows, it’s the skill you portray in those few hours in the OR, holding a scalpel over someone - about to save their life. That’s what makes every bit of the journey to becoming a doctor worth it. “I’m glad I could be of help.” I smiled back at Dr.Degrassee as both of us got rid of our surgical masks and gloves. “We should head back downstairs and inform the family that the surgery went well. I want you to tell them personally that you indeed saved that woman’s life.” "Helped save her life.” That earned me a chuckle from him. “Yeah, sure. I’ll take some credit too.” I had always admired Dr.Degrassee for this trait of h
Rachel's POV Perturbation of the highest order dominated me. I was baffled at the new reality I was facing and not a trace of an idea was bearing inside my mind that could help solve the situation at hand. What was I to make of this? “You said I’m out of danger for as long as he didn’t know me.” I muttered. “What happens now? Is he going to kill me? Can he really do that? Would he?” His eyes widened when he noticed how agonized I was. Seemingly ruled by protective instinct, he drew closer to me. “No, I’m not going to let him lay a finger on you." He promised. “I don’t trust you.” I said as I pulled away from him. Though seated on the same bed, I felt miles away from him. Through blurred eyes, I could detect a sense of hurt cross his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. I knew that it was a brutal thing to say but it was true and he ought to know that. All he's ever done till now was let me down. There was no way I'd give him my trust unless he earned it himself in righteous ways.
RachelMy eyes widened in disbelief when I looked at the screen. Three brand new emails had made their way into my mailbox last week and I had finally kept some time aside this weekend to respond to them. All of them had the same message - that they would be pleased to have me as their Cardio Fellow.To be honest, I wasn’t counting on Ingard and Boston Medical to even consider me for the job, let alone offer me one. Hence, I assumed that the only option available for me was to continue my service at Weston Hale Memorial hospital here in New York. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling about this.“What’s wrong?” Alan asked as he walked toward me with two cups of coffee in his hands. After placing them by my side, he hovered over me to peek a glance at the screen.It had become his routine to make me breakfast and coffee every morning. Ever since I was discharged from the hospital two months ago, Alan had made sure he was doing everything he could to give me a smooth recovery period.Knowing
Alan's POV“Oh, my God,” Rachel’s mother froze in her step at the sight of her daughter. Beside her, her husband mirrored her expression of absolute astonishment.“Rachel...” She frantically cried and rushed to her side, “Oh, my God, look at you.”Seeing as her father wanted to have a closer look at his daughter for himself, I quietly stepped back to stand by my mother, "Rachel, are you alright? How are you feeling?”The new found love and affection in her parents caught her completely off guard. Looking quizzically at me, her eyes sought answers regarding how to proceed with her situation at hand. It was perhaps the first time she was watching her mother cry for her and that essentially caused a wave of panic to rush through her.“Mom,” She hurried to say, “Mom, I’m okay. I’m completely fine, please don’t panic.”“Oh, my God, am I scaring you? I’m sorry, Rachel, I just-”“Mrs Windsor, it’s alright.” Emilia spoke, “Rachel is fine. She’ll get better in the next few days. I assure you s
Alan's POV While I waited for the news of Rachel’s surgery, Emilia, Henry and Mark decided to accompany me. The four of us were in a similar mental state dominated by angst and fear, and the only person keeping us from sinking into waters of lost faith was Dylan. Though I hadn’t acknowledged his involvement then, I have grown to appreciate his support more than anything. From a distance, I could recognise Emilia and Dylan approaching me. Their faces showed evident exhaustion after a tiring day, supplemented by sleep deprivation. Soon enough, they reached me and propelled down beside me. Emilia took the spot beside my seat and Dylan, the one beside her’s. “Is she asleep yet?” I asked as I peeked at the view of her tired face. “Finally,” She nodded, “She was exhausted. She’s not showing it but I could sense that she was in a lot of pain. Pain meds don’t ease everything.” Dylan wrapped an arm around her and drew her closer to himself, “Good thing she’s asleep then, yeah? She won’t fe
Rachel’s POVThere was an unknown hesitation in me that didn’t allow me to acknowledge him. Why I felt the fear was beyond my understanding. Perhaps it was my subconscious preventing me from looking at him, although my racing heart was looking for him to sate its pace. Deeply buried, a memory from when I last saw him. It was then that I had slipped into the darkness. The vacuum of nothingness.Long after Henry and Emilia exited the room, I refused to turn my head toward the door. Waiting for his touch, I stared blankly at the wall clock. But it never came.Giving up, at last, I desperately let my eyes search for him. Looming over my figure by my side, he stared at me. There was a look of restored hope in his face, as though he was watching a miracle unfold before his eyes. Utterly heartbroken, his face spoke to me of his exhaustion and grief and that seemed to paralyze him momentarily.After his initial shock seemed to subside, he took a seat beside my bed. Carefully then, he reached
Rachel's POVWith heavy eyelids, I attempted to catch a whim of the world outside my brain. The white light that had previously blinded me, dispiriting me from trying again, had managed to dim in its intensity.I heard noises around me again, but their coherence remained a mystery. Blinking my eyes, I tried to focus on the clock on the wall opposite of me but it was a futile attempt. All that seemed to matter to me right then was to be able to comprehend the words.In desperation, I felt moisture pool in my eyes. Defeated, I closed my eyes. My persistent effort to keep myself conscious was deemed counterproductive as that very attempt was wearing me out. I was afraid of reliving the dream should I fall asleep again and I couldn’t afford it. But there was little in my body that was still in my control, and my mind sadly wasn’t one of them.‘Keep your distance for the next ten seconds’ I typed.Immediately, I shut down the phone and ran my eyes over our surroundings for another quick in
Alan's POV“Emilia?” I shrieked out, “Who are you talking about?”“Douglas,” A chill went down my spine, “Rachel told me that he was responsible for the attack last night and that I should tell you-”“Did he say where he’s taking her?”“He just said his wife needed a doctor and asked if Rachel could come and see her.”“Fucking hell,” I groaned, “Did you give Rachel the phone I gave you?”“Yes, she has it with her.” She said, “Alan, is she going to be okay?”“Yes, she will.” I said, “I’ll call you back.”“What the fuck?” Bruce asked once I cut the call.“Page Cameron to send in more people,” I said, “I know where Douglas is.”“Is it that black car?” Bruce asked me.My eyes that were previously fixed on the GPS on the screen flew up to see what he was talking about. Answering his question, I nodded, “Yes, that is it.”“Has Rachel texted back?”In dismay, I shook my head, “No. But it does say that she’s seen the message.”“What did you tell her?”“That we’re following closely behind, an
Rachel’s POVFreezing in my step, I looked at him with a frown. Noticing me, a hesitant smile latched onto his face, “Hey.”“You’re here early.”Shrugging, he clumsily scratched his neck, “Well, yeah...”“You didn’t give him a choice...” Emilia muttered from behind him as she stirred some vegetables on the pan.Instant guilt cruised through me. He was there because he was worried about me. He was worried that I was upset with him.“Alan, I didn’t-” I stopped myself and looked hesitantly at Emilia, silently gesturing her to leave us alone for a while.My dear best friend caught onto the message and decided to oblige. “I’ll be in my room.”After I heard the room door close after her, I approached him with a guilty pout. Understanding my intention of straddling him, he welcomed me with open arms. Position my legs on each side of his, I felt his hands travel up waist to hold onto me.“I’m sorry about earlier,” I mumbled. “I didn’t mean to upset you or get you worried. I should have been m
Rachel’s POVWhen I had woken up the next morning, my mind had paused in perplexity. Everlasting pain remained within my chest, making even the most fundamental movements difficult to perform. Enervated by the events of last night, my body yearned for some more rest. But the questions in my mind needed answers.Groaning, I peeled the warm duvet away from my body. It was only after I had stepped onto a familiar carpet along the bedside did I realise my current location. What was I doing in Emilia’s Bedroom? More importantly, how did I get there?Ignoring the pain in my ribs, I rushed out of the bedroom. The hallway was calm except for the noise coming from the living room. When I’d entered into it, the news was running on the Television. In front of it sat my dear best friend with a bowl of cereal in her hand.“What are you doing?”“Having breakfast.” She said and mouthed a spoonful of it. “Want some?”Clutching my head, I walked to the couch and took a seat beside her. With my head in
Alan’s POV"Of course, we did." I smiled back and looked out the window. A feeling of overwhelming triumph took over me. Douglas was the first big project that I was assigned to. When I started working, like any agent, I was mostly assisting in cases of theft, murder, harassment and domestic violence.I had always craved for more, as any officer would, and having my dad as an idol didn't help at all. All through college, I had been in the loop with him as to what he was up to, the kind of work he was doing, the risks that he took and the saves that he made. I always wanted that. I wanted to be like him, if not better. But I wasn't sure if I would be trusted like his superiors trusted him.Not that I questioned my ability, but just that he was better than me in a lot of things that I could only dream of. Perhaps he had his experience to steal some credit in that regard.When I was assigned Douglas' project, I had very little knowledge about those kind of cases. But since I had already