The hospital halls had long lost their shine for me. What used to be ambition now felt like routine. I used to walk these corridors with purpose. Lately, I just walk them to feel something.
"Doctor!" I turned back to see one of my patients' mother waving at me.
"Mrs. Colie, it's nice to see you smiling." I gave her a smile and turned to the little girl standing behind her. "Hello, Lara. How do you feel today?"
"Good!" She declared, giving me a double thumbs up and a toothy smile. "I'm finally going home."
"That's such good news." I gave her a high five. "Make sure to take care of yourself, okay?"
"Pinky promise." She waved her little pinky at me.
"It's good to see her healthy again."
Mrs. Colie smiled warmly at her daughter. "It is. And it's all thanks to you."
"Not at all." I shook my head. "Lara's a strong girl, she's healthy today because she fought for herself."
We spoke briefly, and I watched as the two left the hospital hand in hand after being stuck there for nearly a year. A satisfied smile painted my face. Moments like these reminded why I chose this job and how much I loved it. "It's not so bad after all," I murmured to myself.
"Dr. Aster, patient 19A needs to be reviewed. Her sodium levels are dropping again." A nurse caught up beside me.
I nodded. "Put her on a slow saline drip. I'll check in on her after the 3 o'clock consult."
My words were automatic. My thoughts weren't.
I tried to shake her off... Letter L. Her voice. Her eyes when she saw me in that hotel lounge. Four years and, she still had the same effect on me. She looked at me like I was a ghost she hadn't prepared to face. Maybe I was.
What stunned me most was that she hadn't changed much, except now she looked tired. Like she'd been fighting battles alone for years. And yet, she still stood tall, even when her voice trembled. I admired that.
She said she didn't know me. I almost believed her. For a moment, back there, I thought, maybe I had the wrong person, and they just looked alike. But seeing as she ran out of the room the second I called her L, all my doubts washed away. It was her.
She could lie all she wanted, but the truth remains. She's the girl I met four years ago at the bar. The one that remained etched into my memory. My mind drifted to the note she left me. 'No names, no regrets.' The irony. Because I've regretted not getting her number that night. I've regretted it every waking moment since.
"Dr. Aster? The patient's family is requesting an update." Another interruption.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Tell them I'll be there in fifteen."
I spent the rest of the afternoon buried in charts and test results, but her face kept bleeding through the pages. The tight smile. The way her hands trembled slightly when she reached for her bag. The way she said "No" like she was begging herself not to say "Yes."
Who was she now? And why did she still haunt me?
The elevator dinged open on the twelfth floor, and I stepped out. I needed coffee, maybe sleep. Or something stronger than both.
I was just about leaving when I got a call from an unknown number.
Frowning, I picked it up and put the phone to my ear. "Who am I speaking with?"
The line was silent for a while, and just as I was about to end the call, a voice broke through.
"The offer? Is it still up?"
My grip tightened on the phone.
I recognized her immediately.
Her once lively voice was now strained and in pain. Was she crying?
Before I could respond, she spoke again, louder this time, more desperate.
"I'll take it!" she shouted. "I'll do anything you say, just please… I need your help."
Grabbing my keys, I rushed out the door.
"Where are you?"