And that changed everything.
I wasn't ready to do anything about it. Not yet. But for the first time in years, I let myself imagine what it might be like to try.
That was either the bravest thing I’d ever done. Or the most dangerous.
Probably both.
CHAPTER 3
Ava
Night shiftat Queens General had its own rhythm. The steady beep of monitors, the squeak of shoes on linoleum, the controlled chaos of saving lives.
I moved through it without thinking. I'd been doing this long enough that the rhythm was automatic: triage, assess, treat, move on.
A teenager with a broken arm from a skateboarding accident who insisted he'd almost landed the trick. An elderly man with chest pain that turned out to be indigestion and anxiety about his daughter's upcoming wedding. A woman with a migraine who'd been waiting three hours and wanted everyone to know how unacceptable it was.
I handled them all with the same steady competence. The same dark humor I traded with the nurses to stay sane.
"Dr. Rothwell." Janelle, my favorite night nurse, appeared at my elbow. "The migraine in four is asking for the manager."
"We don't have a manager."
"I know. I told her you were the closest thing we had to one, and she said—" Janelle lowered her voice to a pitch-perfect impression. “Well, she certainly doesn't act like it.”
"Charming."
"I gave her a warm compress and told her you were in surgery."
"I love you."
"I know." Janelle grinned and disappeared back into the chaos.
I checked my phone during a rare quiet moment. A text from Brian, sent an hour ago:
Brian
Stopped by to check on Watson. He tried to climb into my lap before I sat down. I think he loves me more than you.
I laughed out loud in the empty hallway. Typed back:
Ava
He has terrible taste.
Three dots appeared immediately. Then:
Brian
Ouch. And here I thought we were making progress.
I was still smiling at my phone like an idiot when the ambulance call came in.
"Dr. Rothwell." The charge nurse's voice cut through. "Incoming. Suspected overdose, male, mid-twenties. ETA two minutes."
I pocketed my phone and moved.
The paramedics burst through the bay doors just before 3 AM.
