Chapter 2 · My Sworn Enemy Became My Patient

Julian lay on the bed, his eyes squeezed shut, his long lashes trembling ever so slightly.

His face, tanned from years of sports, was now incredibly red.

The flush spread from his cheeks all the way down to the base of his neck.

I could even see the veins bulging on the rim of his ear from how tense he was.

I tried not to laugh as I taped down the catheter.

"All done." I straightened up, pulled off my gloves, and said in the most matter-of-fact way, "It's over. You can relax now."

Julian lay there as if he hadn't heard anything at all, eyes squeezed shut, not moving a muscle.

He was like a fish out of water, frozen stiff and helpless.

I finished packing up the treatment cart and was about to leave.

But when I reached the door, I paused and glanced back.

He was still lying there in the same position, like his soul had left his body.

I cleared my throat and deliberately raised my voice so he couldn't miss it. "Julian, remember to drink plenty of water. It'll help flush out your bladder and keep things flowing smoothly."

Julian's body gave a jolt.

I couldn't help but smirk, pushing the cart out of the room while humming a tune.

I was in a great mood all day.

Even those dry medical journals suddenly felt kind of adorable.

Julian was in the hospital, and I was the lucky one who got to put in his catheter.

That was enough material to roast him for a lifetime.

*****

The next day, early in the morning, I followed my mentor, Ellen Godwin, on her rounds.

Ellen was the authority in our department. Nearly fifty, she was still elegant and had an undeniable presence.

She was all about precision and held her interns to impossibly high standards.

I trailed behind her, clutching my notebook, barely daring to breathe.

The rounds team was huge, including attending physicians, residents, and a bunch of us interns.

We swept into the ward like a small army.

When the team stopped at bed three's door, my heart skipped a beat.

Here it was.

Ellen led the way in, and we all filed in after her.

Julian was lying in bed, hooked up to an IV. He looked a bit better than yesterday, but still pretty out of it.

When he saw a whole crowd of white coats walk in, he instinctively frowned.

When his eyes landed on me, his frown deepened. Twin flames of fury flickered in his gaze.

I shot him a "friendly" smile.

He immediately turned his head away, refusing to meet my eyes.

Ellen stood by the bed, flipping through the chart at the head of the bed, her voice gentle but professional.

"The surgery went smoothly yesterday. How are you feeling today? Is your wound still hurting?" Ellen asked.

Julian seemed determined to put on a brave face in front of Ellen.

He tried to push himself up, probably wanting to answer her directly.

But the movement tugged at his abdominal wound.

He sucked in a sharp breath, his whole face scrunched up in pain.

Hit by the stabbing pain, Julian almost sobbed as he blurted out loudly, "Mom!"

He sounded both helpless and wronged, like a kid who'd finally found someone to cling to after being utterly wronged.

The whole room went dead silent.

Every pair of eyes in the room snapped to him.

And in the very next second, Ellen and I, almost in perfect unison, called out, our voices full of concern, "What's wrong?"

Those two words rang out crisp and clear.

One was from the highly respected Ellen.

The other was from me, the lowly intern tagging along behind her.

Before I'd finished speaking, I realized I'd messed up.

But it was already too late.

It felt like all the air vanished from the room.

Time itself hit the pause button.

Suddenly, everyone in the room turned to stare at me all at once, their gazes full of shock, confusion, disbelief, and curiosity.

It felt like every eye was a searchlight trained right on me.

I even heard the intern next to me gasp in shock.

I was frozen in place, my mind completely blank.

I'd never felt a moment stretch on this long in my entire life.

Every stare felt like a thousand tiny needles stabbing into me.

I could feel my cheeks burning up in an instant.

Oh crap.

That was literally the only thought in my head.

Why did I reflexively answer Julian?

Was it years of being sworn enemies, making my reflexes kick in whenever he did anything?

Or maybe, deep down, I wanted to see him embarrass himself, so I grabbed this golden opportunity?

I really didn't know.

All I know was, I just responded to Julian calling out "Mom!" in front of the department head, the attendings, the residents, and every single intern.

I was done for.

My internship might be over before it began.

Chapter 2

Julian lay on the bed, his eyes squeezed shut, his long lashes trembling ever so slightly.

His face, tanned from years of sports, was now incredibly red.

The flush spread from his cheeks all the way down to the base of his neck.

I could even see the veins bulging on the rim of his ear from how tense he was.

I tried not to laugh as I taped down the catheter.

"All done." I straightened up, pulled off my gloves, and said in the most matter-of-fact way, "It's over. You can relax now."

Julian lay there as if he hadn't heard anything at all, eyes squeezed shut, not moving a muscle.

He was like a fish out of water, frozen stiff and helpless.

I finished packing up the treatment cart and was about to leave.

But when I reached the door, I paused and glanced back.

He was still lying there in the same position, like his soul had left his body.

I cleared my throat and deliberately raised my voice so he couldn't miss it. "Julian, remember to drink plenty of water. It'll help flush out your bladder and keep things flowing smoothly."

Julian's body gave a jolt.

I couldn't help but smirk, pushing the cart out of the room while humming a tune.

I was in a great mood all day.

Even those dry medical journals suddenly felt kind of adorable.

Julian was in the hospital, and I was the lucky one who got to put in his catheter.

That was enough material to roast him for a lifetime.

*****

The next day, early in the morning, I followed my mentor, Ellen Godwin, on her rounds.

Ellen was the authority in our department. Nearly fifty, she was still elegant and had an undeniable presence.

She was all about precision and held her interns to impossibly high standards.

I trailed behind her, clutching my notebook, barely daring to breathe.

The rounds team was huge, including attending physicians, residents, and a bunch of us interns.

We swept into the ward like a small army.

When the team stopped at bed three's door, my heart skipped a beat.

Here it was.

Ellen led the way in, and we all filed in after her.

Julian was lying in bed, hooked up to an IV. He looked a bit better than yesterday, but still pretty out of it.

When he saw a whole crowd of white coats walk in, he instinctively frowned.

When his eyes landed on me, his frown deepened. Twin flames of fury flickered in his gaze.

I shot him a "friendly" smile.

He immediately turned his head away, refusing to meet my eyes.

Ellen stood by the bed, flipping through the chart at the head of the bed, her voice gentle but professional.

"The surgery went smoothly yesterday. How are you feeling today? Is your wound still hurting?" Ellen asked.

Julian seemed determined to put on a brave face in front of Ellen.

He tried to push himself up, probably wanting to answer her directly.

But the movement tugged at his abdominal wound.

He sucked in a sharp breath, his whole face scrunched up in pain.

Hit by the stabbing pain, Julian almost sobbed as he blurted out loudly, "Mom!"

He sounded both helpless and wronged, like a kid who'd finally found someone to cling to after being utterly wronged.

The whole room went dead silent.

Every pair of eyes in the room snapped to him.

And in the very next second, Ellen and I, almost in perfect unison, called out, our voices full of concern, "What's wrong?"

Those two words rang out crisp and clear.

One was from the highly respected Ellen.

The other was from me, the lowly intern tagging along behind her.

Before I'd finished speaking, I realized I'd messed up.

But it was already too late.

It felt like all the air vanished from the room.

Time itself hit the pause button.

Suddenly, everyone in the room turned to stare at me all at once, their gazes full of shock, confusion, disbelief, and curiosity.

It felt like every eye was a searchlight trained right on me.

I even heard the intern next to me gasp in shock.

I was frozen in place, my mind completely blank.

I'd never felt a moment stretch on this long in my entire life.

Every stare felt like a thousand tiny needles stabbing into me.

I could feel my cheeks burning up in an instant.

Oh crap.

That was literally the only thought in my head.

Why did I reflexively answer Julian?

Was it years of being sworn enemies, making my reflexes kick in whenever he did anything?

Or maybe, deep down, I wanted to see him embarrass himself, so I grabbed this golden opportunity?

I really didn't know.

All I know was, I just responded to Julian calling out "Mom!" in front of the department head, the attendings, the residents, and every single intern.

I was done for.

My internship might be over before it began.