"Dr. Nath, Code Blue from the ER. We have a pregnant woman involved in a traffic accident. She's eight months pregnant and suffering from severe bleeding. The baby's vital signs are still normal, but the estimated weight is only 1,900 grams."
"Dr. Nath, the ER needs you."
The call from the ER stopped Natasha in the middle of changing out of her turquoise-green scrubs and getting ready to go home.
"Alright. I'm on my way," Natasha replied.
She quickly grabbed the white coat hanging on her locker door and slipped it back on as she hurried toward the ER.
When she arrived, the emergency room was chaotic—crowded, noisy, and incredibly busy.
Natasha immediately headed for the nurses' station.
"Good evening, Dr. Nath," a nurse greeted her.
"Where's the patient?" Natasha asked.
"Bed three, Doctor."
The nurse quickly grabbed the clipboard with several sheets of paper clipped to it and followed Natasha.
"Vital signs?" Natasha asked as they walked.
"Blood pressure is 80 over 60 mmHg, pulse is 40 beats per minute, body temperature is low at 35°C, and oxygen saturation is 60 percent," the nurse reported rapidly.
Natasha looked toward the patient lying on the bed.
A young woman, deathly pale, with a head injury and heavy bleeding from below.
"Dr. Nath," a young doctor greeted her.
"How long has her oxygen saturation been this low?" Natasha asked.
She wasn't an ER doctor, but she had spent quite a long time working in the emergency department before. She knew exactly how dangerous the patient's condition was.
"When she first arrived, her saturation was still at 85 percent. We already gave her oxygen, but it kept dropping," the young doctor explained.
"Intubate her first. Keep her oxygen saturation up," Natasha ordered.
"Yes, Dr. Nath."
The young doctor immediately grabbed the intubation equipment from the crash cart beside him.
"Prepare two bags of blood," Natasha told the nurse.
"Yes, Doctor."
"Get the ultrasound ready."
The nurse quickly brought the ultrasound machine over.
Natasha swiftly opened the patient's gown and began moving the ultrasound probe across her heavily swollen abdomen.
"Contact the family. We need to deliver the baby immediately," Natasha said firmly.
"Her husband is still on his way, Doctor. He should be here soon."
"Prepare the surgical consent form. Once her husband arrives, have him sign it. And ask the anesthesiologist to prepare the operating room immediately."
"Yes, Doctor."
Natasha stepped out of the operating room, her forehead glistening with sweat.
She tossed her surgical cap, mask, gown, and gloves into the bin beside the sink before thoroughly washing her hands.
When she finally checked her phone, she saw thirteen missed WhatsApp calls.
Two were from her mother.
Three from her older brother, Jonathan.
Two from her best friend, Regina.
And the rest were from Adam.
"I'll call them back later. I just want to take a quick shower in the locker room," Natasha muttered as she slipped her phone into her pocket.
She then headed toward the doctors' private lounge at the back of the hospital, where the hospital had provided a comfortable resting area exclusively for its doctors.
After showering and changing into fresh clothes, Natasha walked into the lounge.
Her stomach was already growling furiously. She was starving.
At this hour, the only thing she could think of was the instant cup noodles provided for doctors who got hungry during late-night shifts.
But the moment she stepped into the spacious lounge, her eyes immediately landed on a man and a woman sitting together on a black sofa in the corner.
They were the only two people in the lounge.
And the way they were sitting together was incredibly easy to misunderstand.
It was Adam and Marissa.
Natasha had been dating Adam for almost four years. They had always maintained proper boundaries and respected each other's dignity, so they had never sat this close before.
Yet Adam seemed perfectly comfortable with Marissa practically sitting on his lap.
The moment Natasha stared at them with a blank expression, Adam politely moved Marissa away.
"You're finally done. I've been calling you for ages, but you didn't answer. I thought you'd already gone home. Then I asked one of the OB-GYN nurses and found out you had a C-section," Adam explained.
"That's why I waited for you here."
He stood up and walked toward Natasha, who was still frozen near the doorway.
"What's wrong, babe? Are you feeling sick?"
Adam reached out and placed a hand against Natasha's forehead.
"What are you two doing here alone?" Natasha asked.
"Don't you know this lounge is for doctors only?"
"I'm sorry, Sister Natasha. I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Marissa quickly said, her voice soft.
"I thought because this hospital belongs to the Ashford family, Big brother Adam might have some special privileges."
"And that he could invite anyone into the lounge. I didn't realize I'd accidentally caused a problem between the two of you. I'll just go home."
Her voice turned pitiful, her eyes glistening with tears.
She hurriedly stood up and walked toward the door.
But as she passed Adam and Natasha, she slowed down just enough for Adam to reach out and grab her arm, stopping her.
"This isn't your fault," Adam said gently.
"There is a rule that only doctors are allowed in here because this is a private resting area for doctors. But you're here because I invited you. So this has nothing to do with you."
"But Sister Nath..." Marissa began hesitantly.
"It's fine. Let Adam take responsibility for this," Natasha interrupted.
"Besides, like you said, this hospital belongs to the Ashford family. Adam obviously has a few privileges."
As he spoke, Adam gently stroked Marissa's strawberry-blonde hair.
"Thank you, Big brother Adam."
Marissa immediately wrapped her arms around him.
But over Adam's shoulder, her eyes met Natasha's.
There was a clear challenge in her gaze.
"Are you seriously saying that, Adam?" Natasha asked.
"Since when did you start using your family status to bend the rules at this hospital?"
"That's not what I meant, Nath. I was just joking."
"But other people might not see it as a joke," Natasha replied calmly.
"What if they take what you said seriously? The reputation you've spent years building could easily be questioned because of a careless statement like that."
"Why are you talking to Big brother Adam like that?" Marissa suddenly cut in.
"Aren't you Big brother Adam's fiancée? Shouldn't you support everything he says instead of constantly standing against him?"
"That's enough," Natasha said, clearly
exhausted.
"I'm tired. I'm going home."
She looked at Adam.
"Are you taking me home?"
Tired of the endless argument, even the hunger that had been bothering her earlier had completely disappeared.
"Of course. I always drive you home anyway, don't I?" Adam replied.
"But didn't Big brother Adam promise to treat me to dinner tonight?" Marissa suddenly asked in a sweet, almost childish tone.
"Why don't we invite Kak Nath too?"
"Oh, right. Nath, I promised to take Marissa to The Blue Lagoon tonight. You should come with us."
"Blue Lagoon?"
Natasha let out a bitter little laugh.
That was their favorite seafood restaurant.
They went there on dates almost every week.
And now Adam was taking another woman there.
"Yes, Sis. Blue Lagoon," Marissa said cheerfully.
"It's my favorite restaurant from when I still lived here. I've missed their seafood so much, especially that sweet and sour sauce."
Natasha looked at Adam, silently waiting for an explanation.
"You two go ahead," Natasha finally said.
"I'm exhausted. I had two C-sections today. I feel like my body can barely keep going."
She turned around and walked away, leaving Adam standing there with an expression that clearly showed he still didn't understand what had just happened.
***