The rest of the day on the farm was eventful. With Harley's careful guidance, I was able to ride the horse by myself—slowly.
The sun was starting to set, casting a purple and orange hue across the sky when Harley and I decided to return home.
As we merged into the highway traffic, Harley asked, "Did you enjoy yourself?"
I nodded.
"Next time, we should invite our friends," I said, while looking out the window at the moon.
"Are you working this weekend?"
I looked at him. "No, I have it off. Why?"
Harley glanced at me quickly before turning his attention back to the road. "Spend the entire day with me."
My heart skipped a beat.
"Okay," I replied. "What do you have in mind?"
"You will have to wait and see."
I puffed up my cheeks and looked away. From the corner of my eye, I saw Harley chuckling softly.
When we reached home, it was a couple of minutes past midnight. I went straight to my room, took a warm bath, and then climbed into bed.
The next morning, I ran into Sasha on my way toward the internal medicine floor.
She was walking quickly down the hallway with a chart in hand, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Sophie," she called when she spotted me. "Perfect timing."
I fell into step beside her. "That doesn't sound good."
"It isn't," she said, handing me the chart. "Room eight. Middle-aged male, sudden onset chest pain, shortness of breath, and dizziness. His vitals are unstable."
My expression immediately turned serious as I scanned the chart. "How long has he been like this?"
"About twenty minutes," Sasha replied. "The nurse said it came on suddenly."
We quickened our pace.
"Any history of cardiac issues?" I asked.
"Hypertension. Smoker. No previous heart attacks documented."
"That's not reassuring."
We reached the room and pushed the door open.
A man lay on the bed, clutching his chest, his breathing shallow and uneven. A nurse stood beside him, adjusting the monitor.
"Doctor, his heart rate just spiked again," the nurse said.
I moved to the bedside. "Mr. Lee, I'm Dr. Huo. Can you describe the pain?"
"It… it feels like something is crushing my chest," he said between breaths.
I exchanged a quick glance with Sasha.
"On a scale from one to ten?" I asked.
"Nine," he groaned.
Sasha stepped forward, checking the monitor. "Heart rate is irregular… and his blood pressure is dropping."
"Get an ECG now," I said, my tone firm. "And draw blood for cardiac enzymes."
The nurse nodded and rushed out.
Sasha leaned closer to me. "You're thinking myocardial infarction?"
"Possibly," I replied quietly. "But something feels off."
Mr. Lee suddenly winced, his hand tightening against his chest. "It's getting worse…"
I placed a hand on the bed. "Try to stay calm. We're going to take care of you."
The ECG machine was wheeled in moments later.
Sasha quickly placed the leads while I watched the monitor.
The lines appeared on the screen.
I frowned.
"No ST elevation," I said.
Sasha narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't match his symptoms."
"Exactly."
I glanced back at Mr. Lee. His breathing was becoming more labored.
"Where exactly is the pain?" I asked.
He pointed slightly to the left side of his chest… then hesitated.
"It… it kind of spreads to my back too."
Sasha and I both froze for a split second.
Our eyes met.
"Aortic dissection?" she whispered.
My stomach dropped.
"Call radiology. We need a CT angiography immediately," I said, my voice sharp.
The nurse rushed to make the call.
Sasha stepped back, running a hand through her hair. "Good catch."
"It's not confirmed yet," I said, though my pulse had quickened.
Mr. Lee groaned again, his face pale.
I leaned closer. "We're going to run another test to make sure we treat this correctly, okay?"
He nodded weakly.
Minutes later, he was rushed out for imaging.
The room fell quiet.
Sasha exhaled slowly. "That could've gone very wrong if we treated it like a heart attack."
I leaned against the counter slightly, my heart still racing. "Yeah… anticoagulants would've made it worse."
Sasha looked at me, a small smile forming. "You've gotten sharper."
I let out a breath. "I had a good teacher."
She smirked. "Don't flatter me."
A nurse rushed back into the room.
"Doctors, CT confirmed. It's an aortic dissection."
Silence hit for half a second.
Then everything moved at once.
"Prep for surgery," I said immediately.
Sasha nodded. "I'll notify cardiothoracic."
As the team moved into action, I stepped back for a moment, watching as the patient was stabilized.
My chest rose and fell slowly.
Another crisis.
Another life hanging by a thread.
Sasha stepped beside me. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
She studied me for a second. "You're different today."
I glanced at her. "Different how?"
She smirked slightly. "Calmer."
My thoughts drifted—just for a second.
To Harley.
To yesterday.
To everything that felt like it was shifting.
"…Maybe," I said quietly.
Sasha nudged my shoulder. "Don't get all mysterious on me now."
I let out a small laugh.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go save a life."
The tension from the morning slowly eased as the patient was transferred to surgery and the floor returned to its usual rhythm.
By the time the rush settled, exhaustion began to creep in.
Sasha and I exchanged a look before silently agreeing it was finally time for a break, making our way toward the staff room.
"How was your sleepover?" Sasha asked, taking a seat at an empty table across the room.
I sat down opposite her. "It was good. Next time, you have to join us. Amy and Daisy are amazing people."
"Thanks in advance for the invite," Sasha said, before grinning mischievously. "So… are you and Harley an item now or what?"
Before I could answer her question, her phone rang. She excused herself to answer the call. A soft sigh escaped my lips.
Saved by the bell.
Sasha came back a couple of minutes later, smiling brightly. "Here," she said, handing me the phone.
"Who is it?" I asked, taking the phone from her.
"Samuel."
My face lit up. I placed the phone next to my ear and said, "Hello, Samuel?"
"Sophie," Samuel greeted. "I have some exciting news for you."
"What is it?"
"I will be transferring to Seojin General Hospital at the end of summer."
A loud gasp escaped my mouth. "No way! Seriously? I am so excited. I miss you so much."
"I miss you too, Sophie." Then he paused for a moment before adding, "Will you show me around Seoul?"
"You bet," I said excitedly.
"Awesome. Take care of yourself, and we will be seeing each other soon."
"Bye, Samuel," I said before ending the call. I gave Sasha her phone back. "It will be just like old times."
"Well… not exactly like old times," Sasha corrected.
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You will see soon enough," Sasha replied.