Episode 8

Pov.: Amy

A year had already passed since my journey to Gravas, and many events had unfolded since then. I'd managed to get my so-called friend fired, ended things with my boyfriend, and distanced myself by severing the scant ties that remained with my sister.

Once I'd removed all those people who despised me, I focused on my studies. In a mere eight months, I had completed my degree. Not long after that, I began working at my uncle's hospital, this time as a surgeon instead of a nurse. At last, I had achieved what I desired.

That particular night, I was doing my rounds in the emergency room to see if anyone needed assistance, as the surgical floor was unusually calm. Wandering through the corridors, I began to hear quite a commotion. I rushed toward the noise and upon arriving, I could hardly believe what was transpiring.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I exclaimed angrily upon seeing a man gripping my friend Marga's hair. "This is a hospital, sir, show some respect for the patients!" I yelled, glaring at the man.

The man holding onto my friend's hair finally let go and approached me in an intimidating manner. I lifted my chin to show I wasn't afraid and when he was in front of me, I slapped him hard across the face.

"I hope you remember, sir. This is a hospital, and you cannot do as you please," I said indignantly, looking him straight in the eyes. "Marga, come!" I called out.

My friend got up from the floor and hurried over to me. When she arrived, I checked her for injuries. He had grabbed her so forcefully that her scalp was injured. The wounds weren't severe, but still the man watching us had overstepped by far, and I wondered why all this was happening.

"Tell me, what's going on here?" I asked, looking at my friend.

"This gentleman brought in a man with gunshot wounds. We started to attend to him immediately, moving him to a trauma bay given his serious condition. But he, along with some men, blocked the way. I tried to enter, but he grabbed my hair and pulled me away."

"Where is the patient now?" I asked after hearing what Marga had told me, standing up from where we had sat to examine her injury.

"He's in trauma bay two, but the men who came with him won't let us pass to attend to him."

"Get everyone ready as fast as you can," I ordered. Marga looked at me, puzzled, then dashed off; I waited a few minutes until she reappeared with several people.

"We're all ready," she said.

"Good," I responded, turning to face the men obstructing our access to the trauma bay, preventing us from doing our jobs. "Move aside!" I proclaimed with authority, and the men complied. "Let's go, gentlemen. We have a man to save," I announced, and my team began to enter the room.

We all entered the trauma bay, but the men also wanted in. I stopped them before closing the door.

"You stay out," I stated firmly. "Wait in the waiting area and don't say a word nor threaten anyone," I admonished them with a furrowed brow.

The men glared at me, trying to intimidate me, but they did as instructed; I entered the bay to start treating the patient, barely noting his appearance as his injuries demanded all my attention.

Once I assessed his condition, it was clear he needed to be in an operating room as soon as possible if he was to survive.

"We need to get him into surgery immediately!" I exclaimed after stabilizing him.

We raced out of the trauma bay quickly, my colleagues and I running through the corridors to the elevator.

"You go on; I'll handle the rest," I said, waving the men off who had yet to see us; my colleagues looked at me with concern.

I walked to the waiting area and noticed more men than before, dressed in intimidating black suits. Taking a deep breath, I approached them, but before I could speak, the men noticed me and lunged toward me.

"How is he?" one of them asked, sounding genuinely worried.

"The patient is in a critical state at the moment. We've stabilized him and are now taking him to the OR for emergency surgery," I informed them.

"Surgery?!" they all exclaimed.

"That's right. We need to remove the bullets embedded in him, or he won't make it."

"We're going to find him. You won't do anything here," the one who initially questioned me insisted.

"No! You mustn't. What you should do now is contact the man's family and hope the surgery goes well," I stood my ground.

"If anything happens to my boss, I swear, doctor, I will personally kill you," the man who had been rough with my friend threatened with a serious demeanor. I knew he wasn't joking; he was speaking the truth.

"Sir, threats won't help. I will do everything in my power to save him. Also, I am returning your boss's belongings," I said, dismissing his warning; I'd been threatened many times before and eventually stopped caring.

I handed him the bag with the patient's belongings, including his clothes, wallet, and a peculiar gold ring that seemed strangely familiar, though I couldn't place exactly where I knew it from. The man took the bag, but as he was about to walk away, he froze, staring at something apparently in the bag. As I was about to disengage from him, I heard a shout.

"Doctor!" a nurse called, bringing me back to reality. "Doctor, we need you; the patient's condition is deteriorating. He's not stable for transport; we're losing him!"

I ran off, deeply concerned about the man. I had to hurry, stabilize him, and get him to surgery, for I was the on-call surgeon.

Perspective: Vladimir

It had been a year since we last set foot in the Long empire. My best friend had refused to return after getting married. He searched through every empire for his wife, sending his most trusted men and the best trackers, but no matter what, they couldn't find the girl he had married. Yet, he remained undeterred—he did not want to be married to anyone and yearned only for a divorce to regain his freedom.

Despite endless searches, it was as if our lady did not exist, yet the search went on relentlessly. All this time, my friend devoted himself to his work and respected his marriage. He wasn't with any other woman, claiming that even though the marriage was a mistake, it was still a marriage that needed to be honored. Many of us were surprised by his stance, as married vampires were often unfaithful, except for those who found their destined soulmates. Some of us even thought his wife might be his soulmate, but no one dared suggest it, as merely mentioning it enraged him.

A few weeks ago, a group approached us for business. My friend accepted since it seemed promising, but what we didn't know, what he didn't anticipate, was the transaction would occur in the very empire Luka had been avoiding. Upon realizing there was no way out, we traveled there, only to find it was a setup; we were ambushed and shot at. We lost valuable men, but after we dealt with our enemies, I saw my friend on the ground, bleeding out. I instantly knew his condition was dire and a hospital was urgently needed. Carrying him, we raced to our cars and drove to the closest hospital, unable to make it back to the mansion.

At the hospital, as they barraged us with questions, my frustration peaked. I lost control, grabbed a nurse about to deliver care, and was about to strike when I heard a shout. I turned to see a woman commanding the room, unphased by us. She reprimanded me as if I was a child and even dared to slap me. She issued orders to the nurse, who soon returned with more staff. She cleared my men from my friend's room and corralled us to an adjacent waiting area.

Later, she came back, holding my friend's personal items. Stress overwhelmed me as she reported his grave condition and urgent need for surgery. When she handed over the belongings, I noticed my friend's wedding ring. That's when I saw her hand, bearing a ring similar to my friend's. I was frozen, recognition dawning on me.

"It can't be," I thought, "after all this time, we've finally found you, in such a critical moment."

"Doctor!" the nurse cried out, snapping me back to reality. "Doctor, we need you; the patient's condition is worsening. He's not stable for transport, and is deteriorating!"

"Let's go!" she implored and sprinted away.

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