Love or Arranged Marriage?

"Level 2 Cancer Unit, Code Blue."

"Level 2 Cancer Unit, Code Blue."

My beeper goes off as soon as I enter my call room. A 'code blue' has just been called, and I leap to my feet and sprint. I'm on a 24-hour call shift, and it's presently 9:30 pm. My shift finishes at 9 am tomorrow, so I still have the whole night ahead of me.

I hurry out of my call room, which is in the hospital's basement, and sprint up the stairs as quickly as my tired legs would allow.

Since this morning, I've been on my feet all day. Adrenaline is coursing through my veins and flowing throughout my whole body. First and foremost, the emergency room was overflowing with numerous new patients who needed to be hospitalized. I was allocated five new patients, whom I had to check on throughout the day to check their vitals, blood work, and scan findings.

We had an hour of educating new medical students and residents this afternoon, during which we worked in groups on medical puzzles. Only two hours earlier, numerous additional people were taken into the emergency room due to injuries sustained in a bus accident.

I was just paged with a 'code blue,' which generally denotes a patient who needs emergency medical treatment or resuscitation, usually as a consequence of a heart arrest. I need to go to the cancer unit as soon as possible since every second matters in this case.

The oncology department is located on the second floor of the hospital's south wing. I arrive in less than five minutes, and the complete resuscitation team is prepared with all the necessary equipment. A colleague nurse swiftly informs me that an older woman in her 80s has experienced a heart arrest. Breathing problems indicated her Stage Three lung cancer, and now her heart had stopped beating. We labored long and hard as a team, and after over an hour, we could eventually restart her heart.

When I'm certain that her health is improving, I notify a few of my colleagues, night-shift junior physicians, to conduct some tests and tell the nurses to keep a watch on her. I also advise them to call me immediately if there is an issue or their health worsens.

Before returning to my call room, I check up on a handful of my afternoon patients.

I'm not as tired as before the 'code blue,' but I know I need to get some rest.

I awoke at 6 am this morning, knowing I needed to sleep. Although I'm not feeling exhausted, I know it will hit me later tonight. I still have the whole night ahead of me.

I'll attempt to grab a few hours of sleep before being paged again. I'm hoping to squeeze in a couple of hours.

********

My name is Alayna Ali, and I'm twenty-five years old. Two months ago, I began my first year as a medical resident at Birmingham Metropolitan Hospital, England's most prominent teaching hospital. It had always been my desire to work at this hospital, and my dream had finally come true.

I work with some of the most outstanding physicians and medical professionals in the nation, if not the globe. I am fortunate to work here alongside my closest friend, Hanna. Hanna Khan, my closest friend, is twenty-five years old and, like me, is a first-year resident. We went to the same medical school but didn't become best friends until two years ago. She's a lively, cheery, fun-loving young lady who constantly has a grin. And I know she will be the finest doctor I know one day.

The same as her elder brother, Zayan.

Concerning Dr. Zayan Khan, he has just transferred to our institution from working at a private hospital in London. Dr. Zayan is one of England's most distinguished physicians and one of the top doctors and surgeons. He's one of the greatest physicians in the nation, and one of the most known oncologists, despite being just thirty years old. I, Hanna, and a few other first-year residents will be working for him this year.

I'm quite thrilled but also very apprehensive. Despite being Hanna's brother, I've only met him a few times. And I've never spoken with him. Never. Because he frightens me. I think it's because he's such a brilliant doctor that worries me. That, and his enticing appearance. Those are tough to ignore.

We have a small group of first-year residents at our institution who began their long journey as physicians with me two months ago. We're a group of five, including Hanna and me.

Dr. Zayan, our mentor, will be keeping a careful eye on the five of us. Our most senior resident and primary point of contact.

I'm sitting in the doctor's lounge on the hospital's ground level with the rest of the first-year residents. We'll be seeing Dr. Zayan shortly, and I'm... thrilled. Nervous but ecstatic. I consider myself really fortunate to be working with him.

“If my brother ever attempts to correct me, he's in for a surprise. Unless he's telling me off because I've done something bad”. Hanna quips, laughing.

I laugh. "He's not going to scold you, Han. You're an excellent physician. We've barely been here two months, but you're incredible”. I say.

She smiles. “I'm certainly not as excellent as you, darling. You'll be the finest doctor the world has ever seen one day”.

"Oh, just keep quiet. You lavish me with compliments. And you've improved”.

Suddenly, the door swings wide, revealing Dr. Zayan in all his magnificence. Damn. The most gorgeous, attractive guy I've ever seen in my twenty-five years of life stands in front of us. He's certainly sexier than he was the last time I saw him. He's at least six feet taller than Hanna and me. He has the most gorgeous messily groomed mop of dark brown hair.

He has pale skin, like his sister, and the most lovely eyes I get lost in for a second. They're a blend of brown and blue, somewhere in the middle. The most lovely color. His eyes sparkle, and anybody who glances into them for too long will undoubtedly lose themselves.

Now, let's go on.

He has a nicely carved, symmetrical nose and large, pink lips that seem exceedingly delicate.

He looks irritated as he runs his fingers through his hair.

Oh, well. Annoyance certainly suits him. He seems much more irritated.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Zayan Khan, and I'm a senior doctor, surgeon, and head of oncology. This year, I will be your mentor. As your mentor, I have high expectations for every one of you. I demand nothing less than the best from every one of you. At this hospital, anything less will not suffice. We're running late, so please identify yourself and briefly tell us the medical sector you're most interested in".

Wow. He's rigorous, but that's to be expected. He's one of the top physicians around. He clearly expects nothing less than the best from us.

Hanna leaps from her seat, a little grin on her lips. "Zayan, Dr. It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Hanna Khan, and I'm 25 years old. I'm thinking about going into pediatrics or gynecology. Thank you very much”. She smiles as she sits back down.

Girl, you're insane.

Dr. Zayan's lips twitch, and I find myself smiling as well. I know how much he loves his sister and how much she adores him.

Anum Abdullah, another first-year resident, approaches to introduce herself. "Hello, my name is Anum Abdullah. I'm twenty-five years old. Cardiology is my main area of interest. Thank you very much”. Anum is a sweet girl, although she isn't effervescent. She is an introvert who is constantly wholly focused on her job, which is very important to her.

Dr. Zayan nods and motions to the next individual.

"Hello, Doctor. My name is Zain Ahmed, and I'm interested in neurology. We're all around the same age. Thank you very much”. He smiles before returning to his seat.

Zain is a charming, gregarious, and amusing young man who constantly has a wide grin on his face. He constantly lifts our spirits when we're sad, and he's a fantastic doctor.

"Hello there, Dr. Zayan. It's wonderful to meet you after hearing so much about you finally. You're an excellent physician! I apologize for rambling. My name is Hina Malik, and I want to be a pediatrician or a rheumatologist. Thank you very much!". She smiles and jumps back into her seat. Hina is a gorgeous girl who is extremely chatty and cute.

Hina is one of the five of us who have become buddies. Having friends is crucial while doing such a hard and sometimes unpleasant job. It's lovely to have friends that are there to cheer you up.

Dr. Zayan raises an eyebrow for a fraction of a second. Most likely due to her exuberant personality.

'How about you?' He eventually speaks something, motioning towards me. As I rise, excitement rushes through my body.