IS

mmediately straightened and greete

well known across New York that he's the youngest son of the Ellis family, who ran a chain

t too impossible to read. Most of the female interns and fellow doctors had been fan

re was no warmth in it, yet somehow it always

private office for casual chats. And he rarely addressed anyone so directly. If

rofessionally, though a faint

t authority lingering in his stride, making i

be nervous. Prince Charming number two i

t with a pl

I glared at

I'll get to my rounds now. Good luck

moved toward his private office. I knocked

me

desk, flipping through a thin patient file with that same focused expression he always

Bennett," he said

ucking my han

atient's name is Antonio Vitale-an Italian national, mid-fifties. He was brought in twenty minutes ago with a gunsho

brief notes from the ER. Just reading it made my mi

h no hint of doubt in his tone. "You're one of

like that. Dr. Ellis didn't hand ou

, keeping my voi

They're already setting up as we speak."

low, but then, a sudden, stran

airs, cases where minutes made the difference between life and deat

ang

just the coff

some reason I couldn't place. Still, I straig

*

spital's hallway was unusually quiet as Dr.

the white tile floor, but my

ves. I could feel a bead of sweat forming at the nape of my neck. The closer w

, broad-shouldered, and built like stone. They all wore black suits with earpieces, their sharp alerted eyes scanned every movement around the p

rth is th

king from one stern face to the next. They di

. The patient lay on the table, draped and prepped, th

nd the oxygen mask and sterile drapes, but the faint scent

this one was really critical. Three nurses were present

es scanning the field. The wound was to the left side of the chest-dangerously c

on said, his voice

choed in the background, a fragile metron

ut firm, drawing my attention back. "You'll

for the scalpel. Immediately, my mind slipped into its familiar rhyt

ging instruments with practiced rhythm. For the first few min

monitor scre

s darted to the screen-the patient's hear

ne of the n

wasn't really silent at all-it was the pounding

icked to me. "I

t. He trusted m

ady moving to expose the wound further. Every muscle in my body honed in on that

ract

closer, my eyes locking onto the lodged slug. It was so close to the

orceps was firm

t blink it away. All I could hear was th

st t

millimeter. One nurse dabbed away the pooling blood, and another steadied the su

smallest tug, th

etal-before placing it in the specimen cup. The monitor s

ing," the anesthes

t the breath I'd been

closing in neat, layered sutures. By the time we stepped

r. Simon said with a nod wh

enior," I rep

ratulations as well... a