Hearts in the Shadows(m×m)

The pain

Seven years later.

Alex

"Doctor, it's an emergency case," a nurse exclaimed, rushing toward me as my team and I were leaving the operating room after an exhausting eight-hour surgery.

"He just came out of an eight-hour surgery. He needs rest," Ethan said, approaching us from another direction.

"I'll handle it. What is it?" he added. The nurse hurried to Ethan, and I began to walk to my room with my team, completely drained.

"It's a road accident. The patient's name is Leo Reyes, twenty-eight years old," the nurse reported. I froze when I heard the name. It had been seven years since I last heard it. No one dared to mention that name in front of me, fearing I would lose my composure. But as soon as I heard it, I knew it was him—Leo, my love.

I immediately ran to the emergency room.

"Alex," Ethan shouted, following closely behind. We arrived at the emergency room almost simultaneously.

I halted at the door, my eyes locking onto the familiar figure lying on the patient bed, his entire body covered in blood.

Other doctors and nurses were desperately trying to revive him.
"We're losing his pulse," one doctor shouted.

As I stood there, frozen in place, the scene around me blurred into a whirlwind of chaotic activity. The familiar smell of antiseptic and blood filled the air, and the urgent voices of my colleagues melded into a cacophony. My heart pounded in my chest, and it felt as if the room was closing in on me. Leo, my love, was lying on the bed, covered in blood, his life hanging by a thread.

The past seven years flashed before my eyes. The pain of Leo's sudden disappearance had been a wound that never fully healed. I had buried myself in work, trying to forget, but I could never escape the memories. And now, here he was, back in my life in the most horrific way possible.

"Alex, we need you," Ethan's voice broke through my fog of thoughts. He grabbed my shoulder, his eyes filled with both concern and urgency. "Leo needs you."

I snapped back to the present. This wasn't the time to be paralyzed by emotion. Leo needed me, and I was the best chance he had.

"What's his status?" I asked, stepping forward.
"Severe trauma from the accident," one of the doctors replied. "Multiple fractures, internal bleeding, and his pulse is weak. We're losing him."

"Clear!" the other doctor shouted, administering a shock to Leo’s chest. His body jerked, but there was no response.

"We're losing him," another nurse echoed, panic edging her voice.

"No, we're not," I said firmly, stepping forward and taking control.

"Push another round of epinephrine, and prepare for intubation."

The team sprang into action. I scrubbed in quickly, my mind laser-focused on the task at hand. I couldn't afford to think about the emotional implications right now. Leo's life depended on me staying professional and doing everything in my power to save him.

As I made the first incision, my hands moved with the precision honed by years of practice, but my mind was filled with memories of Leo—his laugh, his smile, the way he used to look at me with such love in his eyes. How had we ended up here? All was my mistake. I lost him because of my stupid decision. 

"Ethan, I need you to start a central line. We need to get his blood pressure up," I ordered, my voice calm but urgent. He nodded and set to work, his movements just as efficient and focused.

The room buzzed with activity. Monitors beeped, nurses moved swiftly, and doctors barked orders. But all I could focus on was Leo. His face, pale and lifeless, was a stark contrast to the vibrant man I once knew.