Officially mine [ MINE series book#1 ]

CHAPTER 34

NIHARIKA'S POV:

I sat down in the restaurant as my colleague Mia went to get lunch. Usually, we had lunch breaks in the hospital only, but today Mia was "craving" pizza, so here we are.

"Here's your pepperoni pizza, Niharika," she said, placing it in front of me.

"Thanks," I said, smiling.

"Ugh... there are still 5 hours left in our shift," she groaned as I smiled in sympathy too. A 10-hour shift isn't easy, I know it.

"You know what, I think I'm going back to Spain, bhaar mai gaya Nikhil," she said with an accent as I chuckled. Mia was from Spain and had shifted to India because she married an Indian man, Nikhil.

"So, how's your life going? Any drama?" she asked. This girl literally craves drama.

"No. What drama would my life have?" I said as I pondered on my recent events. From hospital to daycare to home and then repeat, my life seemed to be on a routine.

"God!!—" she started as my phone rang. I frowned, cleaning my hands with a napkin as I saw the caller ID.

Nurse Anika? I looked up at Mia as she was stuffing her face with the pizza. I picked up the call.

"Yes, nurse, everything okay?" I asked as Mia gave me a questioning look.

"What!!! Where's Doctor Aartik?" I asked, getting up and grabbing my purse. Mia got up too.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Put him on the ICU machine," I rushed outside as Mia paid the bill, rushing behind me right after.

I hurried to the hospital, arriving inside panting harshly. I grasped the reception counter as the receptionist looked at me with a sorry look.

"What—" I panted.

"Doctor Aartik arrived last minute," she said.

"So where was he before?" I asked.

"He... he went out for a smoke," she looked at me sympathetically.

"God!!" I gasped as Mia pulled me to a chair.

"Sit down, girl. You ran like someone was dying," she said as I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe because someone actually was," I emphasized as she widened her eyes, realizing what she said as she mouthed a sorry.

"Doctor?" the nurse came forward.

"Yes?" I got up.

"You will be taking over the case after the surgery is over. Here you go, the file," she said, handing me the patient's file.