Heartbeats of the City

Chapter 5

I woke up to the sound of laughter drifting from the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I glanced at the clock—still early. I yawned, slipped out of bed, and padded toward the source of the noise.

As I stepped into the living room, I saw Bree and Lexi unpacking bags of food on the dining table. Lexi had just come back from her morning errand, looking much more awake than I expected.

"Morning, lazybones," Lexi teased, handing me a cup of coffee as I approached. "I figured the fridge was empty, so I grabbed breakfast for us."

I smiled, taking the coffee from her. "You're an angel. What'd you get?"

"Pancakes, burgers, bananas, and, of course, coffee," Lexi said proudly, sitting down with a satisfied grin. "We're all set."

Bree, already digging into her pancakes, looked up with a playful smirk. "Lexi knew we'd be too tired to get breakfast, so she took charge."

"Thank God for that," I said, grabbing a plate. "After yesterday, I didn't think I'd have the energy to even make toast."

Lexi chuckled, taking a bite of her burger. "Yeah, I figured we needed a proper breakfast. Plus, I wanted to treat us after that madness at the hospital."

As we all sat down to eat, the familiar warmth of friendship and laughter filled the room. It felt good to relax and enjoy a meal together after everything we'd been through. This was exactly what I needed to recharge—coffee, pancakes, and the company of my best friends.

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After breakfast, Lexi headed off to the bathroom for a quick shower. Bree was sprawled out on the couch, deeply engrossed in her phone. I couldn't help but guess who she was texting. With her focus and occasional giggles, it seemed likely that it was Dr. Grayson on the other end.

Once Lexi was finished, I made my way into the bathroom. The hot water felt amazing as I washed away the remnants of sleep and refreshed myself for the day ahead. After my shower, I quickly got dressed in my scrubs, took some time to curl my hair neatly, and then set about preparing for the busy day.

I took a moment to text Dorothy a good morning message before heading out. "Good morning, Mom! Just wanted to say hi and remind you to take your vitamins today. Love you!"

Feeling a bit more put-together, I grabbed my bag and gave Bree a nudge. "Ready to head to the hospital? We've got rounds to do, and then we need to hit the grocery store."

Bree looked up from her phone, her face lighting up. "Yep, I'm all set."

With that, we headed out of the apartment, the morning sun shining brightly as we made our way to the hospital. The day was shaping up to be another busy one, but with good friends by my side and a little bit of normalcy, I felt ready to tackle whatever came our way.

As Bree and I drove toward the hospital, she turned to me with a mischievous grin. "Hey, how about we hit up a bar later? I'm thinking tequila and dancing. We definitely deserve a break."