CLIMBING HEARTS

GHOSTED DREAMS

The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor filled the quiet hospital room. Rose Carter stood beside the bed, her hands steady as she checked the patient's IV drip. The elderly man was stable for now, but she'd seen enough cases like his to know that stability was fragile. One wrong move, one missed sign, and the situation could spiral.

As Rose adjusted the blankets, her mind wandered back to the last message Paul Henderson had sent her.

I'll see you later, babe, it had said. The simple, unassuming text still lingered in her phone, a mocking reminder of a future that had never come.

"Rose, you okay?" Sarah Donovan asked, interrupting her thoughts as she entered the room. She gave Rose a concerned look, holding a chart in one hand. "You look... distant."

Rose blinked, snapping out of her reverie. "I'm fine," she said automatically. She glanced at the clock. Only two hours left in her shift, but she was already planning on volunteering for another one.

Sarah studied her, skepticism clear on her face.

"You've been working non-stop for weeks. If you keep this up, you're going to burn out. You need a break."

"I don't need a break," Rose replied sharply, then softened her tone. "I just... need to keep busy."

Sarah sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "It's been three months, Rose. Paul's not coming back."

The words hit Rose like a punch to the gut, even though she'd been telling herself the same thing every day since Paul had disappeared. No calls. No texts. No explanation. One moment, they were planning their wedding, and the next, he was gone as if their relationship had never existed.

"I know," Rose whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the machines. She quickly busied herself, checking the patient's vitals again, though everything was in order.

Sarah's expression softened. "Look, I know you're hurting, but drowning yourself in work won't make it better. You need to deal with this, not run from it."

Rose forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm fine, really. I'll catch up with you later."

Sarah sighed again but didn't press further. She knew Rose well enough to know that when she wasn't ready to talk, there was no pushing her.

As Sarah left the room, Rose's shoulders sagged. She didn't want to admit it, but Sarah was right. The long shifts, the endless paperwork, the late nights spent running from one patient to the next—it wasn't just work. It was an escape. A way to avoid the gnawing emptiness that had taken root in her chest ever since Paul had left.

But no matter how many hours she put in, no matter how many lives she saved or comforted, the ache remained.

Two hours later, as her shift officially ended, Rose found herself sitting in the hospital's small, dimly lit break room. She stared down at the cup of coffee in her hands, watching the steam rise in lazy swirls. Her phone sat on the table in front of her, silent as always.

She used to hate the sound of notifications interrupting her day. Now, the silence was worse.

Just as she was contemplating another shift, a knock on the door startled her.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice said.

Rose looked up to see Dr. Lucas Montgomery standing in the doorway, his white coat slightly askew, a tired but unreadable expression on his face.

She knew of him—everyone did. The hospital's new cardiologist, recently transferred from the East Coast, and already making waves with his sharp skills and sharper tongue. He wasn't exactly the most popular doctor among the nursing staff, but Rose couldn't deny his talent.

"Sure," she muttered, gesturing to the seat across from her.

Lucas sat down, his eyes briefly scanning the room before landing on her. For a moment, there was silence, an odd tension in the air.

"Long shift?" Lucas finally asked, though it wasn't really a question. He probably already knew; the hospital wasn't that big.

Rose nodded. "You?"

"Always," he replied, his tone dry.

Another silence stretched between them. Lucas leaned back in his chair, his gaze flicking to the clock on the wall. "I heard about your engagement."

Rose's grip tightened around her coffee cup, her pulse quickening. Of course, he'd heard. Everyone had. In a place as tight-knit as St. Mary's, news traveled fast. Especially the bad kind.

"Not anymore," she replied, her voice flat.

Lucas studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. "I get it," he said quietly.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Get what?"

"Being left behind," he said, leaning forward, his elbows resting on the table. "People you think you can count on suddenly disappearing. It's... disorienting."

Rose looked at him, surprised by the sudden honesty in his words. She hadn't expected that from him. Lucas Montgomery was known for his cold demeanor, his clinical precision in both work and interaction. But now, there was something raw in his voice, a vulnerability she hadn't anticipated.

"You too?" she asked softly.

Lucas gave a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah. My girlfriend left me for a job in Dubai. Told me she needed to 'find herself.'" He shook his head, his eyes darkening. "I guess we're in the same boat."

Rose didn't know what to say. She'd assumed Lucas was just another arrogant doctor, too wrapped up in his own world to notice anyone else's pain. But now, sitting across from him, she realized he was just as lost as she was.

For the first time in months, Rose felt a flicker of connection—small, tentative, but there.

"People suck," she muttered, more to herself than to him.

Lucas let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, they do."

They sat in silence for a while after that, the tension between them easing into something more comfortable. The weight of their unspoken thoughts hung in the air, but there was a subtle shift in the atmosphere. Maybe it wasn't much, but in that quiet moment, it was enough. The shared stillness offered a brief respite from their emotional turmoil, a chance to reflect and find solace in each other's presence. It was a small, yet significant, moment of connection amidst their complex feelings.