The ones who live hidden in plain sight (A discovery of witches story)

26- Heart attack

You make me glow

But I cover up, won't let it show

By Demi Lovato

The evening had fallen, enveloping the castle in an almost unreal calm. The soft moonlight illuminated the balcony where Camille and Andrew had settled, wrapped in a thick blanket. Celeste was sleeping peacefully in the bed, and the baby monitor was resting on the table beside them, emitting a faint, reassuring crackling sound.

Camille pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, feeling the cool night air caress her face. The air was cool but soothing, and she appreciated the serenity of this moment, almost suspended in time. Andrew was beside her, and the silence between them was full of that quiet complicity. She turned her head to watch him discreetly, her features calm, her eyes lost in the darkness of the garden below.

- Why did you choose emergency and pediatrics? He asked, surprising her.

Andrew had left a moment's silence after his question, and she, absorbed in her thoughts, went back over the thread of her memories, weighing up every significant moment in her career. Then she took a quiet breath before answering.

- I never thought I'd choose this speciality,' she said softly, almost to herself, her eyes fixed on the distance. But my placements took me.

Andrew arched an eyebrow, intrigued.

- Your placements have... taken you?' he asked, with a slight hesitation.

Camille nodded, her smile stretching slightly, as if she found it amusing that this expression had caught Andrew's eye.

- Yes, they took me, she repeated. It's a bit like... you know, when you throw yourself into something without really believing in it, just to see, and it ends up captivating you, sucking you in completely.

She paused for a moment, searching for words.

- I loved the teamwork. And what really struck me was the uncertainty, the organised chaos. Never knowing which patient is going to walk through the door. At the beginning, it made me anxious, I'm not going to lie to you. Every day, I felt this tension... I was constantly on the edge.

Andrew watched her closely, as if he could almost feel the tension in her words.

- It must be exhausting,' he said softly.

- Camille nodded. It was, yes. But... paradoxically, I've learned to love it. This constant improvisation, the surprise of never knowing what to expect, it's almost addictive. In a trauma situation, you examine, assess, act and you can literally save that person's life. When I went to other departments, I missed the emergency. I came back and it was no longer anxiety, but a pleasure that drives you to stay alert, to react quickly, to change cases, to adapt to the new patient.

She smiled wistfully, her eyes shining slightly in the subdued light of the room. Andrew nodded slowly, absorbed in her words.

- You talk about adrenalin, but it's more than that, isn't it? You're dealing with all sorts of cases, situations where every second counts.

Camille smiles again, this time with a more serious expression.

- Yes, that's it. That's what makes this job so unique. Being the first line of defence when patients arrive... it's a huge responsibility. Emergency is a constant flow, with diagnoses of absolutely everything. And then there's pediatrics.

She paused, her gaze wandering for a moment, as if she were weighing her words.

- Pediatrics... I really liked that, too. The public, the children... even if it's hard. Very hard, sometimes. They're small and vulnerable. You see them in an emergency too, my favourite cases and I wanted to specialise in that too.