Bound by the Waves

Chapter 14

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when my pager went off, summoning me to the ER. I rubbed my eyes and slipped on my sneakers, a sense of dread filling my stomach. After yesterday’s hectic shift, I was hoping for at least a few more hours of rest. But it seemed the hospital had other plans.

When I arrived, the scene was chaotic. Nurses were rushing between beds, and the air was thick with the sharp scent of antiseptic. I spotted Xaviel at the far end, already in the middle of assessing a young boy with a deep gash on his forehead. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he gave instructions to Ella.

Trying to ignore the strange flutter in my chest at seeing him so focused, I pushed the thought away and approached Dr. Martinez, who was directing the incoming patients.

“Where do you need me?” I asked, slipping on my gloves.

Dr. Martinez gave me a nod of acknowledgment. “Trauma bay two. We’ve got a couple of motorbike accident victims incoming. Take Dr. Salvador with you. We’ll need both of you on this.”

I swallowed hard, nodding curtly. Working side by side with Xaviel was something I’d been trying to avoid, but it looked like today, I didn’t have a choice.

By the time I reached him, Xaviel had just finished suturing the boy’s forehead. He looked up, catching my eye, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something—maybe surprise, maybe something else. But it was gone just as quickly.

“Dr. Martinez wants us in trauma bay two,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “A couple of serious cases coming in.”

“Alright,” he replied, wiping his hands clean. “Lead the way.”

We moved quickly, the sounds of the bustling hospital fading into the background as we focused on the task ahead. When the ambulance doors swung open, paramedics rushed in with two patients. One was unconscious, with visible fractures and a deep laceration on his abdomen, while the other was awake but wincing in pain, clutching his broken arm.

“We’ll take the unconscious one,” Xaviel said, his voice steady and commanding. I nodded in agreement, already reaching for supplies as the patient was transferred onto the bed.

For the next hour, it was just the two of us, working in tandem like we had done this a thousand times before. The silence between us was filled only with the sounds of monitors beeping and our voices giving short, clipped instructions.

“Clamp,” Xaviel demanded, holding his hand out. I slapped the instrument into his palm without hesitation, our movements synchronized. There was no room for mistakes, no room for thoughts of the outside world. Here, in the ER, we were just two doctors trying to save a life.

As we stabilized the patient, our eyes met over the surgical mask. There was a flicker of something between us—recognition, understanding, something I couldn’t quite name. But then, as quickly as it came, it was gone. He looked away, his eyes hardening again as he turned back to the patient.

Finally, with a sigh of relief, we managed to get the bleeding under control. The patient was whisked away to surgery, leaving us in the quiet aftermath of the trauma bay. I leaned against the counter, trying to catch my breath.

“You did good in there,” Xaviel said quietly, wiping sweat from his brow.

I glanced at him, surprised by the rare compliment. “You weren’t too bad yourself,” I replied, the corners of my lips twitching up despite myself.

For a moment, there was that softness in his gaze again, the one I’d seen that morning outside the hospital. But before I could say anything, Kate burst into the trauma bay like a whirlwind of energy, her ponytail swishing as she came to a stop in front of us. Despite the exhaustion that had settled into my bones after that intense case, I couldn’t help but feel a hint of admiration for her unrelenting enthusiasm.

“There you are!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with the same youthful excitement she always seemed to carry, no matter the hour. “Dr. Nunez needs everyone in the conference room ASAP.”

I raised an eyebrow, trying not to groan out loud. “Right now? Can’t we at least catch our breath?” I asked, glancing at Xaviel, who was still wiping down his hands with a fresh towel.

Kate nodded earnestly, but there was a twinkle in her eye that suggested she was trying not to laugh. “I know, I know. But you know Dr. Nunez,” she said, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “He said, and I quote, ‘No excuses, even if you’re in the middle of a brain transplant.’ So...” She tilted her head toward the door, her grin widening.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Kate was still new to the field, but she had this infectious energy that made it hard to stay grumpy around her. I glanced at Xaviel, who, to my surprise, had a faint smile tugging at his lips.

“Alright, Kate,” Xaviel said, his tone a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Tell Dr. Nunez we’ll be there in a minute. Just let us...” He gestured vaguely to the aftermath of the trauma bay—blood-streaked gowns, discarded gloves, and a counter full of used instruments.

“Got it!” Kate chirped, giving us both an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “But don’t take too long! You know how he gets if we’re late.” With that, she spun on her heel and practically skipped out of the room.

As the door swung shut behind her, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “She’s definitely got more energy than the rest of us combined,” I muttered, shaking my head with a faint smile.

---

The conference room was filled with the buzz of conversations when we arrived. Doctors, nurses, and medical staff gathered around, sipping coffee and catching up on the latest gossip. As Xaviel and I entered together, I could feel curious eyes turning our way.

Kate, standing near the back, gave me a knowing grin. “Arriving together again? Should we be reading into this, Dr. Alvarez?”

I shot her a glare, but she just winked, clearly enjoying herself. Ella, who was standing next to her, leaned in with a smirk. “I’m telling you, Kate, it’s only a matter of time before they’re the hospital’s new power couple.”

Before I could respond, Dr. Nunez cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to the front of the room. The chatter died down, and we all turned to face him.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” he began. “We’ve just received word that a severe storm is headed our way. It’s expected to make landfall by tonight, which means we could be dealing with an influx of patients. I need everyone on high alert and ready to respond.”

A collective groan went through the room. We were already stretched thin, and now we’d have to prepare for an even busier night.

“Dr. Alvarez, Dr. Salvador,” Dr. Nunez said, singling us out. “I’ll need you two to take the lead on triaging incoming cases. Your teamwork has been impressive so far.”

I nodded, trying not to let the surprise show on my face. Beside me, I could feel Xaviel stiffen slightly, but he gave a curt nod.

As the meeting ended and everyone began to disperse, Xaviel turned to me. “Looks like we’re stuck together for another long night.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t kill each other in the process,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light.

He gave me that half-smile again, the one that made my heart do a strange little flip. “Who knows, Alvarez? Maybe you’ll learn to tolerate me before this mission is over.”

I scoffed, but there was no real bite to it. “We’ll see about that, Salvador.”