Incision of the Heart

Chapter 10: The Night Challenge

Emily’s eyes fluttered open to the blaring sound of her alarm.

It was 10:30 p.m., an ungodly hour by her standards, but tonight was different.

The premeds were assigned to shadow the night shift at the hospital, a rite of passage that promised exhaustion, unpredictability, and—according to Dr. Patel—a crash course in the realities of patient care.

She quickly dressed in her scrubs and packed her bag, mentally preparing herself for the long hours ahead.

As she reached the hospital lobby, she spotted Liam leaning against the wall near the entrance, scrolling on his phone.

“You’re early,” she said, approaching him.

“Could say the same about you,” he replied without looking up.

The air between them was unusually calm, almost companionable, as they walked toward the residents’ lounge.

Emily was still mulling over their cafeteria conversation from the day before.

Liam had shown a side of himself she hadn’t expected—supportive, even kind. But she wasn’t about to let her guard down completely.

---

The night began in the emergency room, where chaos reigned supreme. Emily and Liam stood off to the side, observing as nurses and residents rushed around, attending to patients of varying conditions.

“Carter, Grant,” Dr. Lopez called, snapping them out of their thoughts. “You’re with me tonight. Let’s see how you handle triage.”

Emily straightened, determined to impress, while Liam’s easygoing demeanor didn’t waver.

They followed Dr. Lopez to a patient, a middle-aged man clutching his chest in visible pain.

“Probable myocardial infarction,” Dr. Lopez said briskly. “What’s the first step?”

Emily jumped in. “Stabilize the patient and administer oxygen. Then we’d do an ECG to confirm.”

“Good. And after confirmation?”

“Administer aspirin and nitroglycerin while preparing for possible catheterization,” Liam answered smoothly.

Dr. Lopez nodded, satisfied. “Looks like you two might survive the night after all.”

The patient was whisked away for further care, leaving Emily and Liam with a mix of adrenaline and satisfaction.

---

As the hours ticked by, the cases varied in intensity—a broken arm here, a high fever there. But around 3 a.m., a code blue rang out over the PA system.

Emily and Liam exchanged a glance before following Dr. Lopez at a sprint.

They arrived in a patient’s room to find a flurry of activity.

A young woman in her twenties was unconscious, her monitors flashing erratic vitals.

“Cardiac arrest,” Dr. Lopez said sharply. “Start compressions.”

Emily froze momentarily.

She’d practiced CPR countless times in controlled settings, but seeing a real patient in distress was different.

“Carter!” Liam’s voice jolted her into action.

She stepped forward and began compressions, counting aloud as she worked to maintain the rhythm.

Liam stood by, ready with the Ambu bag for ventilation.

“Good,” Dr. Lopez said, her tone steady but firm. “Keep going.”

After what felt like an eternity, the monitor beeped steadily again. The patient’s pulse had returned, and Emily stepped back, breathless and trembling.

“You okay?” Liam asked quietly, his voice lacking its usual edge.

She nodded, wiping sweat from her brow. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You did great,” he said, surprising her again with his sincerity.

---

By 5 a.m., the ER had quieted down, giving Emily and Liam a moment to breathe.

They sat together in the break room, nursing cups of lukewarm coffee.

“First time doing CPR on a real person?” Liam asked.

Emily nodded. “It’s… different. Scary, but also kind of amazing.”

“Yeah,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “That’s the thing about medicine. You see people at their worst, but you also get to be the reason they get better.”

Emily studied him for a moment, trying to reconcile this thoughtful version of Liam with the cocky rival she’d known for years. “You love this, don’t you?”

“Don’t you?” he countered.

She smiled faintly. “Yeah, I do.”

For a while, they sat in silence, the night’s events settling over them like a shared secret.

---

As the sun rose, the hospital came alive again with the day shift.

Emily and Liam dragged themselves to the exit, exhausted but exhilarated.

“You made it through your first night shift,” Liam said as they stepped into the crisp morning air.

“Barely,” Emily replied, stifling a yawn.

He grinned. “Admit it, Carter. You had fun.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. “Fine. It was… educational.”

“Educational, huh?” he said, walking backward toward his car. “See you tomorrow, partner.”

Emily watched him go, her thoughts a jumble. For all their rivalry, there was something undeniably magnetic about Liam Grant. And she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.