April 7 2021
The interns crowded around AJ as she checked the scans. The patient—thirty-two years old, a young mother—had suffered a massive aneurysm.
AJ - She won't wake up
AJ said, voice clinical but quiet.
Aj - Her brain activity is minimal.
The patient's husband collapsed in tears, begging AJ to fix it, to try something, *anything.* AJ stood there, calm and steady, but her hand curled tightly around her pen until her knuckles turned white.
She didn't let it show, but Camilla noticed the faint sheen of tears in AJ's eyes when she turned away.
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As if the tragedy wasn't enough, the interns struck again.
Jackson signed off medication orders without checking interactions. Parker administered the wrong dosage. Gabriel and Simone argued over who to call first, while Luca tried to play mediator.
AJ caught the mistake in time—barely. Her shout rattled the walls.
AJ -Do you people WANT a malpractice lawsuit?!
The interns shrank back. AJ stormed out, breathing hard, heart racing. Her hand pressed against her abdomen, though the pain now wasn't physical.
Camilla followed quietly.
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Later, in AJ's office, Camilla finally spoke what had been weighing on her.
Camilla-You know what I don't understand?
she said, arms crossed. AJ didn't look up from her charting.
AJ- What's that?
Camilla - Why you never told me about the miscarriage.
The pen stilled in AJ's hand. Camilla's voice softened.
Camilla - I'm your best friend, AJ. I was there when your sons was born, I've seen you at your strongest and weakest... so why didn't you let me be there for you now?
AJ's throat tightened. She forced herself to keep writing, to look unaffected.
AJ - Because if I said it out loud, it would've been real. And I couldn't afford to fall apart. Not here. Not with the interns hanging by a thread and patients piling up.
Camilla's eyes glistened.
Camilla - You didn't have to go through it alone.
AJ finally looked at her, eyes sharp but wet.
AJ - Yes, I did. Because if I'd let myself collapse, this department would've collapsed with me. That's the job. That's my job.
Silence filled the office. Camilla didn't push further—she knew AJ had drawn her line. But she stayed anyway, just sitting across from her, because sometimes being there was all she could do.
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