I See You (Campus Crush series)

12

Hi, everyone. Let me know if you guys need me to indicate whether or not a scene happened in the past. Just remember:

HOSPITAL SCENES = PAST. In the PRESENT, Casper is on suspension.

**

My favorite time to work was nights. It was always quiet and there was less chaos. And even better, the skills lab was empty.

I sat down at a learner station with all of Avery's charts and files so that I could study them. I was able to review it for a good two hours before I moved onto the computer simulation where I could practice the surgical procedure.

I heard somebody clear their throat and I looked up to see one of my work friends, Lorenzo, approaching.

He waved the brown bag in his hand and held up the cup of coffee in his other. "Got a chicken sandwich, you want it?"

I smiled at him gratefully, accepting the food and the coffee. "We're not allowed to eat in here but I'm starving. Thank you."

"No problem. Yeah, besides, nobody's here to enforce that rule and I break it all the time." He sat down next to me as I unwrapped the sandwich and bit into it. "You excited for Monday?"

I raised my eyebrows, quickly chewing. "What's on Monday?"

Lorenzo laughed. "They're announcing the chief resident."

"Oh!" I squeezed my eyes shut in remembrance and facepalmed. "Right." I shrugged. "I'm not worried about it; it's gonna be Lyanna."

"Nah, she's indecisive. She hasn't even figured out her focus."

I made a face. She was our friend. Why wasn't he being understanding? "Yeah because she's good at everything. I wouldn't be able to make my mind up either."

"I guess." He sighed and I had a feeling he didn't come here to talk about our potential chief resident, or to give me the delicious sandwich that I'd already eaten halfway.

I put it down to drink some of the coffee. "So what's up? What brought you down here?"

"Oh it's..." His expression fell wary, and I recognized that look. That was the look of bad news. Working at a place like this for years, I recognized that face on anyone anywhere.

"What happened?"

"Casper..."

My eyes widened. "Is it Avery?" I sprang up, knocking the wind out of myself. "The nurses were supposed to watch him!"

"What? No, it's not—who's Avery?"

I stared at him as my racing heart came to a gradual calm. I slowly descended back into my seat, shaking my head. "Don't scare me like that, Lorenzo!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Who's this Avery person that's got you so worked up?"

"What? No one." I noticed his gaze flutter to the files spilled out on the desk and I quickly covered them, failing to fight my blush.

"Oh? He's a patient."

"Yeah, so? I just thought something bad happened. His surgery's in the morning."

Lorenzo looked amused. "I've gotta see him for myself. I always thought there was only one person who could make you blush like that."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Okay, look, I'm just teasing you. And I'm stalling. There's bad news about one of the patients you diagnosed today. Lysa, I believe."

"She's in surgery." My eyebrows furrowed.