YouHeal Hospital
The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the air, mingling with the soft beeping of heart monitors and the gentle murmur of nurses exchanging updates. Light from the tall, narrow windows filtered in softly, casting golden streaks across the pale green walls of the corridor.
Dr. Savannah Baldwin strode down the hallway, clipboard tucked beneath one arm, her stethoscope resting loosely around her neck. Her long dark hair was neatly pinned back, though a few rebellious strands had escaped, a testament to the busy day. She wore a calm and collected expression, but her eyes were sharp, always scanning and assessing.
Trailing just behind her was Bella, her devoted friend plus a nurse accompanying her, jotting down quick notes on her tablet, her fingers flying to keep pace with Savannah's brisk stride and clinical observations.
They stopped at Room 913, where a young woman, no older than twenty-three, lay in the hospital bed, color gradually returning to her cheeks. The moment she spotted Savannah, her eyes lit up.
Savannah approached the bedside with the warmth of someone who had seen the brink of life and pulled it back more times than anyone could count. She picked up the chart, glanced at the readings, and then looked down at the girl with a gentle smile.
"You're making progress, I can see that... your heart rate is stabilizing, and your oxygen levels are back to normal. But we'll keep you here for a few more days—just to be on the safe side."
Standing beside the bed was the patient's mother, her hands clasped tightly over her chest, her eyes shining with gratitude.
"I can't thank you enough, Doctor. You saved my baby's life. We were told there was no hope, and then... you walked in like a miracle."
Savannah's expression softened. She had heard this before—gratitude expressed in trembling voices—but it never failed to touch something deep within her.
"No miracles. Just medicine. And a good team."
Bella offered a faint smile at Savannah's humility as they moved on to the next room, and then the one after that. It was a rhythm they had perfected, steady and practiced. Until only one patient was left.
Elevator - Minutes Later
Savannah and Bella stepped into the elevator. Savannah pressed the button for Floor 5, the wing reserved for patients requiring special discretion-VIPs, government cases, patients under confidentiality clauses.
As the doors began to close, a young nurse rushed in, just making it in time. She wore a standard surgical mask and blue scrubs, her badge slightly askew, hair pulled back tightly into a bun. She glanced at Savannah, then quickly averted her gaze. There was an anxious tension in her stance. It was none other than Anastasia, disguised in a nurse's outfit.
They rode in silence for a moment, the hum of the elevator filling the stillness.
Then the nurse broke the silence, her voice low and cautious.
"Apparently... he's not just a successful businessman. He..."
Anastasia hesitated, her words catching in her throat, as if she realized too late that she had already said too much.
Savannah turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. Her voice was smooth but carried an edge of steel.
"Say it already."
Anastasia glanced nervously between Savannah and Bella, her voice dropping to a whisper.
A MOMENT LATER
The sharp scent of antiseptic hung in the air as Savannah strode purposefully down the brightly lit hallway, the click of her heels echoing with each step. She didn't waver or slow down, even as Anastasia's words replayed in her mind like a relentless drumbeat.
"He runs a huge black market... and is also involved in drug trafficking."
It felt like a sickness creeping under her skin. Blaze. The man who gazed at her every night as if she were his entire universe. The man who whispered sweet promises in the dark. The man she had defended, forgiven, and loved without question.
Bella hurried to keep pace, clutching her clipboard to her chest as if it could shield her from the emotional storm brewing around them. Anastasia, now free of her mask but still in her nurse's uniform, trailed a step behind. She had known this revelation would come at a cost—perhaps even the unraveling of their old friendship.
They reached the patient room. Savannah paused outside the door, drawing a slow breath before placing her hand on the handle. She didn't turn yet. Her voice came low and composed too composed.
Savannah didn't say a word; she simply kept her gaze fixed ahead, walking as if she hadn't heard anything at all. But she had heard, and with a single nod, she finally opened the door to the room.
Inside, a young girl no older than fourteen lay in bed, tubes connected to her frail body, the heart monitor beeping a slow, steady rhythm. Her mother stood by the bedside, her face lighting up as Savannah walked in.
"Doctor Savannah, thank you for coming. She always feels better when you visit."
Savannah offered a smile, the kind that didn't quite reach her eyes today. "How are we feeling today, sweetheart?" she asked, stepping closer and reaching for the girl's hand.
"Better," the girl whispered. "Because you said I would be."
Savannah blinked. That trust. That glimmer of hope. It weighed heavier on her heart than any truth about Blaze ever could.
After checking the vitals and offering some soft, reassuring words to the mother, Savannah stepped back into the hallway, taking a moment to lean against the wall with her eyes closed.
"Bella," she said after a brief pause, still keeping her eyes shut. "Keep an eye on her, monitor her for a few more days."
Bella hesitated for a moment. "Okay."
"I need every detail on her recovery."
Anastasia glanced over at her, her voice uncertain. "Savannah, are you okay?"
Finally, Savannah opened her eyes. They were like steel—clear and calm, yet burning with a quiet intensity. Her world might have been built on lies, but she was done living in the shadows.
"I'm good," she replied. "I'll take care of everything myself."
With that, she turned and strode down the corridor—not the same woman who had entered the elevator, but someone tougher, sharper, ready for battle.
The steady hum of the hospital surrounded her—monitors beeping, muffled voices drifting through the walls, footsteps echoing on the white-tiled floors. Savannah navigated through it all with practiced ease, her white coat fitting her like armor she couldn't afford to shed. Her eyes skimmed over the chart in her hands, but her thoughts were miles away, tangled in the storm that Elijah's words had stirred... and now, Anastasia's truth was starting to unravel.
Black market. Drug trafficking.
Words that should never have been linked to Blaze.
But they were.
She didn't question Anastasia. Because somewhere in the deepest corner of her soul-she already knew.
Beside her, Bella, ever observant, picked up on every subtle shift in Savannah's expression—what little there was to read. Her mentor had always been a mystery, a pro at hiding pain behind a composed facade. But Bella noticed the small signs: the tense shoulders, the pause that lingered too long after flipping a chart page, the absentminded nod in response to a patient's gratitude.
Behind them, the other "nurse" in the elevator-Anastasia-had removed her mask. Her face, though familiar and friendly, now wore the weight of a truth she had kept for too long.
The three women moved quietly down a hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. The heaviness of what had been spoken, and even more so, what had been left unspoken, pressed down on Savannah as if the walls were closing in around her.
Author's Note :
Thankyou for reading<3
Have a good day/night<3<3