Chapter 3 Ten minutes early

Miranda POV

Dr. Callahan Brooks was about to perform surgery on one of the victims.

Everyone seemed to get excited at the news, and doctors and nurses began moving toward the wards. I followed, of course. After hearing so much about him since I arrived, I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Was it all worth it or?

The operating room was on the floor below the observation area where I had been standing. From behind the glass, I could see the team preparing for surgery. On my left, several other doctors and nurses had gathered to watch.

“You want to watch him too?”

I turned at the sound of a woman's voice.

A female doctor had walked over to me, her hands tucked into the pockets of her white coat. I glanced at the name embroidered above her chest.

Dr. Laurel Williams.

“Hi, I'm Laurel,” she said with a small smile.

“Miranda.” I returned the smile. “Yeah... same as you?”

She nodded.

“I've been watching him since med school. What a good thing to have him here.”

She sounded genuinely excited.

I gave a small nod before turning my attention back to the operating room.

Below us, the surgical team was already getting ready. Everyone who needed to be in the room was dressed in scrubs, caps, and masks. Nurses moved around the room, checking equipment and preparing the instruments while the anesthesiologist remained beside the patient.

I watched quietly for a few minutes.

Then I saw him.

Callahan Brooks walked into the operating room.

He was already wearing his navy-blue scrubs, his expression calm and focused. His hair was neatly styled, though a few strands had fallen slightly out of place. He looked completely different from the man I had seen walking through the hospital earlier.

More serious.

More focused.

Like the moment he stepped into that room, nothing else existed.

A nurse approached him and helped him into his surgical gown before adjusting it around his shoulders. Another nurse handed him his gloves and mask.

He said something to them that I couldn't hear.

Then he looked toward the patient.

My attention followed his.

“What happened to the patient?” I asked Laurel quietly.

She looked at me.

“Which part?”

“The one he's operating on.”

She turned back toward the operating room.

“Traumatic aortic rupture.”

My eyes narrowed slightly.

“From the crash?”

She nodded.

“The impact damaged the aorta. There's a tear in the main artery coming directly from the heart.”

I looked down at the patient again.

Laurel continued, her voice quieter now.

“Blood can start filling the chest very quickly. Sometimes the bleeding is slowed because the surrounding tissue temporarily holds the tear closed. But it can rupture completely at any moment.”

I swallowed.

“So they don't have much time.”

“Not much at all.”

I looked at the clock on the wall.

The thought of someone's life depending on how quickly that room could work made my stomach tighten.

Below us, Callahan stepped closer to the operating table.

The room became quieter.

Everyone seemed to know exactly what they were doing.

He looked toward the monitors first, then at the patient. One of the nurses spoke to him while another checked the instruments laid out beside the table.

Callahan nodded once.

Then he held out his hand.

An instrument was placed into it.

I watched as he moved closer to the patient.

There was no hesitation.

No unnecessary movement.

His entire attention was on the person lying beneath the surgical lights.

“That's what I like about watching him,” Laurel said beside me.

I glanced at her.

“He doesn't panic.”

I looked back down.

She was right.

Even with the seriousness of the case, Callahan remained completely composed.

His eyes stayed on the surgical field as the operation began.

I found myself standing a little straighter.

This was the kind of doctor I had come to Crownwell to learn from and it is not because of his reputation or because everyone seemed ot admire him. Simply because even in this moment, he looked completely calm and certain of what he was doing.

I kept my eyes on the operating room as the surgery continued.

Callahan POV

The moment the message reached me, I left my office.

“Dr. Brooks, the trauma patient from the crash is deteriorating.”

I didn't waste time asking questions. I walked quickly toward the trauma bay, already pulling my coat off.

The room was loud.

Too loud.

Doctors were moving around the patient while nurses called out numbers and prepared another line. The monitor beside the bed kept sounding.

“Blood pressure is dropping.”

“Eighty over fifty.”

“Seventy-eight systolic.”

I stepped inside.

“What do we have?”

One of the doctors immediately turned toward me.

“Male, thirty-two. High-speed collision. CT shows a traumatic rupture of the descending thoracic aorta. He's bleeding into the chest. We've started blood, but his pressure keeps falling.”

I looked at the scan.

One glance was enough.

The tear was significant.

“We're going to the OR.”

“Dr. Brooks, his pressure—”

“I know.”

I looked at the team.

“Prepare for an emergency thoracotomy. We don't have time to wait.”

Everyone immediately moved.

“Two large-bore IVs. Get massive transfusion protocol ready.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“Anesthesia?”

“Ready.”

“Good.”

I looked at the monitor again.

“Let's move.”

The patient was rushed toward the operating room.

Once inside, everything changed.

The noise faded into focused movement.

Everyone knew their position.

I scrubbed in and stepped beside the operating table.

“Scalpel.”

The instrument was placed into my hand.

“Retractor.”

I worked quickly, but carefully. There was no room for hesitation.

“Pressure?”

“Sixty-five systolic.”

“Keep the blood coming.”

The anesthesiologist nodded.

I continued.

The bleeding was worse than the scan had suggested.

“More suction.”

A nurse moved immediately.

“I'm losing the field.”

“Suction.”

The blood cleared enough for me to see the damaged section.

There.

The torn aorta.

“Clamp.”

The instrument was placed into my hand.

I secured the area above the tear while the team worked around me.

“Hold that.”

The room was silent except for the monitors and the steady instructions being passed between us.

“Pressure is coming up.”

I didn't look away from the surgical field.

“Good. Keep monitoring it.”

We repaired the damaged section carefully, checking every stitch before moving to the next.

“Don't rush,” I said firmly. “One mistake in here is enough.”

Nobody answered.

They didn't need to.

I finished the final repair and checked the area again.

No active bleeding.

“Release the clamp slowly.”

The pressure began to rise.

“Eighty.”

Then….

“Ninety.”

I finally exhaled.

“Close.”

The team moved into the next stage of the procedure.

I stepped back slightly, looking at the monitor.

The patient's heart was still beating.

Miranda POV

Less than an hour later, the surgery was over.

Myself and the other doctors had remained behind the glass until the very end, and thankfully, the surgery had been a success.

The patient was being taken to recovery when Dr. Callahan finally stepped out of the operating room.

I left my spot and moved closer, mostly because I wanted a better look at the head of my department.

“That’s the head of our department,” someone behind me giggled.

I glanced ahead.

Callahan was still in his scrubs, speaking to an older doctor who looked to be in his fifties. He had removed his surgical cap, and his hair was slightly messy from being under it.

“You should get some rest,” the older doctor told him. “You still have to meet the newly employed doctors in your department later today.”

Callahan gave a short nod.

“I will.”

The older doctor walked away, and Callahan turned in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately for me, that direction was straight toward where I was standing.

I wasn't sure why, but a small smile found its way onto my lips.

Maybe because I finally had the chance to properly introduce myself.

Maybe because, after watching him perform that surgery, I was genuinely impressed.

Either way, I took a small step forward.

“Dr. Brooks, you did really well in—”

He walked straight past me.

Just like that.

Didn't stop.

Didn't slow down.

Didn't even look at me.

My mouth remained slightly open for a few seconds.

I slowly turned my head, watching him disappear down the hallway.

“Did he... seriously?”

I blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Was I just ignored?

He actually just walked past me?

I could feel the heat creeping up my neck.

I had literally been about to compliment him.

I turned back around, trying to pretend the last five seconds hadn't happened.

Maybe he hadn't heard me.

Yes.

That had to be it.

There was no way he had heard me and deliberately—

“Uhm, I would say you should get some rest.”

I turned.

Dr. Laurel was walking toward me with a small smile.

“We'll be meeting in the boardroom in about fifteen minutes with Dr. Brooks.”

Had she seen that?

Judging by the tiny smile on her face, she absolutely had.

She glanced down at my ID card.

“Dr. Miranda Hart.”

I blinked rapidly, finally pulling myself out of my thoughts.

“You said...?”

“He's going to rest for a few minutes. You should too. We need everyone in the boardroom soon.”

I nodded slowly.

“Right.”

Laurel gave me a reassuring smile before walking away.

I watched her go.

Then I looked down the hallway where Callahan had disappeared.

That was the doctor everyone was hyping up?

I pressed my lips together.

Maybe he was just tired.

He had just finished an emergency surgery, after all.

That had to be it.

“Definitely.”

I nodded to myself.

“It's just the first day.”

I turned and headed toward my office.

For the first time since arriving at Crownwell, I actually had a reason to go there.

I pushed the elevator doors open and stepped inside.

~

My office was smaller than I had expected, but I liked it immediately.

A desk sat near the window with a computer already set up, along with a chair, a few shelves, and a small cabinet for my things.

I dropped my bag onto the chair and let out a tired breath.

Finally.

I sank into the seat behind my desk and leaned back.

For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling.

Then my mind went right back to what had happened.

He ignored me.

I frowned.

Maybe he genuinely didn't hear me.

I sat there for another few seconds.

But he was literally walking right beside me.

I sighed.

“Whatever.”

I reached for my laptop and turned it on.

I had barely opened the screen when another thought crossed my mind.

Did I make a mistake choosing this department?

I could just work as a normal doctor instead of being a surgeon yeah?

I stared at the screen.

Maybe I should have picked another department.

One where the head of department didn't walk past people like they were invisible.

I shook my head.

“No.”

I straightened in my chair.

“I've wanted this for years.”

I wasn't going to let one rude interaction ruin my first day.

Besides, I was here to learn.

Not make friends.

Definitely not impress Dr. Callahan Brooks.

I opened the hospital system and started looking through the information on my laptop.

I became so absorbed in it that I didn't notice how much time had passed.

It wasn't until I glanced at the clock that my eyes widened.

“Oh, crap.”

I shot upright.

The boardroom.

I was supposed to be there.

I quickly grabbed the lab coat I had tossed over the back of the chair earlier and hurried out of my office.

I practically ran down the hallway toward the elevator.

When the doors finally opened, I stepped inside and pressed the button.

“Come on.”

The elevator seemed to be moving slower than usual.

By the time I reached the boardroom, I was slightly out of breath.

I pushed the door open.

Every head turned.

I stopped.

Oh.

Everyone was already there.

Doctors sat around the large conference table, their attention immediately shifting toward me.

And at the head of the table sat Callahan.

He looked perfectly composed.

Of course he did.

His eyes met mine.

His expression was completely blank.

I swallowed.

Fantastic.

I quietly muttered something under my breath that definitely wasn't appropriate for a hospital and lowered my head slightly.

“Sorry.”

I slipped inside and hurried toward the nearest empty chair.

I had barely sat down when his voice cut through the room.

“Dr. Hart.”

I looked up.

“Y-Y-Yes?”

“You're late.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall.

I had made it with five minutes to spare.

“I’m actually five minutes early.”

A few people shifted in their seats.

Callahan didn't even blink.

“Then you should have been ten.”