Ceasefire (MedHarbor Hospital #1)

CHAPTER 1

RILA

The red water flowed down the sink, disappearing through the drain, while her hands remained under the tap. She couldn't take her eyes off the blood stains between her thin fingers.

Rila didn't have time to put on gloves, everything happened too fast.

A very wasted man arrived at the emergency room with a penetrating wound to the neck — a bar fight that went too far — and a paramedic kept the knife immobilized, containing the bleeding.

Until the patient decided to remove the blade on his own because, according to him, it was weird knowing that the object was there.

It took less than a heartbeat for that to turn into a horror movie scene. He pulled out the damn knife, and blood started gushing out. She was the closest person there and didn't hesitate to press her hands against the wound while the nursing staff ran off to get a bunch of gauze.

He died in less than three minutes, the blade had punctured his carotid artery, making him bleed too quickly. And now Rila had at least half of his blood on her.

Her hands, scrubs, shoes, socks. Everything. Everything was covered in blood. And she couldn't leave her shift to go home and take a shower, so the bathroom sink in the residents’ locker would have to be enough. She couldn't even use the damn shower because someone was already doing that.

So now she was just in her panties and bra, dyeing with red one of the immaculately white porcelain skinks. Blood-red that turned into a shade of pink as it mixed with the water.

Well, at least both of the cabins in there were empty, and she could wash herself in peace.

Not that she was worried about anyone seeing her in just her underwear, especially since they, the residents, all changed together in the locker room. And for God's sake, they were all doctors and were used to seeing boobs and genitals, so panties and bras weren't a big deal.

Sighing, she looked at herself in the mirror in front of her.

Her slanted eyes were tired, and the dark circles under them were noticeable even with the layer of concealer she used every day.

A few strands of black hair escaped her high ponytail, mixing with those growing near her temples and giving her a disheveled look that would certainly make her mother purse her lips in disapproval.

But she disapproved of pretty much everything that Rila did, so this wouldn't be anything new. The only thing that she and Naomi Hill had in common were their Asian features, and even so, Rila had them in a less pronounced way thanks to her father's North American genetics.

She was finishing cleaning under her short fingernails when the door opened and Jessica, her friend and obstetrics and gynecology resident, poked her head through the gap.

— Hey, I heard what happened — her brown eyes analyzed the empty room before entering, closing the door, and leaning against it — I brought this for you.

She dangled a pair of socks with colorful cats drawn in front of her face.

Jessica and her youngest brother, Lucas, had a tradition of giving each other weird socks on random dates — because it would be too predictable to do it only on birthdays — and her friend had no problem wearing them around the hospital.

Some even flashed and made noises, it was ridiculously funny.

— Thanks, you're totally saving me — Rila had used her spare socks last week when a pregnant woman arrived at the ER and puked on her feet, and she hadn't remembered to replace them.

Oh, the life of an emergency doctor. If they weren't covered in vomit or blood, it was because they weren't working.

— Just give them back to me tomorrow, they're my spare ones.

As an obstetrics resident, Jessie ended up covered in amniotic fluid more times than she could count, so she also had to always be prepared.

They were in the third year of their residencies, which matched with the length of time their friendship existed. They had gotten closer in the first year, when they were two recent graduates being exhausted by the superhuman workload that the residency program requires.

The day Rila lost her first patient, she went to the hospital roof to cry and found Jessica shaking and vomiting into a potted plant there. She had just delivered a stillbirth and was just as shaken.

They promised each other that no one would know about it. Being a woman in the medical world was difficult enough, they didn't need to be seen as weak and emotional because of that episode.

From that day on, Jessie and Rila began to eat together at the cafeteria, gamble on the gossip that circulated the corridors, and use the roof as their secret spot.

— Are you almost finished? I missed lunch for a hysterectomy, I'm starving, and I bet you could use a strawberry milkshake — she wiggled her arched eyebrows suggestively.

— God, yes, please — Rila moaned in appreciation, already thinking about the taste of her favorite dessert.

Strawberry milkshake was her favorite comfort food. It didn't matter if it was the middle of autumn and the temperature in Boston was not at all favorable to ice cream, a strawberry milkshake was always a good idea.

— Then it's a good thing that you have an amazing friend that already ordered you one — Jessie smiled, her cheeks sinking a little because of her dimples — One of the interns went to get it, so finish changing so we can go to the cafeteria.

— I love you — Rila stared at her through the mirror — Seriously, if we weren't stupid enough to like men, I'd marry you — she turned off the tap, cutting off the water flow for the first time in almost ten minutes.

The environment would have to forgive her, but she needed that water so she wouldn't walk around the hospital looking like a cheap Carrie the Strange cosplay.

— Love you too, Rila — Jessie rolled her eyes and straightened up — I'll wait outside, don't stall.

She didn't wait for a response before leaving the socks on the sink and leaving the bathroom. Jessica always hated sentimental crap and was uncomfortable with such things.

Rila knew that had something to do with the fact that her mother died when she was a kid, but never pressured her to explain, the story would come when she was ready to tell it.

Sighing, she hurried to dress a clean scrub and put on her friend's ridiculous socks. She'd have to wear the same sneakers, but at least she had managed to remove most of the blood and partially dry it in the bathroom hand dryer.

Ten minutes later, they entered the cafeteria, and an intern was waiting at their usual table.

— You're still coming for dinner tonight, right? — Jessie asked when they were seated. She handed the milkshake to Rila and unwrapped her burger, not wasting time to take the first bite.

— We've been doing this for almost two years now, and you ask me this every time — Rila rolled her eyes before sticking the straw on the glass and starting to stir the ice cream so that it becomes more liquid — Sometimes I think that you want to hear a no. If you're tired of me, just say so.

— Oh, please, don't be ridiculous — she threw a napkin ball towards her — You know that Aunt Alex would kill me if I scare you away.

Jessica and her brother were raised by her maternal aunt, Alexandra, and she practically adopted Rila after Jessie took her to dinner for the first time. After that, the weekly dinners at the Beckers’ house became part of the routine.

There was the second time Rila felt at home.

— At least your aunt protects me — pretended to sniff.

— Should I remind you how I held your hair so you could puke last week? I protected you from yourself, you're welcome.

Rila had come out strong with the drinking after an exhaustive day at the ER, with one of her bosses being a pain in the ass and questioning every little thing she did. Because of that, Jessie ended up taking her home and helping while she kept her head in the toilet.

The truth was that they were always there for each other, never letting the difficulties of medicine drown them. After all, it was an overwhelming profession to be alone with.

When Rila started the residency, she was completely alone. Her father never cared about what she was doing as long as it didn't affect the family's image, and her mother hated — and still hates — her career choice. They argued every time they spoke, so Rila began to avoid these conversations.

— I'll be there at eight with a bag of fortune cookies, don't worry — she sipped the milkshake for the first time when she felt it was in perfect consistency.

As strange as it was, the cold drink warmed her body, making her feel like a child again.

— We'll be waiting for you as always — the friend said after swallowing another piece of burger and sending a look that was worth a word of affection.

— What are we doing on your birthday? — Aunt Alex asked Jessie while they gathered the last dishes from the table.

— A dinner party here is perfect for me — as always, she didn't want to do anything big.

While Jessica didn't make much of her birthday, Rila treated hers as a national holiday. Maybe because it was so close to Christmas — three days before —, after she grew up, she started to make a point of throwing parties so that the date wouldn't disappear in the midst of Christmas festivities.

— We could go out for drinks later — Jessie's brother, Lucas, suggested from the kitchen, where he was loading the dishwasher.

— Nice try, Luke, but you only turn twenty-one in February — Jessie shook her head in denial, trying to look disappointed but failing due to a tiny smile on her lips.

He and Jessica almost didn't look like siblings if you didn't pay attention closely.

The woman resembled her aunt, clearly drawing Brazilian features from the maternal side, with brown hair and eyes and a more curvy body.

Meanwhile, her brother was blonde with green eyes, tall, and with broad shoulders, probably resembling their father.

But, since they never speak about the man and there wasn't even a single photo in the house, Rila couldn't know for sure.