“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.” ~Seneca
Six Years Later
The sirens blared in my ears and my heart thundered inside my ribcage. I quickly spun the corner of the hall. From my left, Blair jogged towards me.
“Dr. Price, I’ve just received the call. The patient is a woman in her mid-twenties. She’s gotten into a car accident and she’s pregnant,” she said with a deep breath. Her steps echoed off the walls. She wore her scrubs with a white coat. A stethoscope waved side to side around her neck as she made pace with me. Pinching her eyebrows, she intensified her emerald eyes.
I nodded, taking in the information. We busted through the emergency doors and heard the red ambulance scream and whine. The paramedics worked on hauling the stretcher out of the wailing vehicle. The woman on it was moaning, gasping for air as she clutched the handle bars with white knuckles.
“God, please, please save my baby,” she cried.
I wasted no time. Grabbing the front end of the stretcher, we pushed her through the double doors and down the white tunnel, making our way to the ER. Looking down, a pool of blood stained the white mattress between her legs. My attention snapped to the RN next to me.
“What are the details?” I barked.
The nurse gulped. “Although our patient wasn’t badly injured, the child is suffering major damage from the impact. We’ve managed to halt some of her bleeding but we’re unsure whether the child will make it or not,” she answered.
The woman in the stretcher had her eyes closed shut. I couldn’t tell exactly how she looked like with all her hair sticking against her sweaty skin. There were tears leaking from the corner of her eyes and I knew those weren’t from physical pain but from the thought that she might lose this child. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Don’t worry, Ma’am.” I said it with as much assurance as I possibly could. “We’re going to help you. Stay with us.”
The doors of the ER opened and we spun the stretcher into the available surgery room. The team of emergency doctors began to work as soon as we moved the woman from the stretcher to the operating table. At that moment, all I could think of was saving this child and his mother. I had to do it…I couldn’t bear to see another life lost in my hands.
Everything became a blur as my mind instantly clicked into surgeon mode. My thoughts were a stream of motions that went as fast as they came. A mask, the gas, a knife, stripping her and then I was handed the scalpel, a bloody cut and then…the child.
~~~
I stirred the coffee, glancing at my reflection on the steel doors of the elevator. Age was a terrible friend. Late nights and countless hours of hospital duties took its toll on my once clean face. Bruises of purple stretched underneath my eyes, making me look like a zombie. Great.
Putting the steaming cup to my lip, the hot caffeine teased my tongue, forcing me to wait before I actually could take a sip. A clack of heels made me turn around. Blair smiled, wearing her regular attire, a pair of jeans with red heels and a matching V-neck shirt which was complimented by a nice expensive looking black coat.
“Hello, handsome,” she said, brushing back her shoulder-length red hair. Was it weird that that every time I looked at her, I looked at the small mole underneath her lip before her eyes?
I forcefully winked at her. Blair and I weren’t exactly dating per se, but we were friends…with benefits. Actually, her seductive skills amazed me. She knew how to have a workplace affair with her boss and keep it secretive, that being the one of the reasons I wasted my time with her.
The elevator chimed and we walked in together. She stood extremely close to me and I knew what she wanted. Yes, she was probably biting her tongue for it right now. However, I didn’t have any intention of giving into her today.
She realized this instantly and her shoulders slumped. “Are you still hung up over the child we lost?” she asked lowly.
I didn’t answer.
“It happens, Lucas. You can’t save everyone. The mother was bleeding beyond control and the traffic made the ambulance late, these little variables can affect a person’s life dramatically. Not to mention her car got completely wrecked. What in the world was she thinking when she decided to go out for a drive around town in that condition? She was a month away from her due date too. At least she survived, though.”
“But…we still had the chance to save the child.”
She reached over and kissed my lips, probably couldn’t hold it in much longer. Her tender lips didn’t do anything to me but I ended up kissing her back anyway. The elevator halted and she pulled back. We step out casually, like good coworkers should.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. This isn’t the first time we’ve lost someone. Get used to it. We can save many lives, Lucas, but God owns their fate.”
I didn’t want to talk about it anymore so I pulled up the corner of mouth. “Going home?” I asked, ignoring any more conversation on the matter. I hated talking about dead patients, let alone ones who didn’t even have a chance to open their eyes to the light.
“I’m just going to fetch some paperwork and I’ll be on my way. I take it that you have to work till late today?”
“Yep,” I answered with zero enthusiasm.
“Will you be coming over today?”
“I don’t think so. There is an event that I have to attend tomorrow.”
She looked even more disappointed then but she pushed up a smile anyway. “I’ll see you later then, bye.”
I nodded, watching her turn the corner. Lifting the Styrofoam cup to my lips, I attempted to take another sip but it was still scalding hot. The reflection on the elevator’s door caught my attention once more. I felt like getting on again and riding all the way to the top floor. I felt like looking out the window and observing the city lights. I did that on my spare time. Today though, I just didn’t have the heart.
~~~
The next morning, I scurried around my apartment floor in search of my belt. That belt matched specifically with the sleek black suit I planned on wearing and I didn’t want to buy another one. Actually, I just didn’t have the time.
The buzzer rang and I paced towards it. “Who is it?” I asked into the intercom.
“Yo, bro! It’s me, Boe…hey, that rhymed!”
I buzzed him in. “The door’s open.” I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a cup of water. By the time I was through with the glass, the door opened, revealing a tubby man. Boe Pigman. He was wearing a button down white shirt in which I could see the wife beater underneath. Black pants squeezed his thighs and I couldn’t be sure whether they were a little too short or a little too tight. Maybe both. His usual wild head of hair was tamed today, making him look like a business-guy wannabe. Boe Pigman probably had the worst name in the history of names but it fit his ever piggy personality perfectly. No pun intended. Either way, the guy had a clean, pure heart of gold. One in which I respected.
His tiny steps took him to the fridge where he pried into my castle of goodies, pulling out a slice of pie. “You gonna eat this?”
“No.”
I heard the drawer open and the silverware jingled as he found a spoon and began chewing down. In the matter of minutes, his plate was empty. “So,” he said, leaning back on the couch while observing me tornado the room, “do you really want to go through with this? I mean, what if she finds you?”
“She won’t find me,” I replied, lifting up a pair of red panties off my bed…Blair. It must’ve been from the night before. “I’ll be extra careful anyway.” What did Blair leave in yesterday morning then?
“Why do it then? I could just go and drop off the present for you.” He mentioned this like it was the best idea he’s ever come up with and as far as I knew, it was.
“I want to see her though. I should at least be able to do that. One look, Boe, that’s all.” I flicked the panties into my laundry basket and continued searching my room.
“Hopefully that one look won’t kill you. I still think this is a death wish,” he muttered. After a while, he stood up and peeked at me as I looked under my bed like a four year old child. Found it. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I laughed. “I was just looking for something.” Quickly, I buckled the belt around my waist and stood in front of the full length mirror. My hair was over-combed so I shagged it with my fingers, reliving myself of the ‘old guy’ look. I was only twenty four for Christ’s sakes.
“Ready?” Boe scanned me up and down. “Geez, are you trying to get noticed? Girls will check out that Gucci and flip, might have to do some CPR, bro.”
I smirked but said nothing. Opening the closet, there was a robin egg’s blue elegant bag with ribbons. I picked it up and we left the apartment in silence.
~~~
The banquet hall was filled with people. All of them were wearing silky colorful dresses and suits with sparkly jewelry. The hall itself was a gentle gold with the casual strings of red here and there to enhance the flavors.
“She has a lot of friends,” Boe said with a grin.
“I’m not surprised.” My eyes scanned the area, trying to pin point her location. “Do you see her?” Boe wasn’t listening. Instead, he was watching the food table with a drooling expression. I sighed, “If you’re that hungry then go eat. I’ll drop off the present and meet you later.”
He bobbed his head up and down like a puppy. “Alright, don’t get caught.” He made his way towards the table of paradise with shining eyes and greedy fingers.
I held back the urge to laugh at him. What a cutie, Boe. A loud snort coming from my right pulled my attention up to alert and I ducked my head in an attempt to keep a low profile. The woman who laughed was large plump lady with a heavily powered face, like a geisha.
In an instant, I pushed my way through the thicket of bodies and arrived at the gift table which was filled with assorted sizes of bags and boxes of every freaking color of the rainbow. She was just as popular as ever. My palms were sweaty and my chest suddenly felt heavy as I looked as some of the familiar names. Janice Mitchells, Mike Audi, Hunter Grahams, Pricilla Hernandez…Hunter? That bastard was invited too?
I spun around and skimmed the area but instead of catching the predator, I caught my prey. My heart practically lurched when my eyes locked onto her.
She was across the room, near a large ice sculpture of an angel. A red dress fell over her slender body, showing off every curve with no shame. Her chocolate hair was pulled up in a gorgeous messy bun that looked natural, elegant, wild, and clean all at the same time. She was beautiful and I felt like I was looking across an ocean at a Goddess who I could never touch. My jaw hardened as I swallowed the regurgitating emotions.
Liliah was standing next to a man that was perhaps a foot taller than her. That was probably him, her fiancé. He was dressed in black suit with a silver tie. His blond hair matched Liliah’s messy one. How nice, they looked like Romeo and Juliet without the tragedy.
From what I knew about Liliah’s fiancé, Jesse Williams, he was a big-shot. She surely caught herself a big fish for that matter. He was student, still in school and on his way to become a defense lawyer.
I continued watching as Liliah nodded to the couple she was talking to and then parted ways with them with Jesse at her side. As soon as they took about ten steps, another man approached them and began talking to Jesse. Liliah, possibly feeling left out of the conversation, whispered something in Jesse’s ear and then walked away.
I froze.
She was making her way towards me and I felt the fire inside my chest heighten. I was lost and I didn’t know what to do or where to go. A part of me wished that she’d bump into me and I could wave and be like, ‘hey, long time no see’. Another part of me was screaming, telling me how brainless I was to have come to this stupid engagement party only to be crushed. Liliah was going to live happily, she was going to get married, have children and live a fine life. My being here would only bring disaster, like always.
I sucked in a breath as she came closer. Her fragrance smelled like a field of flowers, reminding me of the day we went to the mall together…But she didn’t notice me, she was too busy waving at the other guests and passed me completely.
I felt my heart sink as her footsteps disappeared behind the curtain of voices. The mission was accomplished, I told myself. I had delivered the gift, I saw her and I knew she was happy. It was done.
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I see you've post on the forum haha. Well I am glad 
Poor Luke! And yeah, do they both live in the same city because then there are chances that they can bump into each other. Just my imagination working it's way out. Also, I didn't get the feel of how the place they are having the party at look like. Also, you mention that Luke has blue bruises under his eyes from all the late nights, but he's just 24 and he would have become a doctor an year ago probably because it takes maximum of 6 years to be specialized. Or maybe of studying late at night Just wondering. Apart from this I don't have much to say but to add in more descriptions here and all the other stuff. Also, in the upcoming chapters tell us how Luke managed to study and afford to pay his tuition fees for Med. School, coz' that's one thing I believe is impossible for some with parents also. So please give it a realistic approach. 
