“No, I just finished surgery. There was an emergency around four a.m. – a construction worker fell from a height. Three steel rods went straight through his body. It was critical, so four doctors had to operate together. We’ve been working nonstop until now.”

He described it as if it were nothing, but Ivy felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn’t help but ask, “Did the surgery go well?”

“It went as well as it could. The patient’s in the ICU now. Whether he pulls through depends on his willpower.”

Ivy clutched her phone, her eyes suddenly burning. In that moment, the person on the other end of the line seemed like a real-life hero – someone even Death would think twice about messing with.

She remembered, years ago, after she’d been kidnapped, there was a time she was beaten so badly she had to be taken to the local clinic.

If only the doctor she’d met back then had been as upright and responsible as Jamison. Maybe she would’ve been rescued sooner. But instead, not only did her attempts to get help fail, she had barely escaped the sleazy doctor’s advances.

Same white coat, different hearts. Some people fought to save lives, standing toe-to-toe with Death. Others had no conscience, choosing instead to dance with the devil.

“Ivy.”

“Ivy?”

The silence on her end was long enough that Jamison called her name twice.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ivy replied, “Yeah, I’m here.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Go get something to eat, you must be starving. I’m going to bed soon.”

Just then, Jamison was changing out of his scrubs, leaving the hospital after his shift. It had been a couple days since he’d seen her, and he missed her more than he cared to admit. But it was late, and hardly the right time to ask her out.

After a brief hesitation, he took the initiative. “There’s a get-together with some friends this weekend. Would you come with me?”

Ivy’s heart gave a little jolt.

“Why would I go to your friends’ party? Exams are coming up next month, and I’m busy studying.”

The rejection was exactly what he’d expected.

Jamison paused, then tried again. “Well, I’m off early tomorrow. How about dinner together?”

“No, thanks. It’s too hot out – I’d rather stay in.”

The heatwave had been relentless lately. She and Katrina were holed up at home, even ordering groceries online to avoid going out.

Jamison let out a helpless laugh. “You really don’t leave me any openings, do you?”

Ivy replied, “If this road’s blocked, maybe you’ll find another one.”

He seemed a little annoyed, pausing for a couple seconds before lowering his voice. “Alright. Get some rest. Goodnight.”

As she set her phone down, Ivy felt a wave of gloom wash over her. She knew she was right to turn him down, but replaying Jamison’s reaction left her feeling unsettled. Having a crush, she realized, was like a volcano erupting – impossible to suppress.

Right now, all she could do was avoid Jamison, hoping that with less contact, her racing heart would eventually cool down.

Lost in thought for a moment, Ivy reached for her book to continue reading. She’d barely picked it up when her phone buzzed – a WhatsApp notification.

After dinner, she’d logged onto a finance forum to post some stock analysis, then chatted for a bit in the Stonks Only Go Up group. She’d left the app running in the background.

Now, after a string of notifications, she didn’t even have to check to know who it was. She unlocked the screen and, sure enough...

Since that day she’d come clean with Dr. Handsome, they hadn’t messaged each other at all. Ivy was curious – why reach out tonight of all nights?

Dr. Handsome: Still awake? Just read your stock post – think the market will drop again tomorrow?

Dr. Handsome: Guess I’m unlucky in love but lucky in the market. Made a little profit this week.

Dr. Handsome: How’ve you been? Feeling any better? And what about you and your mystery guy – any progress?

At that moment, Jamison sat in his car, stomach growling, but unable to resist logging in again – hiding behind his screen name, chatting with Ivy in the dark.