The ER was chaos.

  An accident on the highway sent a rush of patients flooding into the ward. Sirens wailed outside like wolves howling in warning. Inside, the fluorescent lights cast a harsh white glow over bloodied scrubs and frantic voices.

  Stacy’s hands shook slightly as she held pressure on a young woman’s bleeding arm. It wasn’t deep, but it was enough to rattle her. This wasn’t a simulation. This was real.

  “Keep applying pressure. I’ll stitch her,” came a familiar voice- low, calm, commanding.

  Kalil.

  She looked up to see him donning gloves, his face unreadable. But his eyes… they flicked to hers just a moment longer than necessary. And something inside her steadied.

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  He trusted her. In this moment, she wasn’t a student. She was his team.

  They worked in sync- him stitching with practiced ease, her holding firm, quietly talking the girl through the pain. When it was over, Kalil stood, wiping his hands, but the look he gave Stacy made her chest tighten.

  “You okay?” he asked, voice low so only she could hear.

  “I’m fine,” she breathed, though she wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline or him making her heart pound.

  Suddenly, a commotion erupted behind them-another patient on a stretcher began seizing. A nurse yelled for help, and before she knew it, Kalil and Stacy rushed to assist.

  In the scramble, someone bumped her hard. Stacy lost her footing.

  And Kalil caught her.

  Strong hands gripped her waist, pulling her upright, flush against his chest. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed. Just them. His breath warm against her temple. His hands still on her body. His heart- a wild, controlled thunder against her back.

  Stacy didn’t move.

  Neither did he.

  Then, too quickly-he let her go, stepping back like he’d been burned.

  “Watch your footing,” he said sharply. But his voice wasn’t cold. It was strained. Controlled. Like something was unraveling inside him.

  She nodded, eyes wide. “Right.”

  Kalil turned and disappeared into the chaos again.

  But something had changed.

  And they both knew it.