The phone rang for the second time in the last five minutes. Aria groaned as she rolled on her bed. She had a long day at work and had barely slept for six hours. She could hardly open her eyes, let alone look for her phone in the messy room. The phone rang for the third time and this time she knew that she could not ignore it. Sighing, she picked her phone which was lying beside her pillow, cursing the person responsible for disturbing her sleep.
"Hello", Aria answered groggily, rubbing her eyes.
"Dr. Aria West." A low voice hissed on the other side.
Aria's eyes widened soon after hearing her name. She jumped off the bed and immediately responded to the call.
"Dr. Ian Davis", she spoke, now completely alert.
"Dr. West, get your ass to the hospital right now", Dr. Davis shouted on the phone making Aria cringe at his voice.
"Yes doctor", Aria obliged meekly while searching for her shoes.
Aria and Ian were good friends. The usual gentle and charming doctor shouted only when there was some serious emergency. She had been shouted at by him only twice, this being the second time.
Aria had plopped down on the bed as soon as she had entered her room. So, she was still dressed in the clothes she wore for work, saving her some time in dressing up again. She took off at once with her keys and phone, saying goodbye to her sleep.
The road was deserted, so Aria drove to the hospital within fifteen minutes. The scene she encountered at the hospital shocked her to the core. The usually quiet atmosphere was nowhere to be found; instead, there was commotion everywhere. The reporters had surrounded the hospital and several bodyguards were trying to prevent them from rushing inside. Aria had to push herself through the crowd to get inside but was soon stopped by one of the bodyguards.
"I am sorry, Madam. No reporter is allowed inside", he said with a monotone voice. Although he was polite, he was quite terrifying. He was huge and Aria barely reached his shoulder, she had to lift her head to meet his eyes. He and several other bodyguards were trying to control the enthusiastic reporters, making her wonder which important person managed to attract the press.
"Is it the President? Did something happen to him? Is he admitted to the hospital? Is that the reason for Ian to call me at 2 a.m.?" Aria thought. She immediately snapped out of her thoughts when one of the reporters pushed her to get ahead. She pulled the nearby bodyguard's shirt, which he disregarded. After a few futile attempts, she successfully managed to gain his attention.
"What?" he snarled.
"Let me through, Mister. I am a doctor here." Aria replied, flashing her ID.
The bodyguard stared at her for a while, trying to see through her act while she stared back, trying to intimidate him. Aria's phone rang at that moment, distracting her concentration. She immediately answered the call, glaring at the guard who was now giving her a triumphant look.
"I am right in front of the hospital, the guards are not allowing me in, Dr. Davis. I'll come in a minute", she answered immediately. The guard's eyebrows rose as soon as he heard the name of Dr. Davis.
"Are you a doctor?" he asked with a hint of doubt.
"Yes. You can confirm with the hospital if you want", Aria retorted, folding her hands.
"No, I believe you. You can go in", the hefty man replied, making way for her.
Aria nodded at him before she bolted inside.
"What the hell is happening?" she exclaimed looking at the ruckus inside the hospital. All the hospital staff was in a state of frenzy and panic. Grasping the tension, she rushed to the reception.
"Goodness. You are here Dr. West. Dr. Davis is going all bonkers. You are required at the operating theater three right now", the receptionist said when she saw Aria.
Although Aria couldn't comprehend what was happening, she sprinted towards the operating room, dreading Ian's wrath. Even though Ian was young and handsome, he was serious at his work and expected the same from others.
As Aria approached the OT, she saw Ian briefing about the situation to others.
"Dr. West, come here. We have an emergency." He motioned her to come over.
"We have a very important patient. He has been shot and the bullet is very close to the heart, just a millimeter away from puncturing the left chamber. We need to operate right now. Everybody, prepare for the surgery. Dr. West, you will be my assistant surgeon." Ian ordered glancing at the people around him. Everybody scattered immediately without uttering a word.
"Oh my God. Dr. Davis is scary when he is angry." Aria heard Nurse Thomas exclaim in the changing room. "I have never seen him like this before."
"It's because of the patient. I heard that the patient and Dr. Davis are friends since childhood," Miss Sawyer, the anesthesiologist replied.
"No wonder Ian is being demanding." Aria speculated.
After a few minutes, everyone assembled in front of the OT in their surgical uniform.
"Alright, guys. Let's start the surgery. Be careful everyone, no mistakes are appreciated. I think you all know how important the patient's life is. All of us are dead meat if anything happens to him. Remember who he is." Ian warned.
Ian's words bewildered Aria more than she already was. Perhaps the look of confusion was prominent on her face, making Ian stare at her.
"Any questions, Dr.West?"
"Um. Yes. Who is the patient?"
All the people look at her flabbergasted like she had grown two heads.
"Don't you know who is in the ward, Dr. Aria?" Nurse Thomas asked in disbelief.
"No."
"Didn't you hear the news?" she continued.
"What news?" Aria questioned back, perplexed.
"Cut the crap. Aria, do you seriously not know anything?" Ian inquired, making Aria shrug her shoulder.
Ian rubbed his forehead before taking a deep breath, "It's Noah Allen Carter."
On seeing her perplexed expression, Ian's expression softened. "Didn't Nurse Mary inform you about the patient?"
"Nope." Aria shook her head while Ian let out a sigh.
"Forget it. We have a patient and he is shot in the chest. It's quite complicated. Will you be able to handle the surgery?" Ian narrowed his eyes and stare at her in concern.
"I can do that. Will I be assisting you?" Aria questioned and extending her hand for the reports in Ian's hands.
"Yes, you now, Now get familiar with the patient's condition. We will begin the surgery soon."