Gia, please look after the patient in room six for me," called Anna Haines,
the ER charge nurse at Hope Hospital, her voice cutting through the noise of
clattering gurneys, ringing phones, and the distant wail of an arriving
ambulance.
Gia Jazz glanced up from her computer screen, finishing the last few lines
of patient notes. She rubbed her neck, stiff from hours at the desk. The day
had begun calmly, but the evening descended into typical Friday night
madness—accidents, intoxicated brawlers, and overwhelmed visitors.
She stood, smoothed her scrubs, and made her way down the hallway. As she
entered room six, her steps faltered. On the examination bed lay a face from a
chapter of her life she hadn't opened in years.
Zane Agro.
Tall, tanned, with a chiseled jaw and thick lashes framing his deep brown
eyes—even bruised and battered, he looked every bit the boy she remembered.
Except now he was a man, with a faint stubble and weariness in his gaze.
"Zane?" she asked, stunned.
He turned toward her, eyes slowly widening in recognition. "Gia? Wow… is it
really you?"
His voice, though hoarse, held the familiar softness of their school days.
Gia approached, recovering from the surprise. "What happened?" she asked,
her professional tone slipping in under the personal emotion.
"Broken hand," he muttered. "Couple of bruises. Nothing too dramatic."
She glanced at his chart to confirm, then looked up again, tilting her head.
"It looks a bit more than 'nothing.' Did you get into a fight?"
Zane shrugged, offering a weak smile. "Something like that."
Despite the tension in the room, Gia chuckled, almost involuntarily. "Some
things never change. You were always in trouble."
His lips curled into a smile. "And you were always the one trying to keep me
out of it."
The moment hung between them, a mixture of nostalgia and awkward silence.
Gia cleared her throat. "Is anyone with you?"
"My mom's here," he said after a pause. "Waiting outside. She panicked when
she saw the blood."
"Well, I'll get your meds sorted, and we'll send you for an X-ray," she
replied, shifting back into her nurse's role. "I'll check in on you later."
As she turned to leave, Zane called softly, "Gia?"
She looked back.
"I didn't expect to see you again. It's… nice."
Her heart twinged, but she only nodded. "You too."