The doctor stared at her, confusion flickering in his eyes. But he had learned to trust Hana’s instincts. With a sharp nod, he made his decision.

“Take him to OR 3, we’re going in immediately.” He turned on his heel, already barking orders to prepare for emergency surgery. “Shizumi, Clara, scrub in”

“Yes sir”, they both chorused.

Hana scrubbed in alongside Dr. Jenkins, her mind eerily calm and focused.

As soon as the first incision was made, a rush of blood and fluids spilled out onto the table. Just as she had seen, Dr. Jenkins’ eyes widened at the sight, but his hands remained steady.

“Clamps,” Ren said. “He’s bleeding internally from trauma to the spleen and intestines.”

The doctor’s brow furrowed in concentration as he explored the cavity. After a moment, he nodded. “Severe lacerations, we need to resection and repair immediately.”

They handed him instruments almost before he could ask for them, the two working in seamless tandem. After hours of painstaking work, they finally closed the last incision. Dr. Jenkins let out a sigh, peeling off his gloves and mask.

Hana sagged against the wall outside the operating room, adrenaline fading into bone-deep exhaustion. Her vision had cleared, but the memory of that ravaged abdomen stayed with her, stark and vivid.

The hospital corridor fell into a hushed stillness as the chaos of the day gradually ebbed away.

Turning a corner, Hana stumbled upon a heart-wrenching sight—Dr. Jenkins, his shoulders sagging under the weight of sorrow, broke the devastating news to the family of the man who had passed away earlier that day. The anguished cries of the widow pierced the air.

Unable to bear the weight of her grief and the raw anguish of others, Hana retreated behind a nearby wall, her breath coming in shallow gasps as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

Then it hit her. Her first patient death.

She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, stifling the sobs that threatened to escape, her heart heavy with sorrow for the family she had witnessed torn apart by tragedy.

Hana wandered, her footsteps echoing against the sterile walls as she sought solace from the overwhelming emotions that threatened to consume her.

The paper-plastered walls of the on-call room greeted her, as she stumbled into the room, the heavy door swinging shut behind her with a soft click. Alone in the dimly lit space, barely remembering to turn on the light before collapsing onto the narrow bed.

Her body shook with silent sobs as the events of the day crashed over her like a tidal wave. In a fit of anger, she trashed the gloves that were her shield from the outside world.

All she could see was his blood. The flatline rang clear in her head. His last memories, a vision hidden in her head

Unbeknownst to Hana, Ren saw her as she exited the corner. But he stood just outside the break room door, his heart aching with empathy as he listened to her quiet despair.

As Hana emerged from the break room, her tear-stained cheeks glistening in the dim light, she collided with Ren, their bodies meeting in an unexpected embrace. For a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still as they clung to each other.

Hana stood, frozen in Ren’s embrace, her eyes wide with surprise and her mind reeling from the sudden collision of emotions.

And in that moment, as their skin touched, she felt a strange sense of clarity wash over her.

As her body trembled with the aftershocks of their unexpected encounter, a small, involuntary hiccup escaped her lips, breaking the heavy silence that enveloped them.

Her head is so clouded by the feeling of touch that she doesn’t realize...

No... visions.

Her senses overwhelmed by the warmth of his touch and the comforting strength of his presence. But amidst the whirlwind of emotions that swirled around her, there was a strange clarity.

Hana’s senses gradually returned to her, and she became acutely aware of the reality of their situation. With a shaky breath, she pulled away from Ren’s embrace, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she struggled to find the words to express the jumble of emotions that churned within her.

“Dr. Jenkins, I...I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper as she averted her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.

Ren held Hana at arm’s length, his brow furrowed as he studied her flushed face. For a few beats, he said nothing.

Hana felt the blood drain from her face as her gaze followed Ren’s down to her bare hand still resting on his forearm from when he had steadied her. In her flustered state, she had been completely exposed.

She quickly snatched her hand back as if burned, fumbling in the pocket of her scrubs with shaking fingers. Finally grasping a spare latex glove, Hana hurriedly tugged it over her hand, her cheeks flushing crimson.

There was an acute pause where Ren’s penetrating stare seemed to bore into her, his sharp eyes missing nothing.

“I...I’m sorry, I...” She stammered, unable to meet his probing gaze as she twisted the glove anxiously.

Ren’s expression remained inscrutable, giving no hint as to his thoughts on her strange behavior.

“Sorry?” he finally said, his deep voice a low rumble. “You have nothing to apologize for, Nurse Shizumi.”

Hana managed a jerky bob of her head, her shoulders still tensed awaiting further scrutiny over her odd glove ritual.

Ren’s jaw clenched as he wrestled with the aftershock of the intensely personal glimpses he thought he’d experienced.

“You’re tired from the long shift,” he stated firmly as if convincing himself as much as Hana. “Perhaps you should take a moment to recuperate in the lounge before returning to your rounds.”

His steely eyes finally met Hana’s again, daring her to contradict his logical assessment of the situation. The sudden awkward tension hung thickly in the air between them.

Hana exhaled a shaky breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the fabric of her gloves as a flood of relief washed over her. With an inaudible goodbye, Hana whisked herself away from the strange man.

Ren watched as Hana scurried away, her shoulders hunched. He resisted the urge to call out after her retreating form.

Instead, he clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes slightly as he replayed the strange interaction in his mind. When she had stumbled into his arms, her bare hands had grazed his skin sending an inexplicable jolt through him. Unbidden flashes of...something...had flooded his consciousness.

But that was preposterous.

Ren shook his head sharply. Nonsense.

And yet, a small part of him couldn’t help but feel a flicker of disappointment. His icy gaze followed her retreating form until she disappeared around the corner.

“Everything alright over here?”

Ren’s head whipped around at the familiar voice. Dr. Rowan strolled up, his perpetual grin intact though his eyes held a hint of concern.

“Shizumi seemed a bit...rattled,” Rowan observed lightly. “And you? Rough patient case?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Ren said curtly, tactfully avoiding the details of his strange encounter with the nurse.

Rowan held up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, no need to get defensive, Mister Freeze. I’m just making sure my two favorite people aren’t at each other’s throats.”

Ren’s jaw ticked slightly at the nickname they both knew he despised. Rowan always did have a particular talent for getting under his skin.

“Shizumi is...” Ren paused, considering his words carefully. “An enigma. Her disposition can be challenging to read at times.”

One dark brow arched upward on Rowan’s annoyingly smug face. “Is that the doctor's way of saying the poor girl is a bit of a weirdo?”

“I didn’t say that,” Ren countered a bit too quickly. He could feel his professional mask slipping slightly.

“Relax, bro,” Rowan laughed, slapping him companionably on the shoulder. “I’m just givin’ you shit, as usual. Shizumi seems like a perfectly nice kid to me. Just...you know...awkward. Socially calibrated differently than the rest of us mere mortals.”

Ren allowed himself a fractional eye roll at his friend’s poor attempt at an empathetic observation. He should have known better than to reveal even a hint of his muddled thoughts regarding Hana.

“I don’t have time to psychoanalyze my staff’s eccentricities,” he said flatly, deftly changing the subject. “Unless you’ve called me out for an actual professional consultation?”

Rowan’s grin widened a touch as he recognized Ren’s blatant deflection for what it was - a reminder to mind his own business. The man was prickly as a cactus when it came to keeping his emotional walls up.

“Sure, sure,” Rowan said easily. “Morgue just brought up a couple of bodies from that pile-up on the interstate. Want to take a look before we call the families?”

Ren’s shoulders relaxed a fraction as he allowed himself to slip back into his well-practiced role of clinical detachment.

“Lead the way,” Ren said crisply, falling into step beside Rowan without a second glance in the direction Hana had gone.

As they made their way down the stark corridor, Rowan shot Ren a sidelong glance. “You know, for someone so wildly attractive, you sure do have a knack for making the pretty ladies want to run for the hills.”

Undeterred, Rowan plowed ahead. “I’m just saying, a little charm can go a long way.”

He trailed off with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. When Ren remained stoically unmoved, Rowan sighed loudly.

“Alright, alright, my legendary wit is wasted on you today, Dr. Iceberg.” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I just think it might do you some good to let people see there’s a slightly less prickly side underneath all those emotional layers you’ve got battened down.”

This time it was Ren’s turn to shoot his friend a look. Rowan had always delighted a bit too much in trying to get a rise out of him.

“Hey, I’m just watching out for you, bro,” Rowan said mildly, though his mischievous grin took on a slightly more serious tilt. “We both know you’ve been a little...preoccupied lately. With a certain someone, perhaps?”

The other doctor didn’t have a chance to react before Rowan raised his hands defensively once more.

“But hey, what do I know? I’m just the comic relief sidekick around here, right?” He shot Ren an exaggerated wink, clearly trying to defuse the tension that had crept in.

Ren held Rowan’s gaze for a beat longer, his jaw ticking almost imperceptibly.

Rowan shook his head slowly, his grin fading just a touch as he hurried to catch up with his friend’s singleminded strides. “Whatever you say, Ice Man. Whatever you say...”

Ren was hunched over the nurses’ station, meticulously updating patient charts and reviewing discharge orders with his usual intense focus.

“There’s my favorite workaholic!” Rowan sauntered up, shooting Ren a lopsided grin. “Tell me you’re planning on joining us for lunch this time?”

Ren let out a slow breath through his nose but didn’t look up from his paperwork.

“Yeah, yeah, I know - meals just get in the way of your crazy surgeon schedule,” Rowan said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “But Lia’s actually coming down from OB to grace us with her presence. Wouldn’t kill you to be a little social for once, Ice Prince.”

That finally drew the slightest of smirks from Ren as his gaze flickered up briefly. “I should have known you two would gang up on me.”

“You love it and you know it,” Rowan shot back easily. “Now get that cute doctor butt of yours to the lounge before I have to drag you there myself.”

As if on cue, Lia appeared beside them. “Am I interrupting some sort of testosterone-fueled male bonding moment?” she asked wryly.

“You’re just in time!” Rowan exclaimed, slinging an arm casually around each of their shoulders. “I was just convincing Dr. Grumpypants here to actually take his legally mandated lunch for once.”

Lia arched a single, perfect eyebrow at Ren over Rowan’s head, but her eyes danced with unmistakable affection. “Well, if it’s mandated...”

Watching the trio from nearby, the team of nurses couldn’t help but be drawn to their easy, effortless rapport - their hushed conversation a steady stream of admiring sighs and girlish commentary.

“They’re like newborn baby ducklings waddling after each other,” Julie mock-whispered with a dreamy smile. “Just too adorable.”

Clara made a noise of grudging agreement, though she tried to mask it with an eye roll. “I can’t decide which one of those terrible threesome I find more obnoxious...or attractive.”

That earned her a sharp elbow in the ribs from Julie, which only made the other nurses stifle their laughter behind their hands.

Even the ever-professional Nurse Crystal cracked the slightest bit as she watched Lia playfully rapping the back of her hand against Ren’s arm.

“They may be a holy terror most days, but you have to admit...” Crystal said, a hint of wistfulness tingeing her voice. “When they’re in sync like that, it’s tough not to be a little awestruck.”

A fresh chorus of giggles and nods rippled through the nurses at Crystal’s words.

Hana stayed silent amongst the chatter, feeling her cheeks warm slightly as her gaze followed the trio retreating down the hallway. She couldn’t help but notice how Ren seemed to ease ever-so-slightly in the presence of his two closest confidants.

There was a practiced intimacy there that somehow made him seem almost...approachable. At ease, even. It was such a rare glimpse at the softer side she knew lingered beneath all his layers.

Shaking her head minutely, Hana turned back to her tasks, trying not to dwell too deeply on her unusually wistful reaction.

Hana’s fingers twisted in the fabric of her gloves as she watched, unable to deny the small lick of yearning that bloomed within her.

If only she could take her advice and be satisfied admiring from a distance...

If only she could be so confident, so self-assured in her abilities and place.

Little did she know, a pair of piercing eyes had tracked her wistful glances from across the room...