Embracing Love [✓]

ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ✓

Darkness is getting deeper
Into my empty life.
It feels like destiny is
Pressing me down cold. 

Shining the darkness
I’m breaking down, 
Falling apart.
I’m breaking down, 
Living in the consciousness
Inside my horrible memory.

~ Ayana.

■■■

Seeing a person running towards the elevator, Ayana held the hold button. Getting inside the lift, the guy, who seemed to be in his mid-twenties, thanked her while heavily breathing.
"Thanks."

With a smile, Ayana nodded. 

A couple of seconds later, that guy asked her,
"You must be an intern, right?"

"I'm also an intern."
Before Ayana could reply, the guy continued,
"Which department are you going to?"

"Pediatric department."

"Oh my! What a coincidence! I'm going there too. I'll be assisting Dr. Ayana today."
The guy happily chipped.

"Oh! So you are the one assisting her today?"
Looking at his nameplate, Ayana asked surprised.

"Yeah. What about you? Aren't you going to the pediatric department to assist her?"

"Not really."
Ayana vaguely answered.
"I just have some work there."
It was always fun to mess around with the new interns.

"Ohh."
The guy whose name was Ciam continued to chat. He was a chatterbox of his batch.
"Btw I heard Dr. Ayana is the only pediatrician in the hospital."

"Correct. Not many doctors are willing to be a pediatrician."
Being the only pediatrician in the hospital, she always has to overwork.

"It must be tough to handle all the patients."
Ciam said in an impressive tone.
"I heard her nickname is Ice Goddess."

"Ice Goddess?"
Ayana raised an eyebrow at the new information.

"Yes. It is said that she looks like a total goddess."
Ciam whispered.
"Except for her patients and friends, she rarely smiles at anyone. She always has a poker face and her behavior is as cold as ice. That's why her nickname is Ice Goddess."

"Really? I wonder from whom you got this information."
Maintaining her usual poker face, she asked.

"I heard the nurses talking. Don't tell anyone though."

"Of course. I won't tell anyone."
Ayana smiled, mentally noting to give the nurses an earful for spreading such rumors.

"She's amazing at her job."
Ciam continued.
"She's one of the most hardworking and empathetic doctors of the hospital."

"Is she?"
Ayana tried to hide her smile.

"Yeah. You know, last year she did three surgeries back to back for 12 hours straight."

"14 hours."
Ayana corrected him. 

Last year during Eid, there weren't many doctors available as most of them went to their homes outside the city. And the remaining doctors who were available didn't want to do the surgeries so Ayana volunteered to do it. That day after doing three surgeries she was as good as dead. It was the most hectic day of her life.

"How do you know about all this?"
Curiously, Ayana asked. Only her colleagues knew about that incident.

"Last night I did some research on her."
Ciam said sheepishly.