Connor & Ava's story

The Breaking Down

Another day has passed at the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Bekker have just finished to remove a patient's tumor and reconstruct his aorta.

"Hey, Ava, are you going to come tonight?" Connor asked once outside the O.R.

"After a so frenetical day I'm exhausted, but I think I can stop by, after all" she answered.

That night, they have been both invited at the campus, to participate in a convention about the new techniques to adopt during a surgery.

"Great, I was just going to change myself, if you wait 5 minutes I can give you a lift, so we can go together."

"Sounds good, I'll wait you outside the hospital."

Punctual as always, Connor reached her outside and they both headed for the parking.

"Wow" Ava said once arrived in front of Connor's new sportive car. "What are we talking? 125?"

"Yeah, good eye, Dr. Bekker" he said chuckling.

Then, as a gentleman, he reached the passenger's door and opened it for her.

"Thank you" she said.

After that, he started the car and 10 minutes later they were arrived at the campus. At the entrance they were received by Peter Kalmick, the Chicago Med's legal representative.

"Good evening Dr. Rhodes. Good evening Dr. Bekker. I'm glad you came."

"Good evening" they replied almost at the same time.

"Please, come on in."

The room was very big and well furnished, the tables were small and round and each of them had a bunch of white roses on the top; the right side of the room was full of huge glass windows, whose curtains were opened in order to allow the view of the spectacular Millennium Park; on the left side, instead, there was a wide buffet. All the guests in the room were elegant, suit and tie for men, evening dress for women.

At the beginning Connor and Ava were taken aback, but they only took a minute to settle in.

A waitress in a black dress, who was carrying a tray with glass of champagne on it, approached them, "Good evening, would you like to take a glass of champagne?" she asked smiling.

"Thank you" Connor said after he had taken two glasses and passed Ava one of it.

"So" she said "you must enjoy nights like this."

"Uh, actually I'm much more the kind of guy who likes to spend the time after work with a beer in hand in front of the tv, watching Jimmy Fallon."

"It's funny, I'd have never guessed that" she said surprised.

___

Suddenly the nice atmosphere was interrupted by a woman's scream. Everyone stopped talking and started to look in the direction where the scream had supposed to come from. Few seconds after, everyone felt that the floor under their feet was shaking.

"It's an earthquake!" someone shouted.

Then, a big part of the room's ceiling collapsed. Panic and fear spread out very quickly through the guests and anyone started to run toward the emergency door.

Connor and Ava, that were on the opposite side of the door at the moment of the collapse, were the last two people who moved toward the exit.

They were running as fast as they could, when Ava stopped.