Eternally Yours

Hana came out from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her damp hair. She found Mira lounging on her bed, tablet in hand and blue-light glasses perched on her nose.

The moment Mira spotted Hana, the tablet clattered to the mattress, forgotten. Her eyes lit up with unbridled excitement. “Well? Spill it, girl!”

Hana sighed, knowing there was no escaping Mira’s nosiness once she got like this. “Spill what? It’s been a long shift.”

“Oh, don’t play coy with me!” Mira wagged a finger. “You can’t leave me hanging after that whole coat incident with Dr. Dreamy!”

Furrowing her brow, Hana sat on the edge of the bed. “How did you even know about that? And how did he get our address?”

Mira let out a dramatic gasp. “That’s what you want to know? Not the juicy details?” When Hana leveled her with an expectant look, she relented. “Okay, okay. I called your phone earlier, I wanted to know if you needed a ride after your party. But some deep, sexy voice answered instead of you.”

She fanned herself comedically. “You could have warned me your phone was stolen by a hot guy! I'm sure his face is just as sexy as his voice.”

Hana rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at her lips. “That was Dr. Jenkins, dummy. He must have picked up my phone by mistake.”

Understanding dawned on Mira’s face. “Oooh, I get it now. So, I told him about the key code for our place, huh?” She cringed playfully. “Yikes, my bad. Though he did leave his coat out for you... Now, I really want to see him.”

Hana sighed, plopping down on the bed beside Mira. “It wasn’t like that at all. Dr. Jenkins is - completely professional.”

Mira rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh puh-lease, that man could recite a medical dictionary and still make it sound sultry.” She nudged Hana’s arm playfully. “So, spill! What happened when you gave dreamy Dr. Ren his coat back?”

Hana felt her cheeks growing warm again just thinking about it. “I went to return it after my shift ended...”

She remembered catching just a faint whiff of his subtle, woodsy scent mixed with antiseptic. Pull it together, Hana, she chided herself. That is your boss!

Mira was watching her friend closely. “Earth to Hana! You’ve got that dreamy far-off look again. Did something else happen that you’re not telling me?”

Hana blinked, shaking her head. “No, no that was basically it. He thanked me and I left.” Though she couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been...a fleeting moment of connection. Don’t be ridiculous, she mentally scolded herself.

“Uh huh, suuure,” Mira said skeptically. “For someone with a ‘glimpse’ into people’s memories, you are extremely oblivious, my friend!”

“Actually, there’s something else...” Hana’s voice took on a pensive tone as she scooted closer to Mira on the bed. “When Dr. Ren took his coat from me, our hands brushed and...”

Mira gasped dramatically. “No way! You had a charged moment?! Did sparks fly? A lingering look into each other’s dreamy eyes?”

Hana rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics. “Not exactly. It’s just...I didn’t get a vision. At all.”

An odd look crossed Mira’s face as she processed this revelation. Hana had to strain to recall a time when simply touching someone didn’t trigger an onslaught of fragmented future glimpses. Her abilities were usually indiscriminate that way.

“Wait...” Mira’s eyes widened with realization. “The only person you’ve ever touched without seeing visions...was Dr. Ren?”

Hana nodded slowly. The weight of that strange occurrence still felt heavy on her mind.

Mira threw her arms around Hana excitedly. “Oh my god! Do you know what this means?” She pulled back, grabbing Hana’s shoulders and staring at her intently. “You two must be soulmates!”

“Soulmates?” Hana sputtered out a laugh at the ridiculousness. “Mira, come on. We barely know each other outside the hospital.”

But try as she might to brush it off, Mira’s words took root in the back of Hana’s mind. She readied herself for bed but couldn’t chase away the image of Dr. Ren’s penetrating gaze and the remainder of his gentle touch.

As she drifted to sleep, her final thoughts were of the mysterious man who seemed to defy her precognitive abilities.

The hospital halls were dimly lit in the late-night hours as Ren emerged from one of the patient wards, chart in hand. He stifled a yawn - these overnight shifts always wore him down, but he took pride in giving his full attention to each case.

“Long night, Ren?”

He turned at the warm, familiar voice to see Dr. Lia approach with a sympathetic smile.

“You know how it goes,” he replied with a weary shrug. Despite his exhaustion, he felt himself instinctively straighten up in her maternal presence.

Lia gave his shoulder a playful nudge. “Well, I’ve got a lonely cup of coffee waiting in my office with your name on it, if you’re done making rounds?”

A chuckle escaped Ren’s lips. He should have known Lia would have his back, as always. With a nod of acceptance, he fell into step beside her.

As they wove through the dimly lit corridors, they passed a cluster of giggling nurses huddled at the station. Ren didn’t miss the way their eyes followed him and Lia - likely imagining something illicit between the two close friends. He shook his head at their persistent rumors.

Lia seemed utterly unbothered, throwing a wink toward the nurses that set off another wave of hushed laughter. She looped her arm through Ren’s as they continued, leaning in to murmur, “Don’t forget, dear, you’ll always be my favorite work husband.”

Despite himself, Ren felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards at her teasing.

As Lia looped her arm through Ren’s in that familiar, playful way, he couldn’t help but inwardly grimace.

“Now the nurses will never believe that we’re just friends,” he thought wryly to himself.

He could already picture the rumors that would inevitably make the rounds after this casual display of affection.

Ren rolled his eyes internally. He had learned long ago to mostly ignore the whispers about his closeness with the warm, maternal Lia. Still, sometimes it grated on him how people looked for scandal in even the most innocent bonds.

As they approached her office, Ren side-eyed his friend with mock exasperation. “You know, one of these days you’ll put those gossips into early graves with surprises like that.”

Lia threw her head back with a rich laugh, giving his arm a squeeze. “Oh, let them talk, my icy friend. We both know the truth behind this partnership.” Her eyes danced with mirth. “Besides, think of the entertainment value in keeping them guessing!”

Ren couldn’t argue with that logic. Shaking his head fondly, he allowed himself to be ushered into her office, the familiar banter already reviving his energy for the remainder of the night shift.

Ren sank gratefully into the plush chair in Lia’s office, letting out a long exhale as she busied herself with the coffee maker. His mind was uncharacteristically preoccupied tonight.

“Your mother called me lately,” Lia’s voice broke through his daze. She shot him a pointed look over her shoulder. “Someone’s been avoiding her calls again.”

He felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment that his mother had roped Lia into her shenanigans. “Just ignore her, Lia. You know how she gets.”

But his friend just laughed, turning to face him with two steaming mugs in hand. “I know, I know. Your mom can be...a lot.” She set a mug down in front of him. “But that can’t be what’s got you so distracted tonight. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Ren said nothing, avoiding her probing gaze as his eyes involuntarily drifted to the coffee. A fleeting image of Hana flickered through his mind - the interesting nurse and the thank-you coffee on his table

“Ah...” Lia’s bemused voice snapped his attention back. She was studying him with raised brows. “You seem awfully happy just staring at that coffee.”

Heat crept up the back of Ren’s neck. He cleared his throat gruffly, struggling to reassert his trademark impassive demeanor. But Lia’s expression told him she had already put the pieces together.

As her mouth opened - likely to tease him mercilessly - Ren raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t...” He all but growled the word.

Lia’s lips curved into an impish grin. Rather than push it, she simply lifted her mug in a mock toast before taking an exaggerated sip, eyes dancing with mischief over the rim.

Ren shook his head but couldn’t deny the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Lia always could read him like a book. He snuck a sidelong glance at his friend as he took his first bracing swallow of coffee.

Maybe it was time he finally admitted what - or who - had been occupying his thoughts lately.

The comfortable silence stretched between Ren and Lia until he suddenly blurted out, “The dreams have started again.”

Lia’s perfectly groomed eyebrows shot up. “I thought those had stopped for a while?” She kept her tone casual, not wanting to put him on the defensive.

Ren gave a curt nod, refusing to meet her inquisitive gaze. “They did. But now they’re back...and clearer than before.” He let out a mirthless chuckle. “Not that I can ever recall them clearly when I wake up.”

“Have you considered seeing a psychologist– ?” Lia suggested gently, genuine concern in her tone.

Ren waved a dismissive hand, his body language closing off. “I’m fine, Lia. It’s not a big deal.” The clipped tone made it clear he wanted to drop the subject.

Mercifully, the weighted tension was broken by the office door flinging open. Rowan blustered in without so much as a knock, taking in his two closest friends with a comically affronted look.

“Seriously? Having a bestie time without me?” He went for levity, but couldn’t quite mask the hint of genuine hurt in his warm brown eyes.

Lia just shook her head in exasperation, lips quirked upwards. “You know you’re always welcome, you giant child.” She rose to her feet. “Coffee?”

“Please, Mother!” Rowan plopped himself down on the couch beside Ren, who instinctively leaned away from the human tornado of energy. Rowan pouted at him. “What’s got your scrubs in a twist, Ice Prince?”

Before Ren could deflect, Lia chimed in nonchalantly from the kitchenette. “His mother wants him home for that big family gathering coming up.”

A look of understanding crossed Rowan’s face at the reminder of the dreaded “special occasion.” He shot Ren a sympathetic wince before sinking back into the cushions with an overly loud slurp of his fresh coffee.

Ren remained stoically silent, taking a long draw from his mug. The dreams and his mother’s demands were the last things he wanted to dwell on right now.

“Wait, wait...family gathering?” Rowan perked up, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Are we invited to this shindig?”

Lia rolled her eyes fondly as she rejoined them, settling back into her armchair. “Rowan...it’s a family gathering. I’m pretty sure your last name isn’t Jenkins.” She took a pointed sip of her coffee.

“Could have fooled me with how much time I spend putting up with this one,” Rowan shot back with a wink at Ren, jabbing a thumb in his direction.

Ren merely grunted in response, refusing to get dragged into their typical back-and-forth needling. His mind had gotten stuck on something Lia said earlier.

“Isn’t this family thing also your parents’ 30th wedding anniversary?” Lia mused aloud, catching Ren’s pensive expression.

A crease formed between Ren’s brows as he processed her words. Of course - how could he have forgotten such a significant milestone for his parents? His friends didn’t miss a beat.

“You mean to tell me the esteemed Dr. Jenkins forgot his own parents’ anniversary?” Rowan’s eyes danced with amusement at having caught Ren in a rare lapse.

Ren shifted in his seat, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically sheepish under their scrutinizing gazes. He reflexively straightened his posture. “I’ve just had...other matters occupying my mind lately.”

The curt response didn’t deter Rowan’s self-satisfied grin one bit. Lia, however, watched Ren with a distinctly more contemplative look - one that made him feel like she could see straight through his thinly veiled excuse.

Clearing his throat, Ren took another long draught of coffee, allowing the rich taste to ground him.

A heavy silence fell over the trio as Ren’s shoulders tensed, his knuckles tightening around the warm ceramic mug. Rowan and Lia exchanged a glance, recognizing the telltale signs of their friend retreating inward.

Ren stared unseeingly into the depths of his coffee; jaw clenched. He could already envision the stifling atmosphere that would no doubt consume his family home for this “gathering.” Thinly veiled passive aggression, volleys of backhanded comments between his family members, nothing ever changed… nothing.

Ren checked his wristwatch and sighed. “I should get back to my rounds.”

He drained the last of his coffee and rose fluidly to his feet. Lia and Rowan exchanged a knowing look as their friend made his excuses to leave. They could read between the lines - Ren was shutting down, reverting to his tried-and-true emotional evasion tactics.

Without another word, Ren turned on his heel and strode toward the door. The two friends remained silent, recognizing that pushing him now would only lead to him retreating further behind his icy veneer.

As soon as Ren emerged into the corridor, he pulled his phone from the pocket of his white coat. His thumb hovered over the contact information for his cousin Jiro before finally pressing the call button.

It rang twice before Jiro’s surprised voice came through the speaker. “Ren? This is unexpected...”

“Why didn’t you tell me my parents’ anniversary was coming up?” Ren didn’t bother with pleasantries, his words clipped.

There was a muffled noise in the background like Jiro was covering the mouthpiece as he spoke to someone else about postponing something. “But they’re not my parents,” he finally replied, sounding distinctly distracted.

Ren exhaled a harsh breath through his nostrils. Of course, his cousin wouldn’t be oblivious to such family matters. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he decided to make this quick.

“Never mind. I won’t be attending, so you can report back to my mother.”

“Wait, Ren, I really think you should -” But he didn’t let Jiro finish. With a forceful jab of his thumb, Ren ended the call.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Ren ran his fingers roughly through his dark locks. He could feel the start of a dull pounding at his temples - the harbinger of another stress migraine. Wonderful.

Drawing in a steadying breath, Ren smoothed his hands over the front of his coat and squared his shoulders. He had patients to see, and people’s lives to prioritize over his familial hangnail.

With his trademark unflappable mask firmly in place once more, Ren turned and strode with purpose toward the controlled chaos of the Emergency Room.

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