Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday

Two hours later, Grace stepped into the bustling hospital. The sterile scent of antiseptic greeted her immediately as the automatic doors closed behind her.

She heard the soft hum of machines that was mixed with the faint murmurs of conversations as nurses in scrubs hurried past with clipboards. She also spotted doctors moving between hallways with purpose.

She paused for a moment, her deep green eyes taking in the view of the biggest hospital in the Starship Country. With a deep breath, she approached the reception desk, where one of the young nurses greeted her with a kind smile.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" the nurse asked, her eyes scanning the appointment list in front of her.

"Hi, I'm Grace Blackwood and here for my appointment with Dr. Kian," Grace said, her voice quiet but steady. For some weird reason, she was able to feel her heart rate picking up slightly at the thought of finally meeting Dr. Kian.

The nurse typed something into the computer and nodded. "Of course, Ms. Blackwood. Just take a seat, and we will call you in shortly."

Grace nodded in return and made her way to the row of chairs by the window. There were several people sitting around her, some were patients while others were family members.

She used the time to check on her team. Jasper had already boarded the plane for Country S, Ryan was on his way to Skylane City, and Valeska just sent a message that she was heading to Mapleton City.

Kevin had also sent her a message with updates on his work progress so far. She knew that the tasks she had assigned to her team weren't easy and would take time. Besides, she trusted them and knew that they would handle everything perfectly.

It was the sound of her name being called that jolted her out from her thoughts.

"Grace Blackwood?"

She looked up to see a nurse standing in front of her with a clipboard in hand. "Please, this way."

Grace stood up and followed the nurse toward the elevators. They headed to the seventh floor before walking down a long hallway. The sterile smell grew stronger, and she felt her nerves tightening with each step.

They stopped outside an examination hall and the nurse turned to face her. "Dr. Kian is waiting inside. Please head in for your examination."

Grace nodded her head and stepped inside while the nurse closed the door behind her. As her eyes took in the view of the place, her mind raced to think of what she was going to do next.

She just wanted to meet Dr. Kian at least once, but she had no idea what she wanted to say to him. It wasn't like he knew her or anything about the jade bracelet in this lifetime.

"Ms. Blackwood, you can take off your upper clothes behind the screen."

The deep voice, that suddenly spoke in the silent room, took Grace by surprise. Her head turned to look in the direction from where the voice came and she found herself looking at a man who walked out from behind the dark green hospital screens.

He was dressed in the green hospital uniform and the white coat. A mask was covering his face, but what really caught her breath were his icy blue eyes. When they met in the apocalypse, they both had lost the charm of their beauty after surviving for years in that world. But even then, his eyes looked pure and dazzling... just like they were looking right now.

"Ms. Blackwood?"

Grace was jerked out of her trance when she heard him calling her. For some reason, even his voice sounded so pleasing to her ears. She suddenly recalled his instructions from before and her eyes immediately darted around the room as confusion took over her.

He asked her to take off her upper clothes? Why? It didn't take her too long to find the answer as her gaze took in the details of the posters placed around the room.

She was in an oncology examination hall, more specifically... breast oncology. She was left so stunned by the realization that she barely heard Dr. Kian calling her name again.

"Are you alright, Ms. Blackwood?"

Grace gasped as she heard his voice so close to her. She turned around and found him standing right behind her. With him standing so close, she found herself realizing just how tall he was even though she was wearing five-inches high heels.

His eyes looked even more mesmerizing from up close, and they easily succeeded in pulling her into another trance. A small part of her brain was very aware of the effect the man was having over her, it was like meeting someone who took her breath away at first sight.

She shook her head and cleared her throat, trying to get a hold on herself. Fixing her gaze on him once again, she tried to speak, "I... I'm alright."

Dr. Kian gave a small nod of his head in understanding before he signaled her to head toward the screens that were separating the office area from the examination area. "Please get ready for the examination."

Even Grace had no idea how she made her legs move. Her mind was almost blank as she headed toward the screens and stood there once she was hidden from Dr. Kian's sight.

The thought of running away was right there, tempting her. But she couldn't do it if she wanted to save her face. A sigh escaped her lips as she failed to think of a solution to get herself out of her current misery.

"Ms. Blackwood, are you ready?" Dr. Kian asked from the other side of the screen.

"J-just a moment please." She called out in return, her voice faltering despite her attempt at appearing calm and normal.

It was just an examination, and he was just a doctor... any normal doctor. Why was she behaving so awkwardly then? She wondered as she started unbuttoning her blouse and took it off before taking off her bra as well.

"I'm ready." She told the man as she settled down on the examination table and took in a deep breath.