"NEVER TRY TO PLEASE ANYONE. KNOW YOUR WORTH. DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOSE SOMEONE. LET IT GO, OR ELSE YOU'LL LOSE YOURSELF ALONG THE WAY." - CHANEL BLAQUE

[ THE • FAILING • HEART ]

"Why is the Nazi making us stay in the pit two days in a row?" Shawn asks me as Layla and I entered the hospital with a cup of coffee in our hands.

"There's a race happening," I answered. "Pedestrians, bikers, and many more people will get injured today."

"Meanwhile, she gets to do a freaking appendectomy," Shawn mutters gruffly. "How did you even get that? You were doing rectal exams all day yesterday."

Layla chuckled. "It kills you, doesn't it?"

"What?"

"That I get to do an appendectomy and you don't?" She says with a mischievous smile.

"No, it kills me that you got the surgery for sticking fingers up people's asses and I didn't." He explains with an annoyed look.

"Why? Is it because I was a pornstar and you think I don't have potential?" She raises her eyebrows at him.

"Blowjobs do not factor into this equation," he says with a smirk. "Unless, uh, you want to give me one."

I looked at him and grimaced. "You are absolutely disgusting."

"Tell me something I don't know, babe." He smirks.

"I'm gonna go take the stairs." I said.

"Me too." Layla agrees before we both walked away from Shawn and headed towards the glass staircase.

♤♤♤

"What is this race that everybody is talking about?" Jamal asks. "I've only been in Seattle for a few months now."

"Every year this bar—the Dead Baby bar—they hold this underground bike race," I answered while putting on my trauma scrubs. "The race is completely illegal and crazy. Bike messengers racing against traffic, trying to beat each other for free shots of vodka."

"All-out, no-holds-barred competition sounds like fun." Shawn says with a sly grin.

"The race doesn't even have any rules," I added. "Except for eye-gouging. No eye gouging."

"We're gonna be in the pit band-aiding idiots when we could be up in the O.R doing something," Amelia mutters gruffly. "I didn't get a PhD just to band-aid little cuts."

"Do I hear complaining?" Dr. Bailey asks with a blank look on her face.

Amelia immediately shook her head. "No, ma'am."

"That's what I thought," Dr. Bailey kisses her teeth before looking at all of us with a serious expression. "Okay, people. The rules of trauma. Don't mingle with E.R. interns. They don't know their ass from their esophagus. Sew fast, discharge faster. Get bodies up to the O.R. And don't let me catch you fighting over patients. Got it?"

"Yes." We all said in unison. I locked eyes with everyone before racing to the E.R. that was filled with so many bloody people.

"Oh, my god." I whispered in shock as I saw EMT bring many gurneys into the E.R.

"Oh, it's like candy, but with blood, which is so much better!" Amelia exclaims excitedly.

"Look at that guy." Layla points her finger at a man who had a huge branch through his thigh.

"Mine." Amelia claims, running up to the guy.

"No! I saw him first." Layla yells, running after Amelia.

My eyes scanned the whole room until they landed on a guy who had shards of glass in his abdomen. He was sitting right up with his back facing towards me. "Ooh. I'll take that guy." I smirked, putting my gloves on.

"You'll have to beat me to him first." Shawn challenges before running towards the guy.

I followed after him but sadly he got there before me. "Shawn, I saw him first! Go find some other biker to stitch!" I yelled.

The patient turned his head around and looked at me with a smirk. He was breathtaking. He had black little curls, beautiful green eyes, and nice plump lips. But I'd prefer James instead. "Can one of you guys stitch me up, please? I need to get back to the race." He says, his voice sounding raspy and deep.

"I'm doing it. I got here first." Shawn demands.

"I saw him first." I said defensively.

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll do this fair," he reached for his pocket and took out a quarter. "Heads—he's mine. Tails—he's yours."

"Why do you get to be heads?" I asked him with an annoyed look.

"Because I have a head, and, honey, you are a tail." He remarks with a mischievous smirk.

I got riled up. "How do you manage to make everything dirty?"

He ignored me and flipped the quarter before it landed on his palm. "Hah! Tails," I exclaimed. "There are plenty of other cases."

"So go get one. I was here first." He spat.

"I am not backing down so I can do sutures all day, while you're up in the O.R," I snapped, standing my ground. "This is a surgical case, and you know it."

"It's superficial, I mean it's cool, but it's superficial." He explains with a smirk.

"How do you know those things didn't rupture his peritoneum?" I questioned him.

"Because he's sitting up, and he's sitting there talking to us." He argues.

"Hello, excuse me, uh, I was wondering if you could take these out and sew me up so I could go and win my race?" The patient asks with a small smile.

"Well, we can't just pull them out be–" I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed Shawn taking the glass shards out of the patients abdomen. "We have to do...some tests." I trailed, watching Shawn as he pulled the last glass shard out before throwing them all away.

"Oh, wicked." The patient grunts, briefly closing his eyes.

"Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed.

"It's a superficial wound," Shawn smirks. "Sew him up and let him finish his race."

"How are you even a doctor? He could be internally bleeding, Shawn! You don't know that!" I yelled.

"Like I said, it's a superficial wound." He repeats himself.

"Hey, good man." The patient nods his head at Shawn as he walked away.

"Good man?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "How cou–you know what? I'm just gonna sew you up." I sat myself on a chair and took out a suture kit before sewing the guys wound up.

"Ah, you've got a nice touch," the guy smirks. "And, by the way, you are a rockin' babe."

I chuckled. "You really think you actually have a shot here?"

"I'd like to think I have a shot everywhere." He replies.

"Hmm," I nodded my head, continuing to sew him up. "Look, you really have to let me take you for some tests. You could have internal bleeding."

The guy shook his head. "No, thank you. I have to go finish my race."

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "You can't win now, anyway."

"Doesn't mean I can't cross that finish line," he replies. "There's a party at the finish line," he then leaned in and whispered. "Do you want to meet me there?"

I looked up at him with a serious look. "One test. A C.T. I'll get you out of here as soon as we are done."

"I can't do it. I got to go." He mumbles.

I bandaged his suture before taking off my gloves. "Well, you realize you're leaving against medial advice and that I urge you to stay."

"The frat guy said I could go." The guy says.

"The frat guy is a dickhead." I remarked.

"You are one feisty babe, aren't ya?" He smirks.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, you're gonna have to sign an A.M.A form."

"Darling, I will do anything you want me to." He whispers in my ear.

I sighed. "What is it with you guys and your need to dirty everything up?"

"I don't know," he smirks. "Maybe it's just testosterone."

I nodded my head. "Maybe. You might want to see someone about that, too."

He chuckled. "Come here." I passed him the form and a black pen before letting him sign it. He passed me the form and I set it aside, watching him as he stood up and walked away.

A yelp escaped from my lips when he grabbed me by the waist, turned me around, and crashed his lips against mine. The kiss lasted for about 10 seconds until he pulled me away, leaving me surprised.

He removed his arms from my waist and gave me a smirk. "That was for good luck." And with that, he exited the room.

"What the fuck?" I muttered as I grazed my fingers over my lips.

I was interrupted by a knock. I looked up and it was one of the nurses. "Dr. Clarkson needs you. It's about Mr. Valentino."

My eyes widened. "Okay, uh, tell Dr. Clarkson I'll be there."

♤♤♤

"What's going on?" I asked Dr. Clarkson as I entered James's room, hearing a loud beeping noise echo through the room.

"We gotta get his heart under control," Dr. Clarkson informs. "And how do we do that, Dr. Blaque?"

"Um, push 300 of amiodarone, please." I ordered the nurse in the room.

"Good," Dr. Clarkson approves. "Can you tell me his status?"

My mind was going all over the place. "Uh, atrial fibrillation. His heart's beating too fast. If we can get it to slow down, then it'll give out."

Dr. Clarkson nodded his head. "Alright, lets try synchronized cardioversion. Push 5 of morphine."

"Chanel." I heard a deep, raspy voice speak up.

I turned my head around and saw James with his eyes slightly open. "You're awake." I said in relief.

He chuckled. "I was hoping I might get to see you."

"You've been working us pretty hard around here." I said worriedly.

"The things I have to do to get a girl's attention." He slightly smiles. My mouth tugged into a grin until I heard Dr. Clarkson speak up.

"James, we're about to send a series of electric currents through your body. Hopefully the shocks will be enough to slow your heart rate back to normal."

I reached for his hospital gown and buttoned it open revealing his toned chest that had sexy abs and a small tattoo on his side. "I'll be here the whole time." I told him.

"Is it gonna hurt?" James asks.

"It won't be fun." Dr. Clarkson answers.

"Well, I guess you could comfort me here and hold my hand." James says with a smile. I blushed and grabbed his hand, intertwining our fingers together.

"You mind if I handle the paddles?" An intern named, Kevin, asks.

Dr. Clarkson nodded his head. "Be my guest."

Kevin grabbed the paddles and rested them against James's chest. "Ready?"

James nodded his head. "Yeah, shock me."

"Clear." Kevin says, before the paddles shocked James causing his chest to rise up while he screamed in agony.

The monitor was still beeping irregularly which meant his heart rate was pumping at a fast pace. "No change," Dr. Clarkson announces with his arms crossed over his chest. "Try it at 100."

"Clear." Kevin repeats, before the paddles shocked James again causing his chest to rise up.

"Holy shit!" James yells with his eyes screwed shut.

The monitor began to beep in a normal pace making me sigh with relief. "James, you are a lucky man." Dr. Clarkson spoke.

"Oh, oh, Clarkson, I'm about to beat your ass," James pants, trying to catch his breath. "Making me yell like a baby in front of the girl I'm trying to impress is not what we agreed to, man. Oh, fuck."

I glanced at Dr. Clarkson and laughed. "Take care, man." Dr. Clarkson says with an amused look before exiting the room.

♤♤♤

It's been an hour since we shock James, and I was currently heading up to his room to check up on him. I have never met someone so full of life and joy before. The fact that he has a failing heart and has a possible chance of dying has me attracted towards him because he never fails to make me laugh or blush. If I were in his position, I would've been so negative towards people and pessimistic about everything. It's hard to come across people like him, and that's why you should take advantage of it.

I arrived at his room and entered it, noticing that he was asleep on his bed. I walked over to his IV line to change the medication. I gently tugged the needle that was in his arm which caused him to flutter his eyes open. He looked at me and chuckled.

"I'm just adding nitro," I told him softly. "Your blood pressure's stable now, your C.H.F has improved, and the atrial fibrillation resolved."

"I love it when you talk medical to me." He spoke up, his voice sounding hoarse.

I blushed, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"Great, now that you're here." He smirks.

"Do you always like to flirt with me?" I asked him.

"I love seeing you blush. It's cute." He admits.

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and you sure love to make me smile to the point where my cheeks hurt."

"You see, I believe in karma. And I believe that you might be mine." He says.

I giggled. "Well, you must have been very, very good to deserve me."

"I must have." He smiles, staring at me with his beautiful hazel eyes.

"Okay," I chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Rest well, James."

"You too, beautiful." He winks at me. I continued to chuckle as I left his room with a huge grin on my face.

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SONG: DANCE FOR YOU BY BEYONCÉ
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AHH! THIS CHAPTER WAS FUNNY AND CUTE 😭 YOU MET SHAWN, AND TRUST ME, YOU'RE GONNA LOVE HIM AS WE GET FURTHER INTO THE STORY 💗 I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THIS BOOK IS ALSO INSPIRED BY DENNY AND IZZIE'S LOVE STORY 😩❤️ I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER ✨ I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITING THE NEXT ONE 🖤

I WANT YALLS FEEDBACK ON THIS CHAPTER✨💉

What are your thoughts on this chapter? What are your thoughts on Amelia and Shawn? What are your thoughts on Amina and James? Who's your favorite character so far? Comment your thoughts and opinions!

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