Please make sure you read chapter 23 before you read this one!

~*~

They stayed like that for a while. Alaric had one arm wrapped around her and other running through her hair. He gently kissed the top of her head, liking the way she felt in his arms.

He would protect her from anything. Not let anything happen to her. He would never hurt her.

Amulya pulled back, looking at the time in panic. His arm was still around her waist as she looked at the time. She was going to be late for work.

"Alaric, I need to go. I'll be late." She said in a panic. But he stopped her.

"Let me drive you" He said taking her hand. "Give me a minute"

"No, I don't want to be a bother"

"Do you think you can walk to the station and get to work on time? I'm sure you missed the train, and the next one won't take you to work on time"

She still protested.

He glared at her when he said that before walking inside his room. Exactly one minute later he came out, now wearing a jeans and jacket over his arms.

"Come on" He said grabbing his keys from the bowl next to the door. And they headed towards the lift.,

The car ride was quiet. Two minutes into the journey, Alaric reached out and held her hand. She smiled, knowing she liked it. She loved it.

"I'll see you in the evening?" He asked as they parked in the hospital parking lot.

"Probably not" Alaric frowned. "I'll be on call tonight. See you tomorrow?" She quickly added not wanting him to think it has anything to do with him.

"Take care, Amy" he said leaning forward and kissing her on the cheek, making her heart skip.

"Alaric, you can't just kiss me like that" She told him, her voice coming out whiney and too loud.

"Why? Do you hate it?"

"I'm more scared that I don't"

Soon she said goodbye to Alaric, telling him to drive safe and not to end up in the hospital again. Amulya geared up and got ready for the day.

There were too many people in the ICU struggling for their lives. The hospitals stopped allowing the visitors to reduce the spread of the virus. At least this stopped the unnecessary crowding at the hospital.

That day went by slowly. Amulya was busy running from one patient to another. They were getting worse by day and Amulya was scared of the inevitable.

"Dr. Natraj?" Dr. Pierce called out to her "Can you check on the patient in ICU room two? I'm going to catch a break, I need it" Pierce looked tired. There were bags under her eyes and she might pass out any second if she didn't get coffee.

"Definitely" She told the older lady, before moving towards the room. Pierce wouldn't be much older than Hilary but working nonstop shifts at the hospital surely made her look older.

The patient in ICU room two was an older woman. Amulya remember treating her a few days back, before she was shifted into the ICU. The woman was attached to a heart monitor and many other different wires and machines that are helping her survive.

Amulya checked in on the woman noticing that her heart rate is abnormal and that too in a very serious level. The lady seemed to be struggling to breathe, even through the tube attached to her.

She quickly called in a nurse to get the details of the medication and the previous dosage given to the woman. They were done carefully not to cause any complexities.

The woman started breathing hard and the heart monitor started beeping loudly catching the attention of the nurses who jumped into action and started doing the CPR. But it was of no use. The AED was brought in and there was no response. It all happened in seconds.

Time of death was called and the family was being informed.

Amulya's heart was beating fast. This was the second patient that died on her watch and she couldn't do anything. Was this how it was supposed to happen?

Before it can distract her too much, she set into action concentrating on the other people there. She was going to try her best not to let any other patient die.

As the evening passed, Amulya started to relax a bit. She almost forgot about the lady this morning. There was suddenly a commotion and Amulya rushed to see what it was.

Another person had died, which makes it the second one that day. This time it was a young man, he would be in his thirties. Amulya had tended to him when he came to the hospital with the symptoms. He was probably the one to stay longest at the hospital. He was healing, his charts were looking good. But suddenly he was gone.

A girl was next to him, crying. She was saying stuff like how she should have been there for him sooner. How she loved him and regretted not saying it sooner.

Amulya thought of Alaric suddenly. She was witnessing death every day. She was around it. She would know better than anyone how short life is. So why was she spending her time thinking about all the 'what ifs'?

What if she didn't think for once? All her life she did what she was told. Just for once, she wanted to do something for herself. She wanted to just go with the flow, not think about what might or might not happen. Carpe Diem wasn't it?

She didn't want to lose him. She thought of his smile, his laugh, the way he talked, His voice, his touch, him. She liked herself more when she was with him. She didn't know why, but she wasn't questioning.

She knew she was falling for him fast, but she wasn't scared. She knew he would be there in the end to catch her.

~*~

Double update

What do you think of this story so far?

30.04.20