Chicago, five years later

"Incoming" the head nurse and one of her bestfriends, Alyzza's voice boomed across the whole Emergency Department alerting all staff including Cassie, one of the resident doctors in Montgomery Memorial Hospital.

"What do we have?" Alyzza asked the paramedic pushing the gurney carrying a patient which from Cassie's distance appears to have a serious head injury.

"female, early 20s, head trauma, GCS3, unresponsive" Cassie heard Ashley, the paramedic say as Cassie approached them.

"Alyzza, we're are we going?" Cassie inquired as she walked briskly bedside the patient's gurney while carefully assessing her unconscious patient.

"Dr. Miller, go to Trauma 2" Alyzza instructed Cassie.

"On it" Cassie responded as she quickly move while firing instructions to her team.

After several minutes, they were able to stabilize the patient's condition.

"She's stable for now. Make sure all the labs are done and notify me right away of any changes in her vitals. I'll check on her again later" Cassie told the nurse before exiting the room.

She was about to approach the nurses station when she stopped dead on her spot as she look at the automatic sliding glass door of the emergency department.

"27 yo male, crush injury, severed artery, massive blood loss" the man straddling the patient on the moving gurney giving aggressive CPR rapidly narrated as he and the paramedics with him move quickly.

Cassie just had a slight glance at the man on his black racer jacket as the gurney passed in front of her. She didn't get a good look at his face but his left shoulder and back was too familiar for her to know that it is him.

How on earth could he be here? There must be a mistake.

She heard Alyzza give instructions to their group to go to Trauma 5 but she didn't quite fully heard everything she said as her gaze followed them.

"Dr. Miller!" Alyzza started "Cass? Is everything alright?" she asked bringing Cassie's gaze to her confused and worried look.

"Yeah! Yeah, of course" Cassie said obviously trying to assure herself more than Alyzza.

She didn't look convinced but she conceded given the magnitude of patients they have at the moment.

"We need you to Trauma 5. The wife doesn't understand and speak English very well." Alyzza said again.

She follow her.

The patient looked stable but he seemed to be in a very bad shape and needs critical care.

"Dr. Montgomery, if you need to tell anything to Mrs. Vargas, Dr. Miller can translate it for you." Alyzza informed James.

James looked up. He looked at Alyzza first then to her.

"I know she can. But I got covered." he said still staring at her, then he smile.

Cassie's heart skipped a bit.

Did she just heard it right?

James is a doctor?

*****

"Cass, are you sure you're OK? I told you to take it easy, chief" Brian, her other bestfriend and roommate, asked her as Cassie approached the nurses station. She glanced up towards Alyzza's direction meeting her eyes before turning to look at Brian to answer him.

"Shut up Bry!" she told him.

She has just become the new Chief resident of Emergency Medicine. Her two bestfriends probably thought it's because of that that's she's spaced out and looked ill.

"I don't want a doctor for a patient, you know?" he said teasingly.

"Fine" she said grinning.

"Lab results" Alyzza said handing her the tablet PC containing her patient's profile and related files. Cassie frowned.

"What is it?" Brain inquired.

She handed Brian the tablet PC containing her patients lab results.

"So surgery is the only option. " Brian concluded.

"yes, but she's 30 weeks pregnant. It's too risky for the baby." she said unavailable to believe Brian don't see the risk of the surgery.

"I know but that's her best chance of surviving at all. If the she didn't get the surgery, both Ms Wilson and the baby won't survive. You know that." he said firmly.

"It's just like losing another baby again" she said painfully.

"Look, I know this has always been difficult for you. We'll do this together, OK?" Brian said trying to calm her down. "Would you like me to page Neuro? " he suggested.

She nodded.

*****

"You couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?" she told Alyzza after she and Brian sent Ms Wilson up to the OR a few minutes ago.

"Well, I'm just worried about you. You don't seem yourself." she said.

Cassie was about to respond to her when Mrs. Victoria Avery, their hospital administrator called in.

"Gather around" Mrs Avery said. The staff did just that. She saw Brian moving out of the T4 walking towards her and stopped beside her. He smiled at her and she returned it.

"I'd like to introduce you to our new Trauma Fellow and the son of the founder of this hospital, Dr. James Derek Montgomery" Mrs. Avery said smiling at the man to her left.

And there he is, smiling with all his glory. The reason she came her at Chicago, the place where she thought their paths would never cross.

How could she be so wrong?

It's only been what? 5 years? But Cassie can still remember everything. She thought she put everything behind but now seeing him. It seemed like 5 years has never passed.

"I believe you two knew each other?" She heard Mrs. Avery say.

Cassie's heart pounded so hard it's almost breaking her rib cage. She look at her, her relief is just momentary when she saw James looked at Brian. Curiously, despite both men's effort to be casual, tension is obviously looming around them. They both nodded in acknowledgement yet no words were exchanged.

In Cassie head, questions were starting to form but it was abruptly hampered by Mrs. Avery's voice.

"And our chief resident of emergency medicine, Dr Cassandra Elizabeth Miller " Mrs. Avery introduced.

James looked at her intently, that intense look she fought so hard to resist back then. He smiled, that smile full of meaning and for a split second she thought he might say something that would give away their past entanglement.

He might have sensed it because when he spoke it was only a mere greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Miller. " he said extending his right hand for a handshake.

"Well then, let's back to work" Mrs. Avery finally said making her way back to her office.

Alyzza was back giving instructions to her staff.

Brian left most probably checking his patient again at T4.

She was about to leave she realized James hasn't let go of her hand yet. She looked at him disbelievingly.

"Let go of my hand." she asked him.

"Por ahora. Pero solo para que lo sepas. No te dejaré escaparte de nuevo. Te veo, querida." he said smiling at her before leaving her dumbfounded, unable to shake her tension. 

Author's Notes

Translations

Por ahora. Pero solo para que lo sepas. No te dejaré escaparte de nuevo. Te veo, querida.

>For now. But just so you know. I won't let you get away again. See you around, my dear.