Second Chances | Seulrene AU

The hospital's sterile corridors buzzed with quiet efficiency as Joohyun started her morning rounds. Clipboard in hand, she moved from room to room, checking in on her post-op patients. Each interaction was methodical- gentle smiles, reassuring words, and updates logged with precision. Her focus, however, was interspersed with a subtle curiosity. She hadn't seen Sooyoung all morning, which was unusual given the younger doctor's tendency to be everywhere.

Joohyun's search ended when she stepped into a dimly lit training lab, wanting to prepare for the class she'd be teaching soon. But then, a faint sound of snoring filled the room, and as her eyes adjusted, she spotted Sooyoung sprawled across one of the desks, fast asleep. The door clicked shut behind Joohyun, jolting Sooyoung awake.

"Hernia surgery! You incise-", Sooyoung blurted, wiping drool off her chin as she sat upright. Her words trailed off when she realized where she was. Joohyun crossed her arms, her lips twitching with amusement.

"When was the last time you slept?", Joohyun asked and instead of answering, Sooyoung grabbed the cup of tea from Joohyun's hand and downed it in one go.

Joohyun raised a brow but said nothing. The younger clearly needed the tea more than she did. Setting the empty cup aside, Sooyoung stretched with a groan.

"A little over two days ago. Remember that we switched roles on Friday night? Interns are on call nonstop while attendings are off unless it's urgent.", Sooyoung reminded and Joohyun nodded.

"Thank god I'm no longer an intern. But at least you accomplished it without paging me and that's a huge achievement.", Joohyun responded and Sooyoung weakly cheered.

"Go home, Sooyoung. Rest.", Joohyun added, but Sooyoung shook her head stubbornly.

"Sleep is for the weak, unnie.", Sooyoung replied.

The older narrowed her eyes, ready to scold her, when their pagers went off simultaneously. Joohyun's heart dropped as she read the message- Multiple-victim crash in route. All hands-on deck.

"We've got to move.", Sooyoung said, her exhaustion forgotten as adrenaline kicked in.

"Just on time before I dragged you back home.", Joohyun commented and Sooyoung snickered as they rushed to the elevators, descending to the ER.

Once there, they donned trauma gowns and sanitized their hands, preparing for what was bound to be a grueling day. Within minutes, the ER doors burst open, and the first wave of victims began arriving.

Joohyun and Sooyoung quickly took charge of an older woman wheeled in by firefighters. As they guided the stretcher into Trauma One, one of the firefighters briefed Joohyun on the patient's vitals and the circumstances of her injuries.

"Thank you, we're got it from here.", Joohyun said, her voice calm but commanding.

Inside the trauma room, Joohyun efficiently directed the team to start IV lines and administer morphine. The patient's cries of pain tugged at her heart, but she maintained her focus, providing reassurances as she worked.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a young woman stormed in, her eyes wide with panic.

"Mom, mom! How is she?", the woman questioned in worry and Sooyoung immediately moved to intercept her.