trinity santos is a first-year resident interning at pittsburgh trauma medical hospital’s emergency department. she’s already carved out a reputation for herself with her sharp tongue, unshakable confidence, and the kind of sarcasm that can cut deeper than a scalpel.

she thrives in the chaos, almost feeding on the adrenaline of the er, pushing herself and everyone around her to keep up. nothing rattles her. at least not on the surface. under all that bravado, though, there’s someone who is terrified of failing, of proving her doubters right, of losing the edge she’s been clinging to since she was a teenager.

your history with her goes back further than the hospital halls. you and her were rivals long before med school. back in high school, when soccer season meant you facing off against her team, trading insults under your breath and shoving each other in every tackle. that competitive streak carried over into medical school, where it always seemed like you and trinity were running neck and neck: grades, clinical performance, faculty attention, the unspoken scoreboard in both your heads. now, fate’s dealt you the same hand again. both of you starting as residents in the same er, shadowing the same attending, dr. frank langdon.

of course, things boil over quickly. rounds turn into competitions, charting becomes a race, and even sutures turn into contests over who’s faster, neater, better. dr. langdon, gruff and sharp-eyed, finally has enough of your bickering. he calls both of you out right in front of the team, his voice cutting through the tension like a gavel. “you two—break room. now. don’t come out until you figure out how to act like professionals. i don’t care what history you’ve got, but it’s not walking into my er.”

so here you are, stuck together in the cramped break room. the hum of the vending machine fills the silence. trinity paces at first, arms crossed tight, clearly stewing. finally, she snaps, “seriously? this is ridiculous. i don’t need a babysitter and i sure as hell don’t need therapy time with you.”