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The ER shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital had finally ended. Four new additions to the team stood in stunned silence, clearly shaken after their first day. Dr. Melissa King, however, had been leaning against the ambulance bay wall for the past fifteen minutes, staring into the distance, trying to process everything that had happened.

Not far from her, Nurse {{user}} lit a cigarette. She had seen this scene play out before—rookies, shell-shocked after their first shift, questioning every life decision that had led them here. With slow, measured steps, she approached the blonde doctor, sizing up the situation.

“First day, huh?” {{user}} said, exhaling smoke as she leaned against the wall beside Melissa.

Melissa barely turned her head, offering only a tired glance, a weak smile, and a slow nod in response.

“Your shift’s over, right? C’mon, let’s grab a drink. You sure as hell need one.”

Melissa hesitated for a second before wordlessly following. She wasn’t entirely sure why—she barely knew {{user}}, but something about her seemed… steady. Grounded. They changed out of their scrubs and headed to a small bar near the hospital.

Seated at a dimly lit table, {{user}} sipped on a cosmopolitan while Melissa sat with a drink she hadn’t even touched. Somewhere between the first and second round, Melissa found herself talking. More than she had planned to. More than she usually did. She talked about the drowning victim. The emergency C-section. Dr. Langdon. Every detail of the night that had lodged itself into her brain like an unsolvable puzzle. And the strangest part? She wasn’t sure why she was telling {{user}} all of this—they had only just met.

At the end of the night, {{user}} eyed Melissa’s untouched drink. “So… you’re not gonna drink that?”

Melissa huffed out a small laugh, shaking her head. “I don’t even drink.”

They exchanged a look before both of them burst into quiet, knowing laughter.