Jackson and nurse Kim rushed to the floor. In a hospital full of dysfunctional and terminally ill patients, there hasn't been a day that hasn't gone by that someone hasn’t died. It's probably the reason why the hospital's name was called Paradise, to make death sound more comforting. As Jinyoung opened the door to the main lobby, he saw dozens of doctors, nurses, and surgeons landing to the floor. 

Though, there are rare cases where patients aren't ready to die yet, fighting with all their will to stay alive. Jinyoung watched as the nurses, including Jackson did CPR on the patient that collapsed. Her skin color returning to her body as a Surgeon sliced , placing a tube inside to help her breathe. Jinyoung was never interested in the surgical aspects of the medical field, it was enough to see his parents do things like that 24/7, but he admired their courageous behavior, it's never easy to do what they do, because if something goes wrong, the patient's life is at risked. He watched as some male nurses picked up the girl and placed her on a stretcher, rolling her down to ER. Jackson wiped his forehead full of sweat, as Jinyoung stood beside him with his book. 

"Damn, you're already in the grueling works of being a nurse." 

His friend chuckled, "Oh shut up. It would be nice if you lent a hand, their short on staff for nurses, we could seriously use your huge brain." 

"Yeah...how about no...I'll see you back at the room when you finish your shift." 

Jackson whined, "You're like the worse best friend ever!" 

Jinyoung waved his hand smiling, making his way upstairs to his bedroom. When he got there, he just found himself laying on the bed thinking. He surveyed the area, the bronze colored room, with red wine accents, an ocean view and decorative decor for the furniture. He sighed in boredom, staring at the book he was reading. An image of Mark came to his head, a smile appearing on his lips. It wasn't any romantic affection, well, at least he thought at the time. Mark just seemed like a genuinely good guy to be around, and he'd hope he'd get to see more of the beautiful smile. It was making him giddy just thinking about it. 

His phone started vibrating, jazz music playing softly as the phone awaited to be answered. He accepted the call, "What's up BamBam?" BamBam sneezed, rubbing his nose before answering, "Nothing much, Youngjae told me to call to see if you and Jackson were good."

"Yeah, we're fine for the most part! You guys?"

"Well, we're in Italy at the moment—!" Yuygeom snatched the phone, "Jinyoung we spot some hot babes, so we'll call later!" The conversation hung up just like that. Jinyoung's eyes raised as he flipped through his book. His mind was still on Mark, he wondered where he was, and what he was doing. Even though their meeting was just over an hour ago. He heard the door open with a long groan. Jackson fell onto his bed. 

“Tired?”

“Oh don’t start!” Jinyoung laughed, he sat up turning towards his friend. 

“Say Jackson, do you mind looking up a patient for me?”

“Why, someone caught your eye?” Jackson spoke with a playful tone. 

“Just do it, will ya!”

“Okay, okay, you know if you actually worked, you could have access to all the patients files. Just saying...” Jinyoung scoffed as he heard Jackson’s phone blaring. “Duty calls...” He sighed as he got up, leaving the room to silence once again. 

As there was silence, the outside was in chaos. An Ambulance swung through the gate. Paramedics jumping out, and doctors running to handle the patient. A middle-aged nurse looked from the window garden of the other building. “Jeez, we’ve had more noise in a day since we had in years. Right Mark?” Mark was staring up at the ceiling, he was in tremendous pain. His personal nurse frowned, “Mark, you have to stay strong...” Mark didn’t respond. The aching pain that attacked every inch was too hard to bare, sometimes he wished he could share the burden of dying with someone else. After all, in all his years of living, he’s only known hospital floor plans.

Jackson rushed with Nurse Kim, “Why’s the patient here?” Nurse Kim huffed as she followed the doctor, “Pregnant woman, age 32...” Jackson nodded as they made a sharp left to the ER. “So, why is she here? A regular hospital can take care of her right, we should be saving...” Nurse Kim stopped, turning around towards Jackson. He slowed down. “She has tumors on her lungs and brain, Jackson she ain’t going to make it...” That stuck with the young man, the first time he’d have to watch a patient go. 

Everyone got prepared walking into the ER. The head surgeon looking around at everyone. “I need a nurse whose well-versed in surgery, anyone with experienced?” Jackson looked around. He thought everyone here was individuals who’s worked in the field for at least a decade. “God, they never give me any good ones when I need him.” He was about to start before Jackson interjected, “Sir, there’s someone that’s versed in surgical knowledge.” Now, Jinyoung was never interested in surgical practices, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have to learn it. He heard the door slam open, Jackson was in full operation gear. He pulled him out of his room. “Woah Jacks! What the hell!?”

He pulled him the operation room. Surrounding by a whole medical team, before he could even refuse, he was thrown in a gown with a head cap and goggles. “You’ve bern in an operation room before?” Jackson smiled as Jinyoung mentally cursed him out. He walked and stood next to him. “Tell me about the patient...”

“Scalpel.” Jinyoung handed it to the surgeon. “Im Ara, 32 years old, late stage of lung and brain cancer. She was 18 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed, refused chemotherapy due to the baby. Husband is overseas at the moment, I’m in, we’re taking the baby out through c-section, be ready for rapid heart rate.” Jinyoung nodded as he watched the Surgeon take out the baby in less than 5 minutes.  “Oxygen dropping, we’re losing her!” Jinyoung grabbed the scissors, quickly cutting the imbecile cord. “It’s a boy.” Two doctors looked at the doctor, “I don’t hear it breathing!” The mother’s monitor started beeping, “We don’t have enough time to sew her back up!” 

“Nurse Kim, focus on the baby.” He pointed at Jackson, “Up on the table with me.” Jackson looked at Jinyoung who clamped the stomach open, pushing gaze inside to ease the bleeding, “We can remove her uterus before she bleeds to death, but due to the tumors she’s probably going to go brain dead in a matter of seconds.” Jackson was in awe, looking at Jinyoung fiercely attack the situation with a cool and collective mind. “We can’t leave her like this either, even if she dies on the table, let’s sew her up.” Everyone heard a small baby crying, gradually growing louder. “Baby is okay, taking him to ICU.” 

“What’s your name?” Jinyoung removed the clamp watching the Surgeon close the woman up. The other personnel looking at the monitor, seeing as she was growing stable again, “Jinyoung, the name’s Jinyoung.” The surgeon placed down his tools down on the medal table, “Well, Jinyoung, I’m glad to have you on our team. Nurses are just as much surgeons, as we are nurses. This hospital doesn’t discriminate against job capabilities, if you’re able to do it well, then your up to the task.” He smiled as he left. 

Jackson looked at Jinyoung who was giving him death glares. 

They sat in the back, everyone saying good job, or a job well done. Jackson sat next to Jinyoung who was drinking his coffee. “Can I just say you were sooo cool, like a Hollywood actor cool!” Jinyoung ignored him. “Aww, don’t do that! I had to bring you in!” Jinyoung sighed, “Jackson, you know that I’m not aiming to be a nurse, especially not a surgical nurse!” Jinyoung grew up in a household full of doctors, it was almost as if he was born to work in the ER, but he didn’t desire it. For his first few years in college, that’s all his parents would allow him to do, until he moved out and decided his own life and what he would chose. 

“Look on the bright side, you saved a baby’s life. And...” Jinyoung turned to him as he held up the file. “Found what you wanted.” Jinyoung’s eyes lit up as he took the file from his fingertips. The blue folder, his file. Jackson just shook his head as he left the man alone.

Jinyoung took a breath, and opened the blue folder. Everything about him, expect for his condition. “Mark Tuan...” He’s not Korean, born in America, heir to a prestigious company. He looked at the small details of the report. “Been admitted to over 15 hospitals...” He squinted his eyes, room 2678. Hm... 

“How’s he doing?” 

“The pain is getting to him, normally he’d have enough energy to at least play piano or guitar, but he doesn’t even feel like doing that. I’m worried.”

“We knew this day was coming, he’s bound too...”

“I know...” He sighed. “I know, but I don’t think we’re ready to accept that, when he’s gone...ugh, I don’t even want to think about it. 

“...me neither, but it’s part of being a healthcare professional, letting go of the very patient’s you’ve been taking care of...what an unlucky guy, heard he’s been hospitalized all his life.”

“...”

Jinyoung had no idea that the person who would change him for the better, had less than a couple of years to live.