I am gonna lose my mind. Chaeyoung thought.

It was already bad that today is Thanksgiving Day but how could she forget that today was also a Friday? Patients were surging in like waves. People who got turkey bone stuck in their throats, car accidents due to rush hours, a fork piercing a lady’s back and impatient family members who complained about not having to go home in time for dinner. Insanely as it were, Chaeyoung was doing everything to keep herself sane.

“Give him 1mm of epinephrine through an IV line every 3 minutes.” She shouted hoping a nurse might hear her in this ruckus. “And pass me a tube!”

“Yes Doc!” The head nurse Kim Dahyun shouted back keeping the warm saline from falling. Chaeyoung made a mental note to thank her later.

In the hallway, Dr. Myoui, their chief was reading the surgical board with much fury. “Are there no more free doctors!?”

“I think so. The others left early for Thanksgiving” Dr. Yoo answered holding a leg stump, blood almost covering her uniform.

“Now what the is that?” Obviously disturbed by what her colleague was holding.

Dr. Yoo grinned and raised the stump “If getting chainsawed on Thanksgiving is a trend, it’s a jackpot for me.”

In the distance, another wail of ambulance can be heard. Everyone stopped in their tracks, eyes wide opened and they were aware their legs turned into jelly.

“Are we the only hospital here in Seoul!?” Dr. Park stripped her gloves with an exasperated expression and called on the others to welcome yet another patient.

“Dr. Son I want you to handle all the cardiothoracic cases,” Mina looked apologetically.”We’re short on doctors and I don’t have much of a choice.” Chaeyoung was already expecting this if you ask her. She was the best CS surgeon after all.

Sprinting to their changing room to get ready for surgery, she realized she hasn’t been able to go look for a surgical assistant. But then again, all of them were fully booked.

Looks like I’ll be dealing this again on my own.

But her rumbling tummy told her otherwise. She mentally scolded herself for choosing to watch a heart transplant surgery instead of eating lunch. Her morning went well actually. She woke up in the right side of the bed with an angel cuddling next to her, then she made breakfast for the two of them- consisting mostly of her girlfriend backhugging her all the time, they even took a shower together and drove to the hospital with Chaeyoung’s one hand holding the wheel and the other found solace with the person seating on the passenger’s seat.

She felt her phone vibrate indicating a message saying her surgery wasn’t until 7:15 PM. She looked at the clock, 6:55 PM, she has barely 20 minutes to rest and fill her empty stomach before operating. The picture in her lock screen made her smile. It was a picture of her and Dr. Minatozaki Sana on the day of their graduation which also turned out to be their day one. She thought of calling her to calm her nerves but thought she might also be busy. Sana has always been her “go to” person in everything and in this hellish day, she needed a comedown.

Chaeyoung sought the vending machine before her stomach decided to murder her. Well, not literally. She pushed the button for a French vanilla coffee and was about to get it when another person grabbed it first.

“You can’t drink coffee doctor, you’ll palpitate in the operating room.” A blonde woman wearing a doctor’s coat quipped. Chaeyoung felt a tug in her stomach and swore her stomach was eating butterflies. It’s been almost a year but she’s still not used to this warm fuzzy feeling. She pulled Sana into a hug and inhaled her jasmine scent.

Sana has a reputation for being clumsy outside of the operating room and this moment proves it. She forgot she was holding a cup of coffee and responded to Chaeyoung’s hug. Sinking deeper into Sana’s neck, Chaeyoung mumbled “You’ll be the one washing this babe.”

After a minute or two of “it was your fault” segment, Sana decided to make up the stained uniform by buying her strawberry milk.

“Here, this’ll be able to keep you energized. It’s a special strawberry milk.”

Chaeyoung scoffed. “What’s so special about this one?”

“Because it has all of Sana’s love” She smiled cutely, scrunching her nose and her eyes twinkling. Chaeyoung noted she looked like a Shiba Inu.

Then Chaeyoung’s pager beeped.

“Crap! Sana I gotta go I have surgery” She was about to run when she remembered why she was looking for Sana earlier.

“Sana” 

“Hmm?”

“Can you come through?”

Sana laughed softly. She hugged Chaeyoung tighter this time, patted her shoulder, kissed her forehead, looked sweetly into her eyes and said “You can do it.”

“Argh! I can’t understand a single thing about Laparoscopic Colon Resection” Sana shouted frustratingly. They were in Sana’s house. Chaeyoung offered to help her study for the medical board exam but for the past hour, Sana was having a mental breakdown. Chaeyoung told her that over thinking won’t do anything good for the upcoming exam.

“B-but I want t-to be a d-doctor” Sana was still bawling her eyes out and Chaeyoung had to rack her brain to think of something to stop her from crying.

“You want me to come through?”

“What?” Well that finally stopped her, she thought.

Chaeyoung giggled “Like this.”

“Cut. Good work everyone!” That was the last CS surgical patient for the night. They all exited the OR stretching, yawning and greeting each other a Happy Thanksgiving. Chaeyoung checked her watch, 11:17 PM. With a sigh, she was disappointed she couldn’t bring Sana to her favorite restaurant for Thanksgiving.

“Cheer up buttercup.” Sana was waiting for her in the lobby and caught her girlfriend’s downcast face.

Chaeyoung grinned the instant she saw her. She noticed she was already dressed for their supposed to be Thanksgiving dinner.

“I’m sorry the surgeries took a long time,” she started. “Your favorite restaurant’s now closed.”

“Thanksgiving isn’t about the places or the foods you eat. It’s about being with someone you truly care for.” Sana intertwined their fingers and looked lovingly at Chaeyoung.

“Do you still need some coming through?”

“Nah, the one I had earlier is still lingering in my senses.”

“You know what? Never mind I’m still coming through”

And in that chaotic hospital, on Thanksgiving night, they shared a sincere and passionate kiss and they knew everything will be alright.