Eunha had just managed to fall in a deep sleep when she felt someone violently shaking her shoulder. Forcing her eyes open, she stared daggers at Minseok’s face that was hovering above her.

“The emergency caesarean patient had complications and needs another surgery.” Minseok pulled the girl up. “We need you to scrub in as anaesthetist.”

“Heejin’s mother?” Eunha snapped her eyes wide open, shaking any residue of sleep away. “What happened?”

“Internal bleeding of the womb,” Minseok explained as they hurried towards the scrub room.

“Can she even handle another intensive surgery?” Enuha frowned, hurriedly tying her hair up in a ponytail.

“It’s either that or she bleeds to death,” Minseok responded gravely.

“Why do I need to step in? What about the anaesthetist from the caesarean?”

“He’s been working for more than 12 hours so he can’t take part in any more surgeries. Hospital policy” Minseok told the girl. “The other anaesthetist is currently in another surgery.”

“Good thing my building went on fire and I’m ended up here then,” Eunha replied sarcastically as they finished getting ready.

Minseok gave Eunha an apologetic smile, though it was hidden behind the surgical mask.

“Ready?”

“Do I have a choice?”

Stepping inside the OR, Eunha promptly went to her station and got to work. She gave the patient a gentle smile as the anaesthetics took effect and the frown on the patient’s face smoothened. That was one thing that Eunha always took pride in with her job; being able to soothe the pain of those suffering. She was willing to face and deal with all sorts of criticism and backlash from colleagues or higher ups as long as she was able to make life easier for the patients — even if just temporarily.

Outside, Heejin and her father were nervously waiting while staring at the red light on top of the OR door glaring down at them. Junmyeon joined them, having rushed there the moment he heard about the operation and was doing his best to assuage the father and daughter, offering them explanations and reassurances.

“Daddy, how long until we can see mummy?” Heejin’s whimpered softly.

Biting his lip, Junmyeon glanced in the direction of the scrub room and gently patted Heejin’s head.

“I’ll go inside and take a look ok?”

Within moments, Junmyeon was inside the OR, keeping a close eye on the operation and he could not help but gasp at the chemistry that Minseok and Eunha shared. Putting aside his rather unpleasant exchanges with Eunha, she was most certainly a skilled anaesthetist; always alert, highly efficient and wonderfully precise.

Junmyeon always viewed anaesthetists as the silent warriors who were often forgotten or overlooked. After a successful surgery, patients are a