Kissed and Conquered

Chapter Eight: Does He Know Me?

A sharp ringtone sliced through the charged air at Luna’s Bistro, shattering the playful tension between Emily Harper and Nathan Brooks. Nathan glanced at his phone, and his trademark smirk vanished faster than a magician’s rabbit. His face turned stone-cold serious, like he’d just been summoned to defuse a bomb.

“Yeah, this is Brooks,” he answered, his voice clipped. “Alright, I’ll be there in ten.” He hung up, grabbed his jacket from the chair, and turned to Emily. “Pile-up on Jefferson Boulevard. Multiple casualties, hospital’s slammed. We gotta move.”

Emily’s playful mood evaporated. Work mode: activated. She nodded, already halfway out of her seat. “Let’s go.”

Nathan drove like he was auditioning for Fast and Furious, weaving through A City’s traffic with a precision that would’ve made a racecar driver jealous. Luna’s wasn’t far from St. Mary’s, and they screeched into the hospital parking lot in record time.

“Change into scrubs and meet me in the ER,” Nathan barked, already striding toward his office with the focus of a general heading into battle.

Emily bolted for the locker room, but as she started peeling off her clothes, a thought stopped her cold. It was her first day at St. Mary’s. She was a rookie—barely qualified to hold a scalpel, let alone dive into a major trauma case. Why the hell was Nathan, the ER chief, acting like she was ready to lead the charge? Had he forgotten she was fresh out of med school?

The hospital corridors buzzed with chaos—gurneys rattling, nurses shouting, patients groaning. Emily hesitated for half a second, then gritted her teeth. Screw it. If Nathan thought she could handle it, she wasn’t about to prove him wrong. She threw on her scrubs and hustled to the ER.

From down the hall, she spotted a young guy, maybe early twenties, clutching Nathan’s sleeve like it was a lifeline. “Dr. Brooks, you gotta save my dad,” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “Money’s no object—just fix him, please!”

Emily’s brow furrowed. She got the guy’s desperation—family was family—but waving cash around in a hospital rubbed her the wrong way. This ain’t a car dealership, buddy.

“Dr. Brooks, I’m here,” she called, jogging up.

Nathan gave her a curt nod. A nearby surgical resident, eyeing Emily’s pristine scrubs, looked confused. “Uh, Dr. Brooks, who’s this?”

“Dr. Emily Harper, new hire,” Nathan said coolly. “She’s taking lead on this surgery.”

The resident’s jaw dropped. The young guy—let’s call him Chad—exploded. “What?! No offense, lady, but you look like you’re still in high school! Dr. Brooks, if you’re too busy, fine, but don’t pawn my dad off on some newbie! If he dies, who’s footing the bill for that?”

Emily’s stomach lurched. Lead surgeon? Me? She’d done rotations, sure, but running a trauma surgery? That was like asking a line cook to cater a royal wedding. “Dr. Brooks,” she said, keeping her voice steady, “maybe I should assist instead?”

Nathan raised his scratched hand, the one he’d milked for sympathy earlier. “Can’t hold a scalpel with this, Harper. You’re the only one here with the chops for this case.”

The only one? Emily froze. His words hit like a lightning bolt. Does he know something about me? Her past, her skills—stuff she hadn’t even put on her résumé?

Chad wasn’t buying it. “This is a joke, right? I pulled every string to get you, Dr. Brooks, because you’re the best! Now you’re swapping in a rookie? Did you even ask me?”

Nathan’s gaze turned icy. “Chad, bribing your way into my OR is a felony, and I don’t play those games. You want your dad to live? Trust us. Dr. Harper’s skills are on par with mine—maybe better.” He glanced at Emily, his expression unreadable. “Let’s move.”

Emily’s mind reeled. On par with him? Nathan Brooks was a legend—surgeons whispered his name like he was the second coming of Hippocrates. How could he say that about her? Did he know about her time in London, the off-the-books surgeries she’d pulled off under pressure? But if he did, why trust her now, knowing the risks?

The resident nudged her. “Dr. Harper, you coming?”

“Yeah,” she said, shaking off the fog. She followed Nathan into the OR, her heart pounding like a drum solo.

The surgical lights snapped on, blinding and sterile. Emily hadn’t stood at an operating table in months, and the familiar hum of the OR felt like stepping into an old dream. Focus, Harper.

“Patient’s got multiple fractures—legs, left arm, pelvis, ribs,” Nathan said, his voice steady as he read the chart. “Left lung’s punctured, chest cavity’s filling with blood. Clock’s ticking.”

Emily glanced up, catching Nathan’s frown. He was all business now, none of the flirty charm from Luna’s. “You gonna stand there daydreaming, Harper, or get to work?” he snapped.

She flinched. Rookie mistake—zoning out in the OR. “Sorry,” she muttered, diving into the zone. No time for doubts. A life was on the line.

The team eyed her warily, skeptical of the new girl stealing Nathan’s spotlight. But as the surgery unfolded, Emily hit her stride. Her hands moved with precision, her calls sharp and confident. She stitched a torn artery, stabilized the lung, and set fractures like she was solving a puzzle. The team’s doubts melted, replaced by awe. Who is this chick?

Eight grueling hours later, Emily stepped back, exhausted but triumphant. The patient was stable. She’d done it.

Nathan grinned, peeling off his gloves. “Nice work, Harper. First surgery at St. Mary’s, and you knocked it out of the park.”

Emily exhaled, her legs wobbly. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off.”

Before Nathan could reply, the OR team swarmed her, buzzing with excitement. “Dr. Harper, that was insane!” a nurse gushed. “You made a shredded lung look like a paper cut!”

“Seriously,” another chimed in. “I felt calm just watching you. It’s like you and Dr. Brooks share a brain—same vibe, same killer instincts.”

Emily raised a brow, smirking. “Oh, really? Guess I might give Dr. Brooks a run for his money around here.”

Nathan shot her a mock glare. “Keep dreaming, Harper. But I’ll take the challenge.”

She laughed, pushing through the OR doors, but Nathan lingered, his gaze fixed on her retreating figure. Her technique’s like mine, he thought, his expression darkening. No surprise there. I practically taught her everything she knows.

He shook his head, a shadow crossing his face. Too bad she doesn’t remember.