The Magnificent Mile sparkled under a crisp November sun, Chicago’s shopping district alive with holiday displays and bustling crowds. Sayrn Sauns navigated the chaos with Mia Torres, her fellow ER nurse and closest friend, their laughter cutting through the hum of shoppers. At twenty-eight, Sayrn was still adjusting to her new life as a nurse, her RN degree fresh from this year’s graduation. The ER’s relentless pace—blood, trauma, and split-second decisions—had consumed her, but today was a rare day off, a chance to breathe. Mia had insisted on a shopping spree, dragging Sayrn out with promises of retail therapy and overpriced coffee.
“Admit it,” Mia said, her dark curls bouncing as she held up a emerald-green scarf in a boutique’s bright light. “You needed this. You’ve been wound tighte
