Julia POV
The night shift at St. Mary’s was relentless. I barely had time to catch my breath as I moved from one patient to the next, my mind and body running on pure adrenaline. Around midnight, the emergency call came: a code in the NICU. I rushed down the hall with my team, heart thundering with the familiar mix of dread and determination. The next twenty minutes were a blur of urgent voices, flashing monitors, and the desperate rhythm of CPR.
When the crisis finally passed, exhaustion crashed over me like a wave. The baby was stable—fragile, but alive. I offered quiet reassurances to the trembling parents before slipping out of the NICU, my hands shaking as I scrubbed them clean. The hospital felt stiflingly close, and I knew I needed air.
I made my way to the staff entrance, steppi
