Heartstarter:The Doctor Who Saved Me

ATHENA’S POV “Athena, what exactly was Rick whispering to you about?” Laura bumped her shoulder lightly against mine, her red lips stretching into a teasing smile. The streetlights reflected against her blonde curls as the four of us walked down the dimly lit sidewalk together after our shift. I groaned dramatically and tightened my cardigan around myself against the cold night breeze. “He was trying to flirt again,” I muttered. “Even after I told him I have a boyfriend.” Claris snorted beside me. “That man flirts with every woman that breathes.” The others burst into laughter. For a second, I laughed too. Just for a second. Then Laura tilted her head. “Speaking of boyfriends… where is Lucas? Doesn’t he usually come pick you up after your shift?” The smile on my face faded before I could stop it. I looked ahead quickly, pretending not to notice the way the girls exchanged glances. “It’s complicated,” I said softly. That was enough to end the conversation. People knew better than to ask too many questions when it came to me. I wasn’t good at hiding things. My exhaustion always gave me away eventually. Thankfully, my apartment building came into view before anyone could press further. The old building looked even sadder at night. Peeling paint clung stubbornly to the walls while flickering bulbs lit the narrow staircase leading upstairs. Home. Or something close to it. “Well, this is me,” I said, forcing brightness into my voice. Claris gave me a quick hug. “Get some rest, okay?” “You look like you’re about to collapse,” Laura added. I laughed weakly. “I’ll survive.” I watched them walk away before the smile finally slipped off my face completely. The silence around me felt too loud. Slowly, I climbed the stairs to the second floor, my legs aching after an eight-hour shift at the bar. Every step felt heavier than the last. Lucas and I had argued before I left for work that morning. Again. At this point, I couldn’t even remember the last morning we hadn’t fought. I reached the door and pressed the bell out of habit. Nothing. A small frown formed on my lips. Usually, no matter how angry he was, Lucas stayed awake until I got home. My stomach tightened painfully. I knocked this time. Still nothing. “Lucas?” I called tiredly. No response. An uncomfortable feeling crept into my chest. Quickly, I reached into my bag for my keys and unlocked the door. The moment I stepped inside, the smell hit me. Strong. Sharp. Bitter. Cocaine. My heart dropped instantly. “No…” I whispered. The living room was dark except for the television flashing muted colors against the walls. Empty beer bottles littered the small table. A chair had been knocked over. And then I saw him. “Lucas?” My bag slipped from my shoulder and hit the floor with a dull thud. He was lying beside the couch unnaturally still. For one horrible second, my brain refused to understand what I was seeing. Then panic exploded inside me. “Lucas!” I rushed toward him so fast my knees slammed painfully against the floor. His skin looked pale. Too pale. “Lucas, hey…” My voice trembled violently as I grabbed his shoulders. “Stop messing around.” No response. Fear crawled up my throat. I pressed a shaking hand against his cheek. Cold. My breathing became uneven. “No no no…” I leaned down quickly, pressing my ear against his chest. Nothing. No heartbeat. My entire body went numb. “Lucas!” I shook him harder this time. “If this is some stupid joke, I swear to God—” My voice broke. Tears blurred my vision instantly. “Please,” I whispered desperately. “Please wake up…” But he didn’t move. Panic swallowed me whole. I scrambled for my phone with trembling hands so badly I nearly dropped it twice before dialing emergency services. The line connected almost immediately. “Emergency response. What is your situation?” “He’s not breathing!” I cried. “Please—please help me!” “Ma’am, calm down. What is your address?” I gave it shakily between sobs. “How long has he been unconscious?” “I don’t know! I just got home—please, just send someone!” “Is he responsive at all?” “No!” “Try chest compressions while help is on the way.” My vision blurred through tears as I dropped beside him again. I pressed both hands against his chest the way I’d seen in movies before. One. Two. Three. “Come on…” I sobbed. “Lucas, please…” Nothing. I kept going until my arms burned. By the time the ambulance sirens echoed outside the building fifteen minutes later, I was barely breathing myself. Heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs before two paramedics burst through the door carrying equipment. “Move aside!” I stumbled backwards immediately. One of them knelt beside Lucas while the other began setting up oxygen. “Pulse weak,” one muttered. “Possible overdose.” The words sliced straight through me. Overdose. No. No, Lucas promised he was trying to stop. I wrapped my arms around myself as neighbors began gathering outside the apartment door, whispering loudly enough for me to hear. “Drugs again…” “That poor girl…” “They were always trouble.” Shame burned through me instantly. Then I heard an older woman scoff from somewhere behind the crowd. “This is what happens to strays like them.” The words hit harder than they should have. Strays. As if people like us were born broken. As if nobody had ever given us the chance to become anything else. I swallowed painfully and climbed into the ambulance after them. The ride to the hospital felt endless. A female paramedic worked frantically over Lucas while monitors beeped around us. “Stay with us!” I held his hand tightly despite how cold it felt. Every flatline made my heart stop. Then finally— Beep. A steady rhythm returned. Relief crashed through me so hard I nearly collapsed. “He’s breathing,” I whispered shakily. For the first time that night, hope flickered inside me. Maybe he would survive. Maybe this wasn’t the end. The ambulance finally stopped outside Vale Memorial Hospital. The moment the doors opened, doctors and nurses rushed forward. And that was when I saw him. Tall. Broad shoulders. Sharp black suit beneath a white medical coat. The man stood out immediately among everyone else. Power clung to him effortlessly. Even before he spoke, people moved around him carefully. His dark eyes landed briefly on me before shifting toward Lucas on the stretcher. Cold. Unreadable. “Male, twenty-eight,” the paramedic reported quickly. “Suspected cocaine overdose. Cardiac arrest temporarily stabilized en route.” The doctor nodded once. “Get him into emergency now.” His voice was calm. Controlled. The kind of voice that expected obedience. As they rushed Lucas away, I followed desperately. “Wait—I’m coming with him!” A nurse stopped me gently near the emergency room doors. “I’m sorry, ma’am. You can’t go in there.” “But he’s alone—” “We’ll do everything we can.” The doors shut in my face before I could say anything else. I stared at them helplessly. Then I slowly slid into one of the waiting chairs outside the emergency room. Minutes passed. Then more. I paced endlessly afterward, anxiety clawing at my chest. Doctors walked in and out. Machines beeped somewhere behind those doors. Nobody told me anything. At some point, the same doctor stepped out. The arrogant one with cold eyes. Something in my stomach twisted immediately. “Doctor?” I rushed toward him. “How is he?” Silence. My heart started pounding violently. “Doctor?” His jaw tightened slightly. And somehow, before he even spoke, I already knew. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “We did everything we could.” The world stopped. No. No, I heard him breathing. “He suffered severe organ failure due to prolonged drug use,” the doctor continued professionally. “His body couldn’t recover.” I stared at him blankly. This had to be a mistake. Lucas was alive this morning. We argued. He yelled at me for leaving. He was alive. “You’re lying,” I whispered. The doctor’s expression hardened slightly. “I understand this is difficult, but—” “No.” I laughed shakily. “No, you didn’t try hard enough.” “Athena—” “You let him die!” Several nurses looked over nervously. The doctor inhaled slowly, clearly losing patience. “Ma’am, people who continue abusing substances despite repeated warnings rarely survive long-term.” The words hit me like a slap. Something inside me snapped. Before I could stop myself, my hand collided sharply against his cheek. The sound echoed loudly through the hallway. Gasps erupted nearby. The doctor froze completely. I was breathing hard now, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. “Don’t you dare talk about him like that!” I screamed. “You think you’re better than him because you wear an expensive coat and stand in a fancy hospital?!” His expression darkened dangerously. For the first time, real emotion flashed in those cold eyes. Anger. “You have no idea what people like us go through!” I cried. “No idea what it’s like trying to survive every single day—” “How dare you?” he said quietly. That tone scared me more than shouting would have. The hallway suddenly felt too small. Too suffocating. He stepped closer slowly, towering over me. “Security.” Two men immediately approached. One of the nurses hurried forward nervously. “Doctor Vale, she’s grieving—” “I said remove her.” Doctor Vale. So that was his name. The guards grabbed my arms gently but firmly. People stared openly now. Some pitied me. Others looked disgusted. Humiliated, broken, exhausted—I let them drag me toward the exit. And suddenly, all I could hear were the last words Lucas and I said to each other that morning. “Lucas, we can’t keep living like this,” I had said tiredly while getting ready for work. “So now I’m a burden?” he snapped. “You know that’s not what I meant.” “Then say what you mean, Athena!” I remembered finally exploding after months of exhaustion. “Yes!” I screamed back then. “I’m tired, Lucas! I’m tired of trying to save someone who doesn’t want to save himself!” Silence. Then hurt flashed across his face. Real hurt. I never apologized before leaving. God. My chest tightened painfully. The hospital doors opened as the guards released me outside. Cold air hit my face instantly. And for the first time since the chaos started— I broke. Completely. I sank to the ground trembling violently as tears poured endlessly down my cheeks. It’s my fault. The thought repeated itself over and over until it became unbearable. Lucas died because of me. A shadow suddenly fell across me. Slowly, I lifted my head. A little boy stood there again. His expression unreadable. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then his tiny eyes stared intensely at me. Almost like he wanted to tell me something. “Miss Athena Laurel,” he said slowly. My stomach dropped. “How do you know my name?” Something unreadable flashed across his face before he answered quietly— “My mummy told me" My eyes widened in confusion. "Who is your mummy?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. He opened his mouth to speak "Ethan!" A voice called . My eyes widened in horror. "You're..." The little boy stared back at me and before I could reach out he ran towards the voice. My heart sank. "That can't be" I felt the chill night air tease the hair at the back of my neck I shivered Not from the cold. But from fear. I can't let them find out. Slowly I turned and walked in the opposite direction. My mind already made up. I knew exactly what I needed to do to make this disappear. I needed to DIE.