We were just turning the corner, headed to the lobby, when we ran into Fiona.

“Girl,” she sang as we approached, throwing her arms around me, “I love when you come to my neck of the woods.” She unlocked me and screeched, “Caleb,” before hugging him just as hard. “First time in the ER?” she asked him.

Caleb’s response came out as a laugh, and I answered, “He wanted to see the digs, so I showed him the most important spots—mine and yours.”

“Glad you did,” she responded. “So, what are you crazy cats up to tonight?”

“I have the morning shift tomorrow.” I yawned. “Food and falling asleep in front of the TV are about all I can handle.”

“I hear that, sister.” She pulled out her work phone, the ring echoing in the hallway. She held it to her ear, covering the microphone to say, “Catch you kids later. Nice to see you again, Caleb.”

He waved, and I blew her a kiss. Then, I took him through the main lobby and out the front entrance.

“I forgot how fun your friends are,” he said as we made our way down the sidewalk.

“They’re the best. Fiona used to work in our unit but switched to the ER about a year ago. I swear, aside from my patients, those girls are the only things that keep me going.”

“It’s got to be extremely difficult to do what you do every day. I imagine you think of your patients often, even when you’re home.”

I glanced at him as I stepped onto the road. “Throughout the years, I’ve witnessed some incredible miracles but also some tragedies that haunt me, to the point where I wake up in a cold sweat and can’t go back to bed. It’s those cases that stay with me, not the good ones.” I took a breath, feeling the tightness that was always there whenever I talked about this. “And when we lose one or they give up and stop fighting, it hurts something fierce.” My hand pressed against my heart as I thought of the patient who had coded during yesterday’s shift shortly after coming out of surgery, passing away before we could even start the paddles. “What’s worse is that many of the cases remind me of my brother, and each one I come across aches a little more.”

We reached the next intersection, and before I could press the crosswalk button, his hand was on my waist, preventing me from moving.

“Whitney, you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

As he kissed me, I no longer heard the murmurs from the people who shared our sidewalk or the swishing and honking of cars as they passed. It was as though the sounds of the city had completely dissolved, and what remained were my feelings, growing immensely every second while I was completely enveloped in him.