The First Code Blue.

The pediatric wing of St. Aurora Medical Center never truly slept.

Even at 1:17 AM, tiny footsteps echoed through hallways painted with faded cartoon animals. Monitors beeped softly behind closed doors while exhausted parents slept awkwardly in plastic chairs beside hospital beds.

Outside, rain poured endlessly over the city.

Inside, Darrell Woods adjusted the sleeves of her scrub jacket while scanning patient files on her tablet.

Tonight was her first shift after transferring to pediatric medicine.

And already, everyone seemed nervous around her.

Not because she was rude.

Because she was too composed.

Tonight’s look was practical but stylish even during a hospital shift:

·       Fitted deep-blue pediatric scrubs with a cropped charcoal zip-up hoodie.

·       White cushioned running shoes with silver detailing.

·       Soft peach-toned makeup with thin eyeliner and glossy nude lips.

·       Dark brown hair styled into a sleek braided ponytail.

·       Silver star- shaped earrings.

·       Pastel claw clip attached to her ID lace.

·       Thin bracelets hidden beneath her sleeves.

“She’s the new pediatric doctor?”

“She looks like she belongs in fashion school.”

“No, seriously, I heard she handled three emergency seizures alone during residency.”

Darrell ignored the whispers.

She walked into the pediatric emergency department calmly, coffee in hand.

That was when she first saw him.

Matt Collins.

Head pediatric surgeon.

Hospital favourite.

Impossible to impress.

He stood near the nurses’ station reviewing scans with tired concentration. His dark green surgical scrubs were slightly wrinkled from hours in the OR, sleeves pushed to his forearms.

Tonight he looked exhausted:

·       Dark green scrubs beneath a black compression jacket.

·       Black medical clogs.

·       Silver watch.

·       Messy dark hair falling over his forehead.

·       Faint eye bags from too many overnight surgeries.

But despite the exhaustion, there was something sharp about him.

Controlled.

Quiet.

Dangerously observant.

He glanced up when Darrell approached.

“You’re Dr. Woods.”

“You’re staring.”

A nearby nurse almost dropped her clipboard.

Matt blinked once before the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

“So the rumors are true.”

“What rumors?”

“That you’re difficult.”

Darrell took a sip of coffee. “Only with people who deserve it.”

Before Matt could respond-

“CODE BLUE! PEDIATRIC ROOM FIVE!”

Everything changed instantly.

Coffee forgotten.

Conversations dead.

Doctors and nurses rushed down the hallway.

Darrell reached the room first.

A little boy around eight years old lay unconscious on the bed while alarms screamed through the room. His mother was crying hysterically neat the doorway.

“No pulse!”

“Start compressions now!”

The atmosphere became pure chaos.

Darrell climbed onto the bedside immediately, beginning CPR with terrifying focus.

“One, two, three, four-“

Matt entered seconds later, taking over directions instantly.

“Prepare epinephrine.”

“Oxygen levels dropping!”

“Charging paddles!”

The little boy’s body looked painfully small beneath the wires and hospital blanket.

Darrell’s jaw tightened.

Pediatric cases always hurt differently.

Especially code blues.

Sweat gathered near her hairline as compressions continued.

“Again!”

The monitor remained flat.

The mother sobbed harder.

Matt’s voice stayed calm despite the pressure. ”Clear!”

The shock jolted through the child’s body.

Nothing.

Another round.

Another shock.

Then-

Beep.

A weak rhythm appeared on the monitor.

Everyone froze.

Then another heartbeat followed.

And another.

“We have pulse,” Griffin said quietly.

The room finally breathed again.

Darrell stepped back slowly, chest rising heavily from exhaustion. Her braid had loosened, strands of hair framing her face while her lip gloss had faded completely.

Matt looked at her differently now.

Not like a transfer doctor.

Like someone capable of surviving this world beside him.

-

Hours later, the pediatric floor finally became quieter.

Rain tapped softly against the cafeteria windows while sleepy nurses wandered toward vending machines for caffeine.

Darrell sat alone at a corner table eating cold instant ramen from the cafeteria night menu.

Her second outfit of the chapter was much softer after changing out of emergency scrubs:

·       Oversized cream sweatshirt over black biker shorts.

·       Fluffy white socks with platform sneakers.

·       Minimal makeup after washing her face clean.

·       Loose wavy hair clipped halfway up with a pearl butterfly clip.

·       Tiny moon necklace resting against her collarbone.

“You eat ramen after every code blue?”

Matt sat across from her holding two coffees.

He’d changed too:

·       Black long-sleeve thermal shirt.

·       Gray joggers.

·       Dark sneakers.

·       Reading glasses resting in his collar.

Darrell raised an eyebrow. ”Do you interrogate every coworker at three in the morning?”

“Only the interesting ones.”

The tension between them was subtle.

New.

Curious.

Then-

Tiny footsteps.

“Daddy…”

Both doctors looked up immediately.

Alice Collins stood sleepily near the cafeteria doorway clutching a stuffed bunny.

Five years old.

Tiny.

Fragile.

Her cheeks looked pale beneath the fluorescent lightning.

Alice had inherited a mild heart condition at birth, something Matt monitored obsessively ever since his wife left shortly after Alice was born.

Tonight Alice wore:

·       Oversized lavender hoodie with cartoon clouds.

·       Black leggings.

·       Tiny light-up sneakers.

·       Curly hair in messy pigtails with glitter star clips.

Matt’s entire expression softened instantly.

“What are you doing awake, bug?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Alice rubbed her eyes before noticing Darrell.

Unlike most children meeting new adults, Alice walked directly toward her without hesitation.

“You’re pretty.”

Darrell nearly choked on her coffee.

Matt actually laughed quietly for the first time all night.

Alice pointed toward Darrell’s butterfly hair clip.

“I like sparkles.”

Without thinking, Darrell removed the clip and gently attached it into Alice’s tiny curls.

Alice gasped dramatically.

“Daddy look!”

Matt watched silently.

Something in his chest tightened unexpectedly.

Because most people saw his daughter as fragile.

A medical condition.

A responsibility.

But Darrell looked at Alice like she was simply a child.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

And somehow, in the middle of a storm-filled hospital night-

That mattered more than either of them realized.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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