She Only Loves Her Childhood Friend

Chapter 1

My appendix decided to stage a rebellion while I was in the middle of seeing patients.

After a whirlwind of tests, I was being wheeled into the OR at the very hospital I worked at.

Before the surgery, I wanted to call my girlfriend, Ashley, who also worked at the hospital, just to let her know I was okay.

But Ashley, who was supposed to be on shift today, was suddenly unreachable.

After the surgery, I dialed her number ten times, my worry growing with each unanswered ring.

Finally, on the eleventh try, someone picked up, but it was a guy’s voice, clear as a bell.

“Hey, Zach? Looking for Ashley? She’s cooking up a storm in the kitchen for me. I’ll go get her.”

Then, I heard Ashley’s cold voice cutting through the air. “Zach, I called in sick today. If the hospital needs something, they can talk to the person who swapped shifts with me. And I’m your girlfriend, not your mom, you can’t expect me to be…”

I hung up.

After that, she was all doe-eyed and stuck to me like glue for 24 hours straight, as if terrified I was about to bolt.

01.

Six days after being admitted, I finally got to go home.

I walked in the door to find Ashley sitting on the couch, radiating bad vibes.

She stared at me, her face a mask. “Decided to grace us with your presence, huh?”

I didn’t feel like arguing, so I just headed towards the bedroom.

She grabbed my arm, her brow furrowed. “It was just an appendectomy, you should have been out of here in three days tops. What took you so long?”

“I’m just saying, you’re not as tough as Ethan. He hasn’t been feeling great lately, but he’s still powering through at work.”

I almost laughed. “You knew I was in the hospital?”

All these days, she hadn’t even bothered to send me a text, let alone visit, even though we worked in the same damn place.

Her expression turned a little awkward. “Ethan’s been going through some stuff lately, so I’ve been heading over after work to take care of him, plus working during the day is really draining… And you had colleagues covering you, right? Appendectomies aren’t a big deal.”

I realized I didn’t feel anything towards her anymore.

Maybe my coldness rattled her, because she got visibly irritated. “Don’t give me that look, okay? Ethan doesn’t have any family or friends here, and he’s not the most independent guy, I’m just helping him out, making him dinner or whatever, you’re reading way too much into it.”

Ever since her childhood friend, Ethan, moved to town, she’d said that line a million times, and every time it sparked a huge fight between us.

I remembered one time, I’d practically lost it, screaming at her, “If he doesn’t have family here, then he can crawl back to where he does! And if he can’t take care of himself, why did he even come here alone?”

All I got in return was a cold, “You’re being crazy.”

“Okay.”

I didn’t bother arguing with her like I used to.

She squeezed my hand, her voice getting louder. “Fine, I promise I’ll see Ethan less, okay? Is that what you want to hear?”

I yanked my hand away, looking her straight in the eye. “Ashley, I want to break up.”

Her face changed. “Here we go again. Aren’t you getting tired of this?”

I didn’t answer.

A little smirk played on her lips. “Fine, but just so you know, if I agree to break up this time, I’m not getting back together.”

“Perfect.”

Ashley stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I felt lighter than air.

I sighed. Should have done this a long time ago.

02.

I took another three days off before going back to the hospital.

Dr. Miller, our department head, thought I was pushing myself too hard. He said with genuine concern, “Zach, I know you’re dedicated, but you’re pushing yourself too hard. You were in the hospital for six days with an appendectomy, that’s not a good sign, take a few more days!”

My heart warmed at his words. Both him and Ashley said the same thing, but with Dr. Miller, I felt taken care of; Ashley, not so much…

Forget it.

I smiled. “I’m fine, Dr. Miller, I know my own body, don’t worry. I promise, if I don’t feel well, I’ll take the day.”

Dr. Miller shook his head, defeated. “And Ashley didn’t even try to stop you.”

I chuckled, trying to keep it light. “Ashley and I broke up.”

Dr. Miller’s face turned a shade of awkward.

I grinned, changing the subject. “About that overseas research exchange you mentioned, is it too late to sign up?”

Dr. Miller’s eyes widened. “You’re serious? That’s great, I’m glad you came around!”

I suddenly felt a surge of gratitude for Ethan, because if he hadn’t waltzed into the picture, I probably would have sacrificed this incredible opportunity for Ashley.

When the exchange program was first announced, Dr. Miller had approached me, urging me to sign up, but Ashley and I were at each other’s throats because of Ethan. So I declined the offer, because I was so focused on making things right with her.

Looking back, I realized I was blinded by Ashley and her needs.

Luckily, I was still in time to change that.

With that, I posted a quick update on social media, announcing the breakup.

I also blocked Ashley from all forms of contact.

Ashley and I had been college sweethearts and ended up at the same hospital.

At first, we were just friends, but after joining the hospital, I’d fallen into bad working habits.

Every time that happened, Ashley would come tell me to go home, get some rest and eat a real meal, or she’d hand me a lunchbox or thermos filled with her cooking, with a soup she made herself.

And gradually, I fell in love with her, and we eventually became a couple.

Our relationship was an open secret at the hospital, and to avoid future drama, I needed to clarify things.

I really did love her once, but I couldn’t keep doing this.

After three years, it was time to end this.

03.

The calls from my colleagues came flooding in, all wanting the juicy details of the breakup.

I didn’t want any drama, and I wanted to leave things on good terms, considering we had been together for three years. So, I just told everyone we had simply grown apart.

A few colleagues mentioned that Ashley hadn’t admitted to the breakup, saying that we were just having a fight and would be back together in a few days.

She probably thought that, like before, all she had to do was give me the cold shoulder or offer a half-hearted apology, and I’d come crawling back.

I didn’t argue. I just made it clear to everyone that we were indeed broken up, and that it wouldn’t affect my work.

The others didn’t press, since most were grown-ups.

Ashley hadn’t contacted me since she slammed the door, and because we worked in different departments, I didn’t think too much about it.

Until the fifth day, when I saw Ethan’s social media.

The first thing I did was realize I’d forgotten to block Ethan. Right when I was about to hit the button, I saw Ashley in Ethan’s photo.

Ashley was standing in front of a telescope, with the caption: Finally got to take someone to the observatory.

Turns out that was at an observatory in the neighboring city.

I looked at the photo, not feeling the anger and sadness I used to. I thought it would be better if things were this way.

After finding a new apartment, I took a day off to pack and move.

Before leaving, I put the key on the coffee table. “Goodbye, Ashley.”

A few days after I moved, Ashley came back to the hospital from her break. The first thing she did was storm into my department, demanding, “You took all your stuff? What’s the key for?”

I said quietly, “It’s not appropriate to live together after a break-up.”

Ashley shouted, “I didn’t agree to the breakup!”

Everyone nearby looked our way, so I frowned and said, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

We found a deserted area, and Ashley, keeping herself from losing her temper, said, “Don’t be so dramatic, after you get off from work, buy a gift and come with me to see Ethan.”

“He’s blaming himself for our argument, and I want you to apologize to him, so he knows he’s not the reason…”

…What was she saying?

I looked at her, shocked.

The voice that I once found sweet now made me sick.

Holding back the urge to slap her, I said, “A breakup doesn’t need both people to agree.”

“Go spend time with Ethan and don’t bother me again. I don’t want to deal with you.”

Ashley asked urgently, “Are you talking about when I took Ethan to the city nearby? I had promised him. I wanted to tell you on the way, but you blocked me.”

She even looked like she was wronged.

I said helplessly, “I don’t care about what’s going on between you and Ethan, I just don’t want you to bother me again.”

“I’m begging you, can’t you leave me alone after all we went through?”

I left her there, not caring about what she would do.

04.

Ashley had a big ego, so she didn’t come to find me after that.

I thought that with the small amount of time until I would leave the country, we wouldn’t run into each other. But it was as if the heavens wanted to make a joke of me.

That day, a severely injured person in a car accident was brought into the hospital.

The person needed many doctors and surgeons for an operation.

Ashley and I were both on the list. Our boss was afraid that this would affect my attitude, and asked if I wanted to switch people. I said with a smile that she shouldn’t worry.

The words from when I first enrolled were still clear in my head, so how could I let personal matters affect my work?

I hoped Ashley was the same way.

We got ready as fast as we could and made our way to the operating room.

But after entering the operating room, Ashley’s phone suddenly rang, it was the ringtone she set for Ethan.

Whenever that ringtone played, she would drop everything she was doing and be by his side.

I’ve expressed my frustration to her before, and all she said was, “Ethan is here alone, and if he needs something, I don’t want to miss his call. You’re thinking too much about it.”

Whenever I said too much, she would be impatient and thought I was overreacting.

When I heard the ringtone, I wanted to look at her, and wanted her to know the importance of the situation, at least to not mess around.

But she didn’t hesitate at all, and picked up the phone.

“Ethan, what is it? What… Okay, don’t worry, I’m coming right now…”

After hanging up, she took off her clothes and was about to leave.

I took a step forward and stopped her.

“Are you crazy? Are you going to let the patient die!?”

“Move out of my way, Zach! Ethan is outside and broke his leg. I need to go find him. The part I’m in charge of is in the end. You guys can find another doctor in that time.”

“He broke his leg. He can call 911 himself! It’s useless for you to go!”

I didn’t let her leave, and the other doctors came to talk. They were all blaming her.

Ashley got anxious and pushed me away.

I took a few steps back and was about to hit the equipment. One of the nurses held me up.

Everyone was angry. We didn’t have time to yell at Ashley, we started the surgery and told the leaders to find someone to fill her position.

Unfortunately, the other doctors in her department had other surgeries. There was one that was on break, and they wouldn’t be able to get back in time.

Time passed. It was almost time for her part of the surgery. Everyone was panicking.

Then, someone wearing the surgical clothing came in. I was surprised to see that Dr. Miller was with them.

Dr. Miller said simply, “This is Dr. Lewis, she will be in charge of the chest artery rupture repair surgery in place of Dr. Ashley.”

Because the person was wearing a mask, she was a stranger. But we didn’t object since Dr. Miller was guaranteeing her skills.

After hours of battling, the surgery was finally over.

After Dr. Lewis took off her mask, I was sure that she wasn’t one of our doctors. The leaders must have rushed to call people from other hospitals.

But I looked at her face, and she looked so familiar.

“What? Are you interested in me, Dr. Zach?”

Dr. Lewis laughed. I had realized I had been staring at her, so I apologized.

She smiled, and held her hand out. “Lucy Lewis.”

I didn’t know why she was doing this, but I held her hand. “Zach Taylor.”

Wait, Lucy Lewis?

I looked at her, shocked. “Lucy?”

05.

The doctor that saved the day was an old neighbor. It took me a while to process that.

According to Dr. Miller, she was the lead doctor in a top hospital in Washington, D.C., and was named “Golden Hands.”

She was here to learn and teach at our hospital.

As we were leaving the hospital, I thought about what Dr. Miller said and admired Lucy’s skills.

She laughed, “My dad and Dr. Taylor have contacted each other. And you don’t remember your childhood friend.”

I was a bit embarrassed. My parents had mentioned our old neighbors, but I was too busy to care about anything they were saying.

“Your parents miss you. Go home and see them.”

“I will.”

I needed to go back and see my parents before I left the country.

“What are you doing!”

Ashley, with tears in her eyes, stood in front of us.