Page 2 of Hearts Clash

“Everything is fine, Mom. Same as always,” she said, forcing her voice to remain level and unbothered.

Her parents were wonderful people, but tonight, she had other things on her mind. It wasn’t often that she allowed herself a moment of fun. Usually, she was all work, always putting her job first. Still, the need inside her had become undeniable, and she had been looking forward to her nightly chats with her mystery friend all day. It was nice to talk to someone without having to worry about what they thought of her. Just for once, she was letting herself do something purely because it made her happy.

As she sat there listening to her mother drone on about the luncheon that she had hosted earlier that day, Scarlett couldn’t help glancing longingly towards her computer. It lay abandoned on the coffee table, its lid softly lit from within, waiting for her return. Sighing, Scarlett curled a finger into a loose coil of hair.

“Oh, that reminds me,” her mother spoke suddenly, snapping the younger woman back to reality. Scarlett blinked, having zoned out for a moment. “Do you remember Jennifer Cooper, my old friend from medical school?”

“Sure, yeah, I remember her,” Scarlett replied distractedly.

“Well, I ran into her at the golf club this weekend,” the voice on the phone chattered excitedly, “and you’ll never guess what she told me.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes to herself, the motion so fluid by now it was practically subconscious.

“I probably won’t, no,” she agreed dryly. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Her son, Joshua—you remember Joshua, don’t you? Of course you do, honey. It turns out that he just got divorced, can you believe that?” her mother giggled.

Scarlett felt a pit form in her stomach. She knew exactly where this was going. For the last decade, her parents had been trying to set her up with the nearest eligible bachelor, pushing her to meet doctors, lawyers, and any other successful professionals they came across. A few times, she had humored them by going out to dinner with these supposedly incredible men, hoping it would get her mom off her back for a while. It had only ever had the opposite effect, though, encouraging her even more.

“Mom, I’m not interested, really. My career is keeping me plenty busy at the moment,” Scarlett tried to reason, feeling the flush creep up the back of her neck as she cast a glance in the direction of the closed laptop. For years, she had wondered why none of her attempts at dating men had ever worked out. Now, the answer was becoming more and more apparent with each passing day.

“Oh, nonsense,” came the stubborn retort, “everyone needs someone special in their lives. Your dad and I both worked around the clock when we were your age and we still had time for a life outside the hospital.”

Groaning, Scarlett sunk down further into the plush cushions of her sofa, her eyes sliding closed as she waited for her mother to finish her spiel. In all honesty, it had become such a common occurrence, it barely fazed her anymore.

“I know, Mom, I know, but I really don’t have the time or the energy right now—”

“I’ll text you Joshua’s number, honey,” she cut in, ignoring her daughter’s feeble protests, “and I really think you two should get together, okay? He’s a CFO at one of those big corporate companies, a real catch...”

For the next fifteen minutes or so, Scarlett stared at the ceiling, half fazed-out and nodding along while her mother rambled on about Joshua Cooper and his accomplishments. This was the last thing she needed after the day she’d had, and she had a surgery first thing in the morning.

As soon as she managed to make her excuses and end the call, she collapsed sideways on the couch, arms stretched above her head, and exhaled deeply. Glancing over, her gaze fell on the shiny black laptop again. Her chest deflated, shoulders sagging as she turned her face up towards the ceiling and groaned. By now, her anonymous pen pal was probably long gone.

With a defeated sigh, the weary redhead pushed herself up and trudged toward the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing the makeup off her face, she padded barefoot to her spacious bedroom and peeled back the soft lavender sheets, then reached up and switched off the lamp on her nightstand. Exhaustion gnawed at her bones as she settled into bed, and once she was safely wrapped up in a warm cocoon, she shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***

As usual, Scarlett woke up at the crack of dawn to make time for half an hour of yoga before breakfast. Her schedule and fitness regime were both strict. As an expert in cardiovascular disease, staying fit and active was of the utmost importance to her. There was no room in her life for cheat days or laziness. After finishing her daily sun salutations and stretches, she drank a glass of water to hydrate properly, then prepared a nutritious bowl of mixed berries and Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Just over an hour later, showered and ready to go, Scarlett gathered her belongings and slipped out the door into the cool breeze. Her ginger hair was tied back in a tight bun, and she wore a simple white crewneck sweater and slacks. As soon as she got to work, she’d be exchanging her clothes for a pair of scrubs anyway, so there was no reason to get all dolled up.

Scarlett went through the motions of her routine effortlessly once she arrived at the hospital. She changed into her scrubs, checked the board to see if there were any unexpected complications, and made her way down to the operating room where the patient was already waiting. The nurses finished prep while Scarlett explained the procedure. Finally, the anesthesiologist carefully administered the dose.

This was a fairly routine case, as far as cardiology went. Just a standard coronary angioplasty to open up a narrowed artery. There was always a risk when dealing with anesthetics and scalpels, of course, but this was about as minimal as it could get.

For Scarlett, however, every surgery was an opportunity to showcase her skills and knowledge, and that drove her to give her absolute best no matter what. She was known for her precision, efficiency, and spotless track record, and this morning was no exception. The operation proceeded according to plan, without any difficulties, and just over an hour later, she was tying off the final suture with an easy smile.

In the corridor, once she had properly disinfected and washed, she strolled in the direction of the ICU ward. As an intensive care specialist, she spent most of her time there, dealing with whatever complicated cases were sent her way and required urgent medical intervention. This morning had been a fairly pleasant diversion from the usual chaos, but really, she thrived in the hectic bustle. It gave her purpose and left little space for personal distraction.

Rounding a corner, she crossed paths with Dr. Carla Anderson, head of the cardiology department. Carla, a short, petite woman in her early fifties, with brown curls and thick, owlish spectacles, smiled brightly and stopped in her tracks.

“Scarlett! Good morning,” she greeted cheerfully.

They weren’t exactly friends in the sense that they ever spent time together outside of work. When Scarlett had first started working at Rose Bay Hospital as an intern right after college, Carla had been the resident that showed her the ropes. To this day, they maintained an excellent professional relationship.

“Good morning to you, too, Carla,” Scarlett answered amicably. “How are you?”

“Wonderful, thank you,” Carla said with a grin. “Actually, I was hoping I’d run into you this morning. There’s no major emergency at the moment, so do you have a minute?”

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