11 PM.
Caleb Lockwood walked out of the operating room, Silas Shaw walking side by side with him.
Dr. Shaw stretched lazily, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, rotating his head, feeling both tired and hungry.
"This surgery really took long enough."
"Thanks, buddy. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have managed today's surgery."
Silas Shaw and Caleb Lockwood were in the same department and had a major surgery today, luckily with Caleb Lockwood's help.
Caleb Lockwood didn't say anything, changed his shoes, and got ready to go home.
Silas Shaw followed him closely: "Let's go grab a late-night snack together, my treat."
Caleb Lockwood refused calmly, "No need." He wasn't in the habit of having late-night snacks.
Knowing him well, Silas Shaw didn't insist, watching Caleb Lockwood's departing figure and sighed, "Tsk, so cold even to me."
The nurse behind them chuckled and teased, "Dr. Shaw, it's not like you just met Dr. Lockwood today."
Silas Shaw stepped back a couple of steps, placing a hand on the nurse's shoulder: "Don't you girls think he's really dull? Not appealing at all?"
The nurse shook her head.
"Dr. Lockwood is just principled and has character. We all quite like him, especially the single girls."
"Dr. Lockwood is so handsome, performs surgeries well, and makes good money. If I weren't married, I'd pursue him too."
Silas Shaw laughed, raising an eyebrow: "With his personality, how would you even pursue him? Girls should be more practical. With him like this, no wonder he's single."
Hearing this, the nurse rolled her eyes at him: "Aren't you single too?"
Upon hearing this, Silas Shaw's eyes dimmed slightly, still smiling: "No rush."
The whole hospital knew that the neurosurgery department had two eligible bachelors.
Caleb Lockwood and Silas Shaw. Caleb was cold and barely interacted with anyone outside of work. Though Silas Shaw wasn't as impressive as Caleb Lockwood in some aspects, he still looked decent and was very talkative, much more approachable than Caleb Lockwood.
Yet, he still didn't have a girlfriend. He had dated before, but it never worked out.
-
The next day was Saturday. Early in the morning, Serena Sutton carried the porridge Ms. Hayes made to visit Brandy Quinn in the hospital.
Arriving at the hospital, Serena remembered the dream she had last night.
People always say dreams are the opposite of reality. Serena could only comfort herself this way, thinking that after delivering food to Brandy Quinn, she would visit the emergency room again.
Maybe she might just bump into him.
Even though she visited Brandy yesterday, today she still couldn't find her way.
Serena stood at the nurse's station, frowning, trying to recall which way she went yesterday.
The hospital corridors all looked the same, and the place was huge.
The nurses seemed quite busy, and Serena felt embarrassed to disturb them. Whatever, she'd just go with her gut; she'd eventually find it anyway.
Just as Serena was about to leave, she suddenly noticed a familiar figure.
A tall, slender man in a white coat walked towards her, his fair skin, handsome features, and clear gaze.
The face in front of her slowly overlapped with the one in her dream last night.
It was him!
At this moment, Serena's heart was pounding again.
The feeling was both familiar and strange. Familiar because she felt a strong emotion like this yesterday, maybe many would call it a crush. Strange because in her twenty-one years, she had never felt this way before.
Serena took a deep breath, gathering courage to step forward.
She silently told herself: Serena, this time you can't back down.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where bed 124 is?"
Caleb Lockwood heard the voice and paused. Looking down, he saw the young lady standing in front of him.
Her pale cheeks blushed slightly, with delicate features, big clear almond eyes, and a faint smile on her lips, looking at him intently.
A ripple appeared in his dark eyes, then swiftly disappeared.
Caleb Lockwood pointed in the opposite direction: "That way, go to the end and turn left."
His voice was clear and pleasant, with a unique magnetism.
Seizing the opportunity, Serena sneaked a glance at his name badge.
Associate Chief Physician of Neurosurgery, Caleb Lockwood.
Serena's small action didn't escape Caleb Lockwood's attention. He slightly turned sideways and casually asked, "Anything else?"
Being asked like that, the young lady felt as if she was caught doing something wrong. She paused suddenly, then gave him a goofy smile, her eyes glittering like they held stars, bright and dazzling.
A girl with a very pure smile, without a trace of impurity.
Serena shook her head: "No, nothing else."
Being watched by him, her cheeks seemed to redden even more. She thanked him and hurriedly dashed off.
Caleb stood there, watching the young girl at the other end of the corridor, wondering if she was too hurried, taking a few steps to the right before realizing she was heading in the wrong direction, hastily turning back, looking a bit confused.
He couldn't help but let a slight smile play on his lips.
"Teacher Lockwood, they received a patient at the emergency room, and Teacher Shaw said the situation is a bit complicated and asked you to take a look."
Victor Rhodes's voice sounded behind Caleb Lockwood.
He was one of the master's students under Caleb Lockwood.
Although many people found Caleb Lockwood to be a bit odd, cold, and seemingly unsociable, he was very patient with patients, even though he wouldn't show much emotion, much like a robot. Yet in work, he was meticulous, and his surgical skills were excellent. Patients and students all trusted him; aside from being a bit aloof, everything else about him was a virtue.
Thus, many students applied for his master's program. Victor Rhodes was one of the top candidates among them.
He was somewhat chubby, fair-skinned, with an already round face further distinguished by a pair of small black round-framed glasses, making his face even rounder. He looked quite cute.
Caleb Lockwood responded, then started walking.
Victor Rhodes followed behind, talking as they walked: "Teacher Lockwood, can I join you in the surgery today? I've almost memorized all the theoretical knowledge you asked me to study."
"I can help with the cranial closure; Teacher Shaw even praised me before."
Hearing Victor's words, Caleb Lockwood showed no expression, his thin lips barely opening: "There are two on Monday; you can join."
Victor Rhodes: "..."
"No, Teacher Lockwood, that's not what I meant, I… okay."
The department's tradition was to schedule complex major surgeries on Mondays. These surgeries usually involved cranial tumors, often taking several hours. One surgery could exhaust anyone.
But, on second thought, witnessing a master surgeon showcasing their skills on such surgeries was worthwhile.
A bit of fatigue was nothing, totally worth it.
-
On her way to find Brandy Quinn, Serena Sutton inadvertently spotted the introduction wall of the neurosurgeons.
The wall had photos and introductions of the neurosurgery doctors.
With just one glance, she saw Caleb Lockwood's photo.
Associate Chief Physician of Neurosurgery, Medical Doctor, Master's Mentor. Specializes in surgical operations for cranial tumors, spinal tumors, and cerebrovascular diseases, successfully completing several major complex surgeries…
Some research papers and achievements followed, which Serena didn't quite understand.
Holding the thermos, she stood by that wall for quite a while, staring at Caleb Lockwood's photo, grinning sheepishly.