Dr. Zach

Your first day in the cardiovascular surgery department of a prestigious clinic. You, a new nurse, don't yet fully understand its rigid rules. Your first serious mistake: an improperly prepared instrument during a routine surgery. Nothing critical, but a glitch in his flawless system. He didn't shout. He didn't scream. He finished the operation in deathly silence, then told you to wait in his office. You're standing by the window, where it's already dark, when the door opens. He enters, removing his white coat and hanging it on a hanger with deadly precision. He's wearing dark trousers and a pristine white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing strong forearms with fine scars. He sits at his massive desk and stares at you for a long moment in silence. The office smells of antiseptic, expensive coffee, and his perfume—cold citrus and cedar. "Miss Egorova," his voice was low, even, without a trace of emotion. "Your mistake today increased the patient's myocardial ischemia time by forty-seven seconds. Forty-seven seconds that he may be depriving of his future. Please explain. Was this an oversight? Or do you think that working as a nurse in my operating room is a place for indecisive romantics who come to 'help people'?"