1. Scarlett

All her life, Scarlett had done the right thing. In high school, she had been class president and captain of the volleyball team. She graduated from medical school with top marks and a prestigious internship ready for her. In her thirties, she had established herself as one of the best cardiac surgeons in the country and had never set a foot wrong in the operating room. She was the good girl, the pristine doctor, the daughter every parent wished they had.

Tonight, as she sank down onto the sleek sofa in her dimly lit living room, a sense of guilt swelled up inside her. This wasn't the sort of thing women like her did. This was everything she had spent her whole life repressing and denying. But here she was, curled up in her silk pajamas, laptop perched on the coffee table, fingertips gently tapping away at the keyboard.

Seconds later, the familiar splash screen of her secret online sanctuary appeared, illuminating her pale face in the darkness. Immediately, a small chat window popped up in the corner. Despite her usual composure, her heart did a cartwheel in her chest.

The woman on the other side of that screen was a stranger. Scarlett had never even seen a photo. Still, since they first started talking a few weeks ago, those messages had become the highlight of her hectic days.

EmergencyKisses: Is the doctor in? ;)

Scarlett let out a giggle, blushing a little despite knowing there was no one around to see her. The chat room was called WomenConnect, and it advertised itself as a place for "lonely sapphic women to find support and company."

She had never considered herself one of those women. At thirty-seven years old, all her relationships had been with men. That was what everyone expected, after all, and that was what she wanted, too... right?

Ever since she'd started questioning that, the itch had become insatiable, and one night, after a few glasses of wine, she had taken the plunge and signed up to the site.

DrHeart: Hi! I just got home. Had a crazy busy day.

Three dots appeared almost immediately, indicating that her pen pal was typing back already. Her pulse quickened in anticipation, her fingers dancing excitedly along the smooth fabric of her blanket. For weeks, they had exchanged light-hearted messages almost daily. The other woman was also a surgeon, but beyond that, Scarlett didn't know anything about her.

It was so much easier to talk like this, free from judgment or assumptions. It was liberating, really, like wearing a mask to a party. Suddenly, all your pre-existing labels and barriers crumbled away, and you were free to do and say anything.

EmergencyKisses: You always do. Are you actually alive underneath that white coat??

DrHeart: Haha...Sometimes I wonder. I've been in the OR nonstop since Monday.

EmergencyKisses: Ugh same! My brain is officially fried. Thank God it's Friday, right?

DrHeart: It's Thursday, actually.

EmergencyKisses: What?! Noooooo!! Are you kidding me!?

A grin tugged at her lips as she stared down at the screen. She leaned over to pour herself a glass of orange juice and then settled back against the pillows. It was almost ten o'clock and she was rigid about her sleep schedule, so she wouldn't be able to stay online much longer tonight. In fact, that familiar tug in her stomach reminded her that she shouldn't be doing this at all.

Before she could linger on it, though, her phone lit up. Her shoulders stiffened. Her parents were the only people who called this late. They were both retired now after many decades of prestigious careers—her mother was the former Chief of Surgery at a hospital in Seattle, her father a neurologist who used to serve as an advisor to the National Health Service. Now that they were no longer working, they seemed to have forgotten all about how exhausting and demanding working at a hospital was, calling and texting whenever they felt like it.

Scarlett sighed and hit the speakerphone button.

"Hi, Mom. It's a bit late. Is everything alright?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm despite the spike of anxiety twisting her gut. On the screen in front of her, another message flashed.

EmergencyKisses: Any fun plans for the weekend?

Scarlett bit her lip and reached up to tuck a strand of red hair behind her ear.

DrHeart: Sorry, got a call. Gotta go.

EmergencyKisses: Aww... bummer. Ok talk soon!

Swallowing the guilt, Scarlett tapped the X at the top of the window. Her parents had no idea that she was questioning her sexuality, and she didn't know how they would react. The thought of losing their support terrified her. All her life, she had done everything she could to make them proud, and even now, their approval meant more to her than anything else. The secret weighed heavy in her chest as her mother's voice pierced the silence of the dark apartment.

"Is everything alright?" Scarlett repeated. "I have to get to bed soon."

"It's barely nine-thirty!" the older woman tutted, not sounding remotely remorseful. She paused, perhaps expecting Scarlett to challenge her. When she didn't, however, her mother continued, "How's work going? We haven't heard from you in weeks."

Scarlett shifted on the couch, leaning back and reaching up to rub at the tense muscles in her neck.

"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?"

Scarlett furrowed her brow but nodded. The petite brunette gestured for her to follow as she headed towards her office, and moments later, they stepped inside the familiar room. They each took a seat in one of the chairs facing each other across the desk. Carla clasped her hands together, resting her forearms atop her desktop calendar with a smile that looked almost conspiratorial.

"What's going on?" Scarlett asked curiously.

"Well, I'll be announcing it formally in a few days, but I figured you might like a heads up," the older woman teased. Her eyes flickered to the title card on her desk, which read Cardiology Director, then met her curious stare. "I've handed in my resignation. Once my three-month notice period is up, I'll be moving to take up the position of Chief of Surgery at the Parkes Clinic in Denver."

Scarlett's eyes widened a little. "What? Really?" she exclaimed. "Congratulations! That's fantastic news, Carla."

"Thank you," Carla said with a bright smile, gesturing toward the old family photo of her with her two children, her husband, and their dog that stood on the side of her desk. "My daughter-in-law is pregnant. When the opportunity came up, well, I figured it'd be nice to move closer to them and be a proper grandmother."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Scarlett agreed earnestly.

"It might be good news for you, too," Carla noted, lowering her voice slightly as she glanced over at the office door to check no one was eavesdropping. "When it becomes public knowledge that I'm leaving, I have to assume that you'll want to submit an application, right?"

Scarlett tried very hard to hide the elated grin that threatened to tug at her mouth. Her reaction must've been transparent, though, because Carla chuckled affectionately and shook her head.

"You're one of the best cardiac surgeons in the country, Doctor Miller," she praised proudly. "This isn't my decision, so I can't promise you anything, but as far as I'm concerned, I think you'd be the best possible successor."

Scarlett swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest. A large part of her wanted nothing more than to accept Carla's endorsement as gospel truth. Still, she was aware that the decision ultimately rested with the rest of the board. Nobody could argue that she was skilled, of course, but there were a lot of talented doctors here, and some of them... Well, even at a hospital, there were internal politics and intrigue. She was good at her job, but not necessarily the best at networking. She didn't want to get her hopes up too high. There was at least one person here who would no doubt stand in the way of that promotion.

"Don't mention it to anyone, okay?" the senior doctor said, lowering her voice a fraction. "People are just going to gossip. If you want it, submit a formal application and we'll review your credentials during the hiring process."

Scarlett straightened in her chair, offering her colleague an appreciative nod and smile.

"Thanks for the heads up, Carla," she said warmly. "I really appreciate it."

Carla shot her a wink that spoke louder than words.

"Anytime, Scarlett," she quipped. "Now, I'll let you get back to it. There's a group of interns down in OR 16 who could probably do with your expertise."

Scarlett pushed up from her chair with a grateful nod.

"Will do. And congrats again. Really, I mean it," she added.

Back in the busy ICU ward, a hint of excitement buzzed through her like an electric shock. Maybe all her hard work was about to pay off. With unusual cheer, she made her way down to OR 16, where a group of young, wide-eyed twenty-somethings fresh out of medical school waited for her. Usually, this wasn't her cup of tea, but the possibility of a promotion to chief of the department energized her, and today, she found herself more than happy to show these students the ropes of the trade.