Anna smoothed the wrinkles on her stark white uniform, the fabric already feeling worn despite it only being her first week. The city hospital was a relentless machine of tense shifts, unexpected emergencies, and the icy indifference of senior colleagues. Especially one of them: the head nurse, Brenda.
“Is there a problem again?” Brenda asked, her voice devoid of any warmth.
Anna met her superior’s gaze, carefully schooling her features into a neutral mask. Brenda let out a heavy, theatrical sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. “What did I do to deserve this? Why on earth did they assign you to my floor?” Her voice was thick with undisguised contempt.
Anna took a steadying breath, hiding her discomfort. She knew it was impossible to land a job at the prestigious medical center she’d dreamed of in this small city, but she had never regretted her choice to become a nurse.
“Feeling like you want to do some actual work?” Brenda sneered, a cruel glint in her eye as she enjoyed Anna’s unease. Anna clenched her jaw but remained silent.
“Excellent,” Brenda continued with a sharp, unpleasant smile. “Then get yourself down to the emergency room. It’s Friday night. The drunks will keep you entertained. You’ll definitely find something to do there.”
With a dismissive flick of her hand, Brenda turned and walked away. Anna made her way to the ER, knowing this wasn’t just a shift change; it was a punishment. But it didn’t matter. Rich or poor, drunk or sober, every person who came through those doors needed help, and she was there to provide it.
The ER was a maelstrom of controlled chaos. A woman with a filthy bandage wrapped around her head was singing loudly off-key. A belligerent man was screaming at a terrified young nurse. Nearby, an elderly woman with a face flushed red with indignation was threatening the staff, demanding her husband be seen immediately.
Anna paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then walked directly to the frightened nurse. “Let me help,” she said calmly, gently positioning herself between the young nurse and the aggressive patient.
He scowled, his gaze heavy and clouded. “And who are you?” he demanded.
Anna held his gaze without flinching. “I’m going to take a blood sample for analysis. It will be alright.”
The man grunted but didn’t argue. She deftly inserted the needle, her movements so swift and sure that even in his inebriated state, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
A couple of hours later, the chaos had subsided. Anna, though exhausted, felt a deep sense of satisfaction. She had actually helped people.
“Hey, newbie! Did you get sent to the sin bin?” A man with a kind face and middle-aged paunch peered out of an office. He took off his glasses and squinted at her. “You’re the new one, right? And you’ve already managed to get on Brenda’s bad side.”
Anna shook her head quickly. “Oh no, not at all. She just… doesn’t trust me to work independently yet.”
The doctor chuckled. “Right. Well, a job well done deserves a reward.” He beckoned her over. “Here, have some tea. I’m Dr. Evans, and this is Veronica.”
Anna cautiously took the warm mug, inhaling the fragrant steam. “It’ll be hell again in an hour,” Dr. Evans warned, glancing at the clock.
“How do you know?” Anna asked, surprised.
He grinned. “Simple. Everyone’s bought their alcohol for the night because the stores are closing. They start drinking quietly at home, then they realize they didn’t buy enough. That’s when the real fun starts.” He added, “I’ve lived in this city a long time.”
Veronica turned to Anna. “I’ll talk to Brenda,” she said kindly. “I was watching you work. You’re doing great. Really.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Veronica nodded. “Just keep it up.”
A warmth spread through Anna’s chest. The head nurse may not accept her, but other colleagues were starting to see her effort. And that meant everything.
Dr. Evans was right. An hour later, a new wave of patients flooded the ER. The first was a man in his forties with a bruised face and contusions all over his body. “Went out for cigarettes,” he rasped, wincing in pain as Dr. Evans examined him. “Some drunk guys decided they didn’t like my face.”
Next came a young man, clearly intoxicated and aggressive, escorted by a police officer. “Got into a fight with a stranger,” the officer explained. The young man held his nose, from which blood was flowing freely.
“Does it hurt much?” Anna asked gently as she prepared the necessary supplies.
“Yeah,” he muttered, grimacing. “She broke up with me.” He didn’t have to finish the sentence.
The hours dragged on. Finally, close to 5 a.m., the flow of patients slowed to a trickle. “Everyone get some sleep,” Dr. Evans commanded. “The morning rush will be here in a couple of hours.”
But Anna’s rest was short-lived. The moment she walked into the corridor for her morning shift, Brenda descended on her.
“Well, well. I hear you were complaining,” the head nurse said with a smirk.
“No, I didn’t complain,” Anna said, confused.
“Of course, you didn’t,” Brenda sneered. Just then, Dr. Evans appeared.
“Actually, Brenda, I’m the one who wanted to talk to you,” he said calmly. “You have a talented nurse in your department. You shouldn’t be creating obstacles for her.”
Brenda’s face flushed with anger. “Is that so? Well, if she’s so talented, let her take care of our special patient,” she said with a malicious smile. “There’s a transient at the end of the hall. Everyone else thinks he’s a lost cause. He’s all hers.”
Anna looked at Dr. Evans, who gave a slight, reassuring nod. She clenched her jaw and walked silently to the end of the corridor. There, behind a screen, on an old gurney, lay a thin man in tattered clothes, covered in bruises and cuts.
Anna examined him carefully and frowned. “It looks like he fell off a cliff,” she murmured.
Dr. Evans appeared at her side with a medical chart. “Strange,” he said thoughtfully, looking the man over. “Based on his condition, he hasn’t eaten in days, but there are no signs of dehydration. And he has severe frostbite on his fingers.”
“So he spent several nights outside in the freezing cold,” Anna concluded.
Whoever he was, she would do everything in her power to help him. She didn’t notice Brenda watching them, clearly pleased with her decision. If she expected Anna to refuse, she was mistaken. Anna had already made her choice.
She gently removed his tattered clothing, trying not to cause him more pain. Beneath the layers of dirt and dried blood were deep lacerations and the tell-tale signs of frostbite. She had expected to see an emaciated body, typical of those living on the streets for a long time. But what she saw surprised her. Under the grime was a strong, muscular physique.
“This man isn’t homeless,” she murmured.
“Something wrong?” Dr. Evans asked, looking up from the chart.
“He doesn’t look like a typical transient,” Anna explained. Dr. Evans examined the patient more closely.
“The muscles aren’t atrophied. He led an active lifestyle until recently. An athlete or a laborer, maybe.”
Anna nodded. “But how did he end up like this?”
Instead of answering, Dr. Evans checked the man’s pulse and shone a light in his pupils. “Severe hypothermia, exhaustion, and trauma. It’s impossible to know what happened to him.”
Anna got to work. She carefully cleaned his wounds, applied antiseptic, and dressed them. Just as she finished, Brenda swept into the cubicle.
“Still fussing over him?” her voice was sharp.
“He’s a patient,” Anna replied calmly. “He needs care.”
“Ha! Just don’t expect him to thank you for it,” Brenda scoffed.
Anna shook her head in disapproval and turned to adjust the patient’s blanket. Suddenly, he stirred. His trembling fingers weakly clenched into a fist.
“Can you hear me?” Anna asked softly.
The man’s eyes fluttered open. They were cloudy and unfocused. “Where… where am I?” he rasped.
“You’re in the hospital. You’re safe.” Anna gently placed a pillow under his head.
He blinked, his breathing evening out slightly. “Water,” he requested.
Anna immediately held a glass to his lips. He took a few small sips and closed his eyes again. “Thank you,” he whispered, barely audible.
“It’s alright. Rest now,” Anna smiled. She was sure he had fallen back asleep, but a minute later, his eyes opened again, this time with a startling seriousness.
“Listen,” he whispered, his voice weak. “You have to listen to me. And don’t… don’t tell anyone.”
Anna frowned. “Tell them what?”
“It’s important,” he rasped, the words a struggle. “You have to…” He stopped, breathing heavily.
Anna leaned closer, trying to catch his whisper. “Tell me. I’m listening.”
But the man just closed his eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness, leaving Anna with a strange, unsettling feeling. What was he trying to tell her? And why was his voice so urgent?
The next morning was loud and chaotic, with Brenda on duty at the nurses’ station. She shot Anna a derisive look. “Still keeping vigil over your pet project?”
Before Anna could respond, a commotion erupted down the hall. Two men in expensive suits were striding purposefully toward them. One was younger, but the one leading the way was an older man who walked with an air of absolute authority, a man accustomed to being obeyed.
“Good morning,” he said, stopping in front of Brenda.
“How can I help you?” Brenda asked, her tone instantly sycophantic.
But the man wasn’t listening. His gaze was fixed on the cot at the end of the hall. “Leo?” he breathed, his voice trembling.
On the cot, the patient’s eyelids fluttered. And Anna understood. This was his father. He had been looking for his son.
The man rushed to the bedside. “Leo,” he choked out, his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Oh, my boy.”
The patient’s eyes opened, a flicker of recognition in them. “Dad?” he rasped.
The older man squeezed his son’s hand, his face a mask of pain and relief. “Forgive me,” he whispered. “I didn’t believe you. Forgive me.”
Anna watched, feeling like she was intruding on a story much larger and more complicated than she could imagine. Brenda approached them cautiously. “Excuse me, but the patient is very weak…”
The man cut her off, his voice cracking with emotion. “He needs to be transferred to the best clinic. Immediately.” He looked at Brenda, his eyes blazing. “I said, immediately.”
Brenda’s mouth opened, but she didn’t dare argue. Within minutes, the patient was being prepared for transport. Just before they wheeled him away, his eyes met Anna’s. “Thank you,” he whispered. Her heart clenched. She knew she would never see him again.
Brenda crossed her arms, a smug look on her face. “Don’t expect him to remember you in five minutes,” she said to Anna. But Anna just smiled quietly. She hadn’t done it for the thanks.
A week passed. Life at the hospital returned to its normal rhythm, but Anna became the subject of intense scrutiny and gossip.
“So, has the oligarch called you yet?” one nurse snickered.
“Look everyone, it’s the millionaire’s fiancée!” another announced loudly.
Anna tried her best to ignore it, but the more she kept silent, the more the rumors spread. Soon, the entire hospital knew the story of the mysterious rich man and the simple nurse who had saved him.
She had almost managed to put the incident behind her when, one morning, everything changed. She was walking down the corridor to get a cup of tea when she heard a familiar voice.
“Anna? Is that you?”
She spun around and froze. Standing before her was him—the patient, Leo. But he was transformed. Dressed in clean, well-fitting clothes, with a confident posture and a slight smile on his lips, he looked like a different person. Two men in suits stood discreetly behind him. In his hands, he held a breathtaking bouquet of white lilies and soft pink roses.
“I just got back from Germany,” he said, approaching her. “I finished my treatment.”
A crowd of nurses and orderlies had gathered. Even Brenda was peering out of her office, her face a mask of astonishment.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” Anna stammered.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said warmly. “I just wanted to give you these. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.” He held out the bouquet. She took it, the scent of the flowers making her head spin.
Then he asked, “Anna, when can you meet me? Maybe for dinner, or just a walk?”
There was no arrogance in his eyes, only a warm sincerity. The entire hallway held its breath. Brenda looked so stunned she seemed to have forgotten how to speak. Anna, as if in a daze, heard herself whisper, “Tomorrow. After my shift.”
The next day, Anna couldn’t concentrate. She felt the curious gazes of her colleagues all day. When she finally walked out of the hospital, she saw him. Leo was leaning against a sleek black car, and he smiled when he saw her.
The restaurant was quiet and elegant. After they ordered, Leo looked at her seriously. “Anna, I want to tell you something. You were the only person in that hospital who treated me like a human being, not like a problem to be solved.”
“I was just doing my job,” she said softly.
“No, it was more than that,” he insisted. “Everyone else had written me off. You didn’t even ask who I was.”
“It didn’t matter to me,” she replied honestly.
He smiled. “That’s exactly why I’m here.”
He asked her about her life, and she found herself telling him everything—her dream of being a nurse, her struggles, the profound pain and joy of her work. He listened intently, without interruption. The evening passed in a blur of easy conversation.
When he drove her home, he paused before she got out. “Anna,” he said, his voice soft but with a new note in it. “Thank you for tonight.” He just smiled, and she got out of the car, her heart racing. She didn’t know what would happen next, but she knew this was not the end.
He didn’t disappear. First, it was flowers, delivered to the nurses’ station without a card. Then a phone call. “Are you free this weekend?”
On Saturday, he picked her up, this time without the bodyguards. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise,” he said with a mysterious smile. Twenty minutes later, they were at the city zoo.
Anna blinked. “Are you serious?”
He laughed. “I love animals. I thought you might find it interesting.”
She laughed too, a real, genuine laugh. As they walked past the enclosures, she realized this man was nothing like the powerful oligarch her colleagues imagined. He was just Leo—relaxed, funny, and surprisingly down-to-earth.
“I’ve wanted to come here for a long time,” he admitted.
“And now you finally have the time?” she teased.
He smiled. “Now I have a reason to make time.”
A warmth spread through her. When they got back to the car, the sun was setting. As he started the engine, he said suddenly, “Anna, I’m leaving. In a week.”
She turned to him sharply. “Where?”
“Business. Obligations,” he said vaguely. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
A knot of disappointment tightened in her chest. “I’m not asking you to wait for me,” he said softly. “But I want you to know…” he trailed off. “I won’t forget you.”
A month passed. Life at the hospital continued its relentless pace. She didn’t expect him, but every time the phone rang with an unknown number, her breath would catch. Just as she had finally convinced herself that it was all just a strange, fleeting chapter, everything changed again.
There was a commotion in the hallway. Anna turned from the duty roster and froze.
He was back.
He stood before her in a perfectly tailored dark blue suit, a small, confident smile on his face. Behind him were his two bodyguards. And in his arms, he held an enormous bouquet of crimson roses.
The entire corridor went silent.
“Anna,” he said, his voice a low, warm rumble that vibrated through her.
“You’re back,” she breathed.
“Yes,” he said, taking a step forward. “And I hope it’s for good.”
Before she could process what was happening, he dropped to one knee. The hallway gasped as one. Anna covered her mouth with her hand, her heart pounding in her ears. From his pocket, he produced a velvet box and opened it. Inside, a simple, elegant platinum ring with a single, brilliant diamond glittered.
He looked up at her, his gaze steady and sure. “I’ve done a lot of thinking, Anna. And I only understood one thing. I don’t want a life without you. You saved me. You changed my world.” He took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?”
Someone in the crowd gasped. Someone else cheered. The hallway exploded into applause. Through the crowd, Anna could see Brenda, her face pale with shock, quickly turn away. But all of that was just background noise. The only thing that mattered was the man kneeling before her, his eyes full of hope.
Anna took a deep, shuddering breath, and a smile broke across her face. “Yes,” she whispered.
The corridor erupted again. Someone shouted, “Kiss her!” Anna laughed as Leo stood, slid the ring onto her finger, and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you,” he whispered against her hair.
And in that moment, Anna knew, with absolute certainty, that none of it was an accident. Their meeting wasn’t a coincidence. It was fate. She had come to the hospital simply to do her job, and in doing so, had found a love that would change her life forever.