Owen burst out of the room, his eyes franticly scanning the hallway for Hayden. He spotted him walking towards the OR, his long strides eating up the distance.
"Hayden! Wait!" Owen shouted, his voice echoing down the corridor.
Hayden slowed, his expression unimpressed as Owen caught up. "What?"
Owen bent over, panting, his hands on his knees. "You... can't... leave me... with... that... thing."
Hayden raised an eyebrow. "The skeleton?"
Owen nodded, his face still flushed. "Yeah! It's... it's creepy!"
Hayden's lips twitched, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You know what? I'll make a deal with you. You get all the skeleton parts right in 10 minutes, and I'll let you off the hook."
Owen's eyes widened. "10 minutes?!"
Hayden nodded, a sly grin spreading across his face. "I'll even give you a hint: it starts with a C."
Owen's mind went blank. C... C... what was it?!
Owen's eyes bugged out as he franticly racked his brain. "C... C... Cranium!" he blurted out, his voice hopeful.
Hayden's grin widened, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Very good. That's one point. You got 9 minutes left. What's next?"
Owen's confidence surged, fueled by the adrenaline of competition. He scanned the skeleton, his eyes landing on the spine. "C... Cervical vertebrae!"
Hayden nodded, his expression impressed. "Two points. Keep going."
Owen's mind racing, he named part after part - Clavicle, Coccyx, Carpals... His words tumbled out in a frantic rush, each correct answer earning a nod from Hayden.
As the minutes ticked down, Owen's focus narrowed to the skeleton, his fear forgotten in the heat of the challenge. With 30 seconds to spare, he rattled off the last part - Calcaneus.
Hayden checked his watch, a hint of surprise on his face. "Time's up. And... you did it."
Owen exhaled, his chest heaving with exhaustion. "Yeah... I guess I'm not as bad with skeletons as I thought."
Hayden's lips twitched, a small smile escaping. "Guess not." But you're still staying in that room with the skeleton
Owen's eyes widened in horror as Hayden's words hung in the air. "Hey, that's not fair!" he protested, his voice a little too loud.
Hayden stepped closer, a sly grin spreading across his face. Owen backed up, his shoulders hitting the wall, and Hayden's hands shot up, caging him in. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Life's not fair, sweetheart."
Owen's heart skipped a beat, his face heating up. "Don't call me that. There's nothing sweet about my heart."
Hayden's expression froze, his eyes sparkling with surprise. Then, to Owen's surprise, he chuckled, a low, husky sound. "You're so dumb," he whispered, his breath ghosting across Owen's cheek.
Owen's face burned, his mind racing with embarrassment. He ducked under Hayden's arm, putting distance between them. "Shut up," he muttered, trying to salvage his pride.
Hayden's laughter followed him, warm and teasing, as he turned to leave. "I'll let you go this time, intern."
Hayden sauntered off, his confident stride eating up the distance. Owen, still feeling the heat, touched his chest, his heart thumping wildly. What was that?
Just as he was trying to catch his breath, Emily strolled over, a mischievous glitch on her face. "Hey, someone's all red! 😊"
Owen's eyes widened, his hands flying to his cheeks. "Quickly, I'm not!"
Emily chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "That's what all the characters say before falling in love with their rival."
Owen crossed his arms, a defensive scowl on his face. "Well, I'm different. Besides, I love Blake, and even if Hayden is the last guy on earth, he's still not my type."
Emily laughed, her eyes shining with mirth. "Okay, let's see about that. But I can tell you for free, Hayden is your future alpha."
Owen rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Whatever." He brushed past her, heading to his shift, trying to shake off the lingering flutter in his chest.
Emily's laughter followed him, warm and teasing, as she called out, "I'm watching you, Owen!"
Time skip later that day,in the afternoon hours
Owen slumped back in his chair, his eyes glazing over as he stared blankly at the wall. "Ugh, this is boring."
Emily shot him a dry look. "That's why it's called a job, not entertainment."
Owen jolted upright, his voice carrying across the nurses' station. "Yes!"
The other nurses on duty looked up, annoyed, and Owen muttered a sheepish "Sorry" as he sank back into his chair.
Emily raised an eyebrow, a curious glitch on her face. "What up with the scream?"
Owen leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I think I should send a message to Blake."
Emily's eyes widened. "How? You don't even have his number?"
Owen shrugged, a sly grin spreading across his face. "I don't need to. I'll search for him on Instagram."
He pulled out his phone, typing away before hesitating. Emily's curiosity piqued, she asked, "Why did you stop?"
Owen pouted, his eyes darting to hers. "I don't know his full name."
Emily sighed, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on her face. "Well, everyone calls him Blake. Maybe Blake is his name."
Owen's eyes lit up as he looked at her. "Blake sounds like a surname."
Emily threw up her hands. "It doesn't matter, just search Blake."
Owen nodded, typing away. A single account popped up - "H. Blake". Owen's eyes widened as he showed it to Emily. "Maybe this is him."
Emily's gaze lingered on the profile pic, a lion's fierce gaze staring back. "Maybe. But his profile pic is a lion."
Owen's face scratched with excitement. "Maybe his favorite animal is a lion."
Before Emily could respond, Owen sent a friend request and a message saying "Hey".
Emily sighed, shaking her head. "Done. Let's go back to work before we get into trouble."
Owen nodded, tucking his phone away as they continued their shift, the thrill of possibility lingering in the air