Chapter 73 – First Day at AIIMS
AIIMS Bangalore felt like a different world.
Not just a college.
More like a place where pressure had a heartbeat.
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Cin stood near the lecture hall entrance, already regretting every life decision that led him here.
"…why does the building feel like it's judging me?"
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Inside, the auditorium was packed.
Freshers.
Seniors.
Faculty.
Everyone waiting for the guest lecture.
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Then the doors opened.
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Dr. Care & Dr. Rhys
Care walked in first.
White coat crisp.
Expression calm.
The kind of calm that made people trust her instantly without knowing why.
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Rhys followed right behind her.
Sloppy posture.
Hands in pockets.
Lazy walk.
But eyes sharp.
Very sharp.
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The contrast alone made half the room go silent.
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A senior whispered:
"…why is he so casually terrifying?"
Another answered:
"…that one looks like he survives emergencies for fun."
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Care stepped up to the podium first.
"Good morning."
Simple.
Clean.
Controlled.
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Rhys leaned on the side of the stage like he owned it.
"…don't fall asleep. I'll know."
A few students immediately sat straighter.
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The Talk Begins
Care spoke first.
About medicine.
About long nights.
About losing patients.
About learning to stay steady when everything else breaks.
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Her voice wasn't dramatic.
That's what made it powerful.
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"Being a doctor," she said calmly, "is not about saving everyone."
"It's about not losing yourself while trying."
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Silence in the hall.
Even Cin stopped joking internally for a second.
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Then Rhys stepped forward.
"Now for the fun part."
Care didn't even look at him.
"That doesn't exist."
"Emotionally, it does."
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He turned toward the students.
"You will fail."
Pause.
"You will panic."
Another pause.
"You will question every life decision you made since birth."
A few nervous laughs.
---
"But," his tone shifted slightly, "if you survive all that—"
"You become someone who can actually save a life without shaking."
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That hit harder than expected.
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The Incident
Later during Q&A—
someone from the crowd raised a hand.
A boy.
Confident.
Smirking.
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"Dr. Care… people say you're really young for your position."
Pause.
Then casually:
"…also, you're kind of hot for a doctor."
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The room froze instantly.
Like someone pulled oxygen out of it.
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Care blinked once.
Slow.
Controlled.
Then replied calmly:
"That observation is irrelevant."
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Rhys, without even looking up:
"And incorrect professionally."
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Care continued:
"If you came here to admire appearance, you chose the wrong department."
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Silence again.
The boy immediately looked like he wanted to disappear from existence.
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Rhys added casually:
"And you will regret saying that before lunch."
That sealed it.
No one laughed.
No one moved.
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Cin Notices Them
From the back row—
Cin watched quietly.
Observing.
Analyzing.
---
He didn't recognize them personally.
No emotional connection.
No history.
Just two extremely young doctors—
respected.
feared.
successful.
---
But something about them felt different.
Not arrogance.
Not pride.
Something heavier.
Like people who had already survived something most wouldn't survive in a lifetime.
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He leaned back slightly.
"…interesting."
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Care's gaze briefly swept the room.
Neutral.
Professional.
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Rhys, however, paused for a second.
His eyes stopped somewhere in the crowd.
Just for a moment.
Then moved on.
Like something had flickered.
Then vanished.
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End of Lecture
Care closed the session calmly.
"Medicine is not heroism."
"It's endurance."
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Rhys added:
"And bad sleep schedules."
Care ignored him completely.
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Applause followed.
Respectful.
Heavy.
Real.
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Cin stood up slowly with the rest of the crowd.
Still not knowing who they really were.
Not knowing what they had survived.
Not knowing what connection was sitting just a few cities away in the same universe.
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As he left the hall, he muttered to himself:
"…doctors are weird."
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And far away in another part of Bangalore—
a different story was quietly continuing.
Without names crossing yet.
Without memories returning yet.
But already—
slowly—
getting closer.
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Dinner in Bangalore
Bangalore nights felt different.
Not loud like Manila.
Not chaotic like their past.
Just… warm in a strange, unfamiliar way.
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That night—
Section E finally met properly again after settling in.
Not in classrooms.
Not in pressure.
Just dinner.
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A small Indian restaurant near campus.
Simple tables.
Familiar chaos returning slowly.
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The First Bite of Bangalore
"WHAT is this food," Percy said immediately, staring at his plate.
Aries sighed.
"It's dosa."
"It looks like a defeated pancake."
"It's culture."
"It's confusing."
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Freya was already enjoying it.
"This is actually amazing."
Rakhi nodded.
"I could live here."
Cin immediately added:
"I could medically survive here."
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Ella laughed softly.
Mica was quietly trying everything like a child discovering a new world.
Edrix and Calix were discussing ingredients like it was a research paper.
David was just eating silently like food had finally made sense in life.
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Yuri leaned back.
"…this is way better than cafeteria food in Manila."
Everyone agreed instantly.
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Cin's Update
Cin wiped his hands and leaned forward dramatically.
"Okay important update."
Everyone groaned already.
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"The professors here are terrifyingly qualified."
Silence.
---
"One of them looked at me like she could diagnose my entire personality in 3 seconds."
Percy nodded slowly.
"That's normal here."
"That's disturbing."
"That's Bangalore."
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Cin continued:
"And apparently first week is orientation only."
Aries raised an eyebrow.
"…so no suffering yet?"
Cin sighed.
"Unfortunately not."
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Normal Chaos Slowly Returning
For the first time in a while—
they laughed properly.
Not forced.
Not heavy.
Just… natural.
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Percy stealing extra food.
Rakhi arguing with him.
Freya calming everyone down.
Ella laughing at everything.
Mica enjoying the moment quietly.
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Even Yuri looked lighter.
Even if just slightly.
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Keifer sat slightly apart again.
Observing.
Not speaking much.
But present.
Always present.
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Aries noticed and nudged him slightly.
"You're quiet."
Keifer replied simply:
"Listening."
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A Different Kind of Normal
The conversation slowly drifted.
Hostels.
Schedules.
Campus life.
Future plans.
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For once—
they weren't talking about loss.
Or war.
Or survival.
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Just life.
Normal life.
Something they weren't used to anymore.
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Percy suddenly raised his glass of water dramatically.
"To Bangalore."
Aries added:
"…and to not dying academically."
Everyone laughed.
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Even Keifer.
Just slightly.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
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Outside the restaurant—
Bangalore lights stretched endlessly.
A city full of strangers.
A city full of unknown paths.
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Somewhere in that same city—
two completely separate worlds were slowly moving closer without realizing it yet.
One side searching.
One side living.
Neither knowing the collision waiting ahead.
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And for now—
Section E just ate dinner like normal students.
For the first time in a long time.
Almost peaceful.
Almost.