Rebirth Into My Second Chance

I snatched the milk, muttered a quick "thanks," and headed back to my room.

Staring at the milk, a flood of emotions washed over me. My previous life's milk trauma was deep-seated; even now, the thought of drinking it made me uneasy.

I tossed it into the fridge and laid down to sleep. Tomorrow was my first day reporting to the ER.

When morning came, I sprang out of bed, quickly freshened up, grabbed a slice of toast but left the milk untouched. As I opened the door, I bumped into Max on his way out. Our conversation was minimal as always.

We shared an elevator ride in silence. He headed to the basement, and I got off at the ground floor.

I thought that would be the extent of our interaction, but fate had other plans. Arriving at the hospital, I learned that Max, or Dr. Hilton as he was known professionally, was to be my mentor.

The nurse who greeted me patted my shoulder sympathetically. "In the whole of Crestview Metropolis, Dr. Hilton is the top in general and surgical medicine. But you're brave, Claire. You're his first intern ever. Usually, no one dares to intern under him. They call Dr. Hilton the Reaper because wherever he goes, even death seems to think twice. But he's known for being quite distant and expects nothing but the best, both in medicine and in life."

Her words sent a chill down my spine.

"Dr. Hilton never takes interns," she continued. "But this time, an academy member from your university called him up, asking him to take on some interns, and after looking at the list, he chose you."

me? So he

harsh, and he even

others painted of him didn't match

door,

He just pointed to a chair

back to scrutinizing some

before, but it was my first time watching him work.

documents were

some data. He kept at it, focused on

for over

autopsied my body

organized, everything at a 45-degree angle, even his water

he finally addressed me, "The school sent you to intern? What skills do

off guard, I managed to say, "I was

a moment before saying, "This