𝗗𝗘𝗝𝗔-𝗩𝗨 | ᴀᴛᴇᴇᴢ

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗬 ─ 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗧 𝗜𝗧 𝗨𝗣

The white mug with the hospital's name printed on the pottery slid in front of Doctor Lee's eye and between his arms by the young barista who bid farewell to serve the next customer. The smoke produced by the steamy beverage heated his face, helping him relax. He slipped four fingers into the small handle of the cup and brought his americano to his lips taking a sip and enjoying how the liquid was burning his throat as it made its way down to his stomach.

After placing the mug on the lucid and wooden counter, he pulled out of a pocket his cell phone and opened his agenda to check on his tasks and whether there was some important meeting he could reschedule sometime in the future, maybe when he would've fancied it more.

His thumb scrolled on the screen and reached the end of his working hours. The slot that occupied the period from 6 pm to 7 pm and highlighted in yellow reminded him of the interview with the most important medical magazine. This opportunity would surely bore fruit in fame and money. Despite that, the doctor was aware that he needed to do something spectacular to attract even more attention, and what better than some good news related to a new invention that could change the future of healthcare?

With the hand previously used to lift the cup, he touched the pocket sewn on the left side of the coat, close to his heart. He pressed his fingers on it and his heart relaxed when the circle edge of a pill caressed his pad. The man buried his fingers in the pocket and extracted the pill to throw in his mouth and swallow it with a long jug of americano.

Then, he waited for a minute before being transported into another dimension.

However, someone else had other plans. A nurse, one of the youngest trainees, ran towards Doctor Lee with a face paler than a ghost. The man stared at her as if she had four heads and attempted to control the upcoming vision that lingered in the back of his brain.

"Doctor Lee!" Shouted the girl while waving her hand mid-air to draw attention while dashing towards the man. His eyebrow immediately curved when he noticed the girl still wearing her daily clothes and not the scrub. "Doctor Lee! Our coordinator lost her keys and we have no access to the locker rooms! She sent us here to borrow them from you." Her voice abated towards the end of the sentence.

He grunted and cursed the coordinator since it wasn't the first time she had forgotten her keys. He had already warned her twice, this time the punishment was necessary, especially because he was bothered during his break.

"Alright, alright." He murmured while nodding his head and burying his hand in the right pocket of his white coat. It was empty.

He searched inside the left pocket.

It was empty again.

He touched the pockets of his dress pants only to find them flat and empty.

His heart skipped a beat. Those keys allowed anyone possessing them to enter his office and rummage through his personal belongings. However, what terrified him the most was a key in particular that could lead anyone to know his secret.

Without uttering a word, he made the stool under him slide, producing a deafening and irritating sound and abandoned the cafeteria, leaving the girl with an astonished face.

─↻─

Tsuki was playfully toddling through a secondary corridor, Doctor Lee's white coat was folded neatly over her forearm. She was reaching the laundry with no hurry as if her thoughts prevented her from dashing.

She sighed, "Where would I hide a key that represents my whole life?" She murmured to herself with the usual glower that curved her kids whenever she was deep in thought.