Violence, blood, surgery-themes, mention of rape (it's brief, no details.)

Nothing happens, until something moves. ~Albert Einstein.

It was amazing how easily things changed, while others remained exactly the same.

Living together with Brandon sure had its challenges, but we both agreed we would try. And although nothing was written in stone, slowly his space became our space.

It was the little things. A second towel hung next to his in the bathroom, a vibrant pink toothbrush next to his blue in the mirror cupboard above the sink. An array of cosmetic products found residence in the empty drawer under the sink, along with a hairbrush and bath salts.

More of my clothes moved in his room, with jeans and shirts on a chair in the middle of the room, because his drawers were full. That view was soon replaced by a sophisticated wardrobe next to Brandon's, blending easily with the rest of the furniture in his room, like it belonged there; like I belonged there.

I loved sharing a space with him.

Both our schedules were hectic, and with the latest media uproar, we wanted to keep our relationship a secret from unwanted prying eyes. Still, sharing a home with him was more than enough; for now.

With each passing week, I stayed over more times than not, and on the few occasions I stayed at my place, he always came along. It was always amusing when he stayed the night and attempted to connect with Markus and Stella. It was also a great chance to clear the air, regarding the rumors that sprouted around his name in the last couple of weeks, while reassuring my brother of my safety.

What came as an utter surprise, was his relationship with Jaxon. In these past couple of weeks Brandon attempted to get closer to him, keeping things 'civilized', as he said; although a small part of me suspected he wanted to keep a close eye on him.

It was unfair for Jax, but I didn't blame Brandon either. There was too much bad blood between them, but somehow, they made it work, soon becoming something that resembled two friends, than two enemies.

The friendship between Brandon, Jax and my brother was heartwarming, which was more than I could ask for during the colder October days.

Only time could tip off the scale. But during the better days, the worse were blending in without us realizing.

Demons I didn't realize I let inside my life, took my mind hostage, haunting me. The demons had names, and faces; Cyrus, Viviana, Moretti... I didn't want any of this, but they kept me up at night, following me in my dreams as I kept running, trying to escape them in the maze they created.

Each path looked exactly the same as the one before; dark and ominous, covered with dirt and sharp branches.

It wasn't the first time I walked down this path, but just like the first time, chills ran down my spine menacingly. It wasn't just the rustling sound of leaves crunched under my feet as I ran, or the dark singing of crows, fighting to claim their rotten meal, the twist and turns, the dead ends.

"You know the deal, Cyrus."

Just like the first time, I pushed through my fears, trying to get out of here as fast as possible, when I heard her. Her screams of pain were loud enough to make my ears bleed, but it was the cries of a child, equally pained like his mother, that made me change course, and start running towards them instead.

"I always know who my guests are, Dr. Ricci," his voice reached me directly, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I ran fast, faster than I've ever ran before, to try and get him, the man beating the poor woman on the floor. I ran the fastest, to stop him from hurting her further, to stop him from hurting the child, who was now pushed to the ground. I tried to run faster than that, but my breaths were caught up in my throat, sweat planted my hair on my face, as I hiccupped to try and get more oxygen in my lungs, more energy to my legs, to push further.

"I'll see you soon, Dr. Ricci."

Ignoring the voice, I tried harder to reach them, but it was of no use. The harder I tried, the further away they seemed. I pushed my legs to move faster, but instead of closer, they seemed miles and miles away. My shouts weren't even reaching them, but their cries of pain were reaching me; loud and clear.

"Angel?"

What was happening? Why was I in the same place still, as if I never took a step towards them? Why wasn't I moving? I was breathing, but oxygen was not getting inside my lungs. I pushed and pushed, but I was like a frozen statue.

I had to move. I had to move faster.

"Angel."

I had to... I had... to....

"Erika!"

I was thrashed back to reality, meeting Brandon's scared eyes hovering above me. He held me in his arms, cradling me in his chest, while a few stray tears escaped my eyes. The sun outside had just begun to rise, hugging the room in a light orange blanket, but nothing could comfort me right now.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Angel. It's not your fault. Nothing is." He knew what was tormenting me.

"I know... I just..." My voice died down in the quiet of the room.

"Let me fix this. I just need you to trust me and give me some more time."

"How much longer, Brandon." My voice, louder than before, sounded foreign to my own ears.

After the night I first came face to face with Cyrus Inkles, I was becoming less of myself with each passing day. Knowing that he was in charge of all the schemes surrounding the man I loved, while I couldn't fight back, was torture.

Brandon wasn't the only one being watched. On my worst days, I felt eyes on me as well, but I convinced myself it was my mind playing games with me. That part of me I pushed away, drowning it under all my thoughts; I couldn't succumb to that pressure before I had the chance to do something.

"I'm sorry," he said, voice a warm breath over the crown of my head.

Needing to get my bearings right before running to work, I pushed away from his inviting embrace, and he let me. Life didn't stop for no-one, and we both knew that, even though my insides squeezed painfully.

On days like this, he never pushed me. He knew I'd come back to him.

Before I took off, I kissed his lips, a chaste meeting of our mouths, with the promise of more, later; after I managed to cool down.

One word summed it all, as I realized what bothered me the most: Inertia.

Up until now the opportunity hadn't presented itself, but I was determined. I was stuck in inertia, leaving a sour taste in my mouth, but first chance I got, I'd help those women out, any way I could.

The cool October air hitting my skin helped clear my head. The city was painted in beautiful shades of orange and yellow, and I tried to soak up the few sunrays escaping through the clouds, while I walked to the underground train station. Brandon had offered to take me with his car, but I needed this time alone.

The minute I stepped foot into the gynecology ward, Savi pulled me to the nurses' office, to present to me a whole stack of papers. I wasn't very amused by her unorthodox way of wishing me 'good morning', but as I skimmed through the pages, I turned to look at her, shocked, anger burning a new sensation in my veins.

"Where did you get this?" I asked her, going through the pages, testimonies and pictures of women beaten black and bruised. There were dates, stories, follow-up medical tests.

"Let's say I have my own guardian angel looking out for me."

"I don't understand."

"You don't have to," she said, words holding the seriousness in her eyes.

I nodded in understanding, even though a myriad of questions bombarded my brain.

"What do we do with all this?" I asked, holding the proof we needed in my hands.

"We need to be smart about this. I know you came face to face with the demon himself a couple of days ago, which is exactly why I am showing this to you."

"How did you know about th-"

"It doesn't matter, how I know this. What matters is, we can't act against him, unless we have proof of him tied to these establishments."

All of the women were workers of the flesh, spread around clubs in the whole of Illinois; Sugarpop, Alphaberry, Pink Paradise, Secret square... the list was endless.

"There are so many... how do we even start-"

"We're not gonna go there, Ricci. We'll wait for them to come to us."

"What? We're just gonna stay here, while they're getting trafficked and raped?"

"Keep your voice down," she said through her teeth at my loud reaction.

"I don't like this any more than you do. But I need you to be reasonable. Do you think it will make sense if you walk right into one of Cyrus' establishments? What are you even gonna do there? Ask for a drink and a lap dance?"

I bit my bottom lip in frustration, looking down at the pages in front of me.

She was right. If word got out, we were royally screwed.

"Now... go do your job and leave the thinking to me-"

"You can't expect me to just-"

"Do your job? Yes! That's exactly what's expected of you."

My eyes met hers in a silent battle. After a few moments, it was obvious who won.

"Fine." I pushed the chair I was sitting on harshly, the scraping sound on the marble floor ringing inside my brain like the proof she had just installed in me. "But this isn't over."

"Never dreamed of it," were her last words, but I was already out the door.

The rest of my morning shift continued without any surprises. Patients came in for their trimester-ultrasound check-ups, while others were shocked and confused about the news they received of their unexpected pregnancies. It was pretty amusing to experience these moments with them; genuine human emotions were heartwarming.

But a bittersweet taste remained at the back of my throat remembering the list of women Savi showed me this morning. If no-one helped those women, they would never experience anything like this, let alone feeling human again; being free.

The buzzing noise of my pager pushed me out of my reverie. Eyes wide, I ran out of the doctors' office and to the emergency ward.

It was a Code Pink.

Savi was already there, getting the medical supplies she needed, while the other nurses were ready to assist her.

"Alright. What do we have?" my attending, Dr. Nicole Fisher, said as she pulled on her blue gloves.

I did the same, following her beside the crying woman on the stretcher.

"Ms. Alberts, 28, in her seventh month of pregnancy, came with contractions-"

"I thought they were Braxton-Hicks," she wailed in pain.

"She also had some bleeding, but her waters are still intact. Contractions are ten minutes apart."

"Okay, push Meptid, and prepare antibiotics; we might need them," Dr. Fisher said, authority in her voice, before she turned to me. "Dr. Ricci, I want you to calm your patient. Let's get this woman an ultrasound, before we make any decisions."

"He's too small. He wasn't supposed to come out for another two months," the woman on the stretcher said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Ms. Alberts, I'm Erika." I tried to distract her, taking one of her hands in mine.

"It's Cynthia," she said through her teeth, trying to control the pain wracking through the pain.

"Cynthia, when is your due date?"

"End of December." Her grasp tightened around my fingers, making my fingertips white, but I didn't pull away.

"Is the father with you?"

At that, she turned to look at me, eyes filled with tears, before she shook her head.

"Okay, that's fine. We'll get through this together," I said, hoping my words would calm her down, and she nodded, reaching for my hand to hold in her strong grip.

She was stable, the pain meds making the pain bearable, so I continued talking to her, asking her about the last couple of days before admission, while Dr. Fisher was preoccupied with the patient's ultrasound.

"Her heart rate is 110 per minute and she has a fever of 102.2 F. Contractions started over twenty-four hours ago. The bleeding started today, after she had breakfast."

"Cynthia, from 1 to 10, how strong is the pain now?"

"Seven," she said once more through her teeth, as the pain started to increase with her contractions.

"Good. Dr. Ricci, may I have a word?"

I nodded, following my attending to the front desk, while leaving Cynthia with Savi.

"The baby is now stable, but the umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck. If her water breaks, which I'm impressed it still hasn't, it will be a huge risk, given the situation."

"Contractions are ten minutes apart. At this point it is a gamble with time..." I muttered under my breath. "So, we need to deliver the baby."

"Exactly. I need you to talk to your patient. Explain to her the situation. If we wait, it might be too dangerous for both of them. This way, they both have a chance."

"I'm on it."

"I'll book an OR. By the time we get going, everything will move pretty fast. Do you have anywhere to be this afternoon?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good. I guess you'll be scrubbing in, Ricci."

I had no plans and nowhere to go, so I wouldn't miss the chance to learn from her; she was one of the best OBGYNs of the hospital.

"Erika, you need to see this," Savi said as I walked back towards my patient, pulling the curtains around us shut.

She gently pushed the gown off Cynthia's shoulder, revealing a nasty scar of the letters BJ, made with hot iron.

My wide eyes met Savi's upset ones, confirming my suspicions, when Cynthia pulled her gown over her shoulder.

"I can help you," I said, words of conviction leaving my mouth without thinking.

"How?" Doubt was clear on her face, as she eyed both me and Savi.

"I won't get in the details, cause right now your life and your baby's are what's at stake. But trust me... I can get you-"

"You don't know what you're saying. It's better for you to keep your mouth shut, if you don't wanna get in trouble."

Her words cut through me like glass, but as she nodded with the tip of her chin towards the curtain separating us from the two men in black suits waiting just outside, I knew it was better to talk in the privacy of her room after her surgery.

I prepared her for surgery, explaining the dire situation, content that she agreed, delivering her baby was the best course of action.

"I want all heads in the game," Dr. Fisher said, once the woman was under anesthesia on the operating table. "We have a birthday to attend."

I was already in my sterile gown and gloves, opposite Dr. Fisher, who looked at me with a gleam in her eyes.

"Would you like to do the honors?"

I didn't waste any more time.

"Scalpel," I said, a rush of adrenaline flowing through my veins the minute I pressed the sharp blade on the skin.

I followed her orders every step of the way, as she guided me through my patient's surgery. She was a magnificent surgeon, and an even better teacher in her field.

"Now everything will move super-fast, Erika. The minute you pierce through the wall, all the water will be pushed out. I want you to be careful, cutting with the safety-scissors instead, and then gently pulling the head out."

Taking the scissors in my hand, I poked and teared the sack. An eruption of fluids and blood overflowed out of the uterine walls, as I maneuvered the baby gently, pulling him out.

He was placed over the green dressings between his mother's legs to allow the pediatricians to get to work around him, while we cut the cord.

I knew I should be focused on the mother, but I couldn't help but look at the doctors working beside me, fussing over the still baby.

"He's not crying," I whispered the words, dread filling my nerves, when I looked at the unmoving child, tiny hands and feet colored a lifeless pale blue instead of pink.

"Keep your head here, Dr. Ricci. Let them do their job. You have a mother to save."

"Yes. I'm sorry."

It didn't take longer than thirty seconds for the baby's cries to fill the room, but those were the longest thirty seconds of my entire life.

His cry for life echoed through the quiet operating theatre, and I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. With all my focus back on the mother, Dr. Fisher guided me through the rest of the procedure with ease.

"Happy birthday, little man. Happy birthday to the both of you," she said, her eyes finding my own, before she left the operating room.

I smiled under my mask; the only indication I was amusedly shocked, the surprise in my eyes.

How could I forget my own and my twin's birthday?

"Happy birthday, Dr. Ricci," the rest of the OR team said, before they piled out.

Thoughts of celebrations were left on the backburner; right now, I had a chance to save this woman and her child, and I wouldn't let it go to waste.

After Cynthia and her baby were transported to her room in the Gynecology-ward, I walked out of the OR with my phone in hand. I dialed Brandon's number, thinking I should ask for his help instead of acting on my own, since I didn't want to mess up his plans or put him in danger.

After the third unanswered try, I pushed my phone back in my pocket, determination and adrenaline feeding my next decisions.

I knew what I had to do, and I wouldn't waste another minute, or lose another woman's tracks down the same maze. I would never be able to forgive myself if she or her baby got hurt, so helping them was my only choice.

Inertia be damned.

Brandon's plan of patience be damned.

This woman and her newborn child were living, breathing lives.

And saving lives was part of my job description.

This week my girl, has her to become the ! So, wish her the , cause she deserves it!!! ()❤️

It was around now that this idea struck my brain, and I can now proudly say, is at last becoming the woman I envisioned her to be from the very beginning. We love a good character growth, and I hope hers was just what we all wanted!

Now... I know what you might be thinking... I made a of ... but that was before my began and I thought I could keep up with how difficult the curriculum was. Most students clock in 30 hours of work a week, but I clock more than , cause the program is so demanding (and because I'm a who doesn't know how to say No!)