Dull sunlight trying its damnedest to shine through the cloud littered Chicago sky flooded into Cassie's eyesight while she idly stared out of the window of the bus, idolizing the resilience of the light fighting to be seen in the frigid weather of January; something she always looked forward to. Quick flashes of buildings and leafless trees captured her attention, the music flowing from her earbuds drowning out any other sounds of the people around her. She tried focusing on anything but the unusual self-deprecating thoughts currently plaguing her mind, her internal battle being cut short as she took a deep breath once she'd noticed that it had approached her stop. She shook the thoughts from her mind, knowing in her bones that she was as ready as she could possibly get; she had to be.

Her older sister, Meghan, had moved out there a couple of years before her and chose to become a detective. She loved her job; adored the city and every time they talked on the phone, she would go on and on about how much she'd love it too. Meghan was not only her sister, but also her best friend. She knew her better than she knew herself, quite frankly, and if she claimed she'd love the city, she knew what she was talking about.

So, after finishing her schooling in their hometown in North Carolina, she took the leap. Moving to Chicago was a change to say the least, but a much needed one. She didn't regret her decision in the slightest.

The obvious wintry chill crept up her spine the instant she stepped from the city bus, the scrubs she was clad in not exactly aiding in wind breaking as the chilly breeze whipped her blonde strands haphazardly about. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket as the cold had already began working to numb her thin digits, her heart thumped with every step she took. The closer that her feet took her to her destination, the harder her erratic heart slammed inside of her chest; Gaffney Medical Center.

Advancing toward the building, glossy letters spelling out EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT on the glass doors, she watched as they slid open with ease while she walked through. Taking a final shallow breath, she removed her earbuds as her nervousness began to fade some, most of her apprehension being replaced with excitement with the first look around she allowed herself to take.

"How may I help you, hun?"

Her head turned toward the voice quickly, making eye contact with the woman at the main desk who had previously spoken. She was an African American woman, curly hair pulled into a low bun. Her eyes were kind, but she could tell that she took her job seriously and wouldn't think twice of putting someone in their place.

"Oh, I'm the new nurse, Cassie Hartman. I'm supposed to start working today?" She informed lightly.

"Ah!" She began, "First and foremost, I'm Maggie. You'll probably pick up how we operate around here fairly quickly, but just to be on the safer side, April already told me that she'd have no problem helping you out."

She nodded, smiling gratefully. "I appreciate it, thank you."

"Now, there's a locker in the break room for you, so you can drop anything off in there. Here's your pager and I.D. badge," Opening a drawer, she handed the small electronic her way, followed by the laminated badge.

"That pager is your lifeblood, so make absolutely positive that you never let the battery die. Meet us back out here after you get settled and we'll go from there." She smiled, pointing her in the proper direction of the break room.

Turning on her heels and eagerly heading to where she was directed toward, her grip tightened on the strap of the bag on her shoulder, anticipation filling her up until she could hardly breathe properly.

"And Cassie?" She turned back around to face her once more, confusion evident as her brows drew together. "Welcome."

With a smile tugging at her lips, she picked up her pace, throwing everything into her locker with breakneck speed before she clipped her pager and badge onto their rightful spots, making her way back to the main desk. She didn't want to miss a thing. Walking back out, she found another woman waiting for her, who she soon found out was April.

As her green eyes glanced around the room, they unexpectedly were met with chocolate ones. They were warm, belonging to a man with gingery hair who gave her a small smile. A doctor. Offering a smile back, her cheeks quickly became ablaze when she noted that he kept stealing side glances her way. Head immediately looking down and embarrassed eyes darting to the floor, she bit her bottom lip as to suppress a smile. He was cute; very cute. She was never usually one to succumb to nervousness so freely, but lately, that was all she seemed to catch herself doing.

"Seven car pile up, everyone! Semi cut off the intersection; two casualties and we've got multiple trauma patients on the way!"

Head jolting upward in response to what Maggie had just advised everyone of, she whipped back around to see April already looking at her with surprised eyes.

"Looks like you've chosen one hell of a day to start." She roused, nudging shoulders with her softly.

That's a wrap on chapter one! As always, favorite if you enjoyed my writing and even better, please leave a review below! Feedback is love, after all.