Marked by the Monsters I Created

d blood on he

rs thi

n cut open, his ribs were cracked, and his left leg was a mess of torn denim, broken bone, and

," Nurse Pat

e. Now. Get respiratory ready. He's losi

ht. Tonight was worse. Rain had turned the freeway into a metal graveyard,

n her feet for

the protein bar in her scrub pocket had been crushed flat by accident. She still moved

whether t

hing," som

nd and lifted her eyes to the intern frozen at the foot of th

ed out of it and

utes later, the

, but

zard bin. Her hands trembled for two seconds, then steadied. That w

g against the counter with a tired sm

at the cloc

a

some ridiculous speech about how they needed to spend more tim

tting the entire concept of tim

und mad?"

s never worked an ER shift in

d a laugh.

e next attending is already here. You saved three pe

o her apartment, showered, and p

her scrubs, then at the smal

ly had been ne

rprise m

en exhausted, would

red wine and a takeout bag from the Italian place he loved. She had changed into jeans, a

buzzed in

sh the alien beast

ed despit

hat trashy sci-fi reverse-harem novel Lena kept pus

spoiled villain who tortured five powerful

to ask why anyone would create five future ki

a soft laugh came from

an's

went

pped through the door like a s

ice followed,

a's at the hospit

ightened around

brain refused to u

loser this time. "You're terrib

rises. She does trauma charts, twel

ag rustled in

and clean settl

begged her for months ago, slid it

he middle of the living roo

leg crossed over the other. She wore a red silk dress

et on the woman's

els by the ru

tch on the coffee ta

iar blonde woman had tried to steal every

ed white. "Maya.

ed the door behind her. Her voice sounded calm enough

d down, taking in the tired eyes, the plain sweater,

she s

er hand touched the diamond bracelet.

ough his hair. "Maya, d

I helped you lease, with a woman wearing clothes bought with

three seconds before

instead of a walking hospital sch

hat it's like being engaged to you? You're never around. You're always exhausted. And wh

. "Some men want a woman, not a

d some women want a man, not

ile va

h makes you better than everyone. But honestly, Maya, money is the o

beat, the roo