HELLO FRIENDS I AM ALIVE!

First of all, I just want to apologize. A couple of weeks ago I deleted Wattpad in preparation for finals. Even now, I'm not fully finished yet (just 3 more weeks to go)! But summer is right around the corner. Other than shadowing and doing research projects, I will for sure have much more time to publish. I wanted to thank you all for your patience and for loving these characters as much as I do. <3

Happy reading!!

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The Enemy by Andrew Belle

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"I've lived too long with pain. I won't know who I am without it."

- Orson Scott Card

~Present day~

Boston, Massachusetts

Aedrienn

"On a scale from one to ten," I call out from where I lay on the living room floor. "How bad do you think I screwed up?"

"Considering you still came home with a job..." Nova responds from somewhere inside our apartment. "I'd give you a zero on my end because you saved a patient. However, on Dr. Gabriel's radar, I say you knocked it out of the park."

I groan, covering my face with my hands. "I don't understand why he was so angry. Did they want me to let someone die? You heard Leo - he would've done the same thing!"

"I think it has more to do with the fact that you showed up unannounced and - ow. Mother fuck," Nova swears as the sound of something crashing to the floor fills the apartment. Ace jerks up from beside me, growling now that his sleep was disturbed.

And Nova wondered why he didn't like her.

"What are you doing?" I ask, hearing as she rummages through our things. After my little meeting with Dr. Gabriel was over, we came straight home, Nova insisting that there was something she had to show me and proceeded to tear apart our home to find it. "Whatever it is, you're cleaning it up."

"Shut up," she grumbles, walking into the living room with a large storage box in her arms. "I was searching for this."

I gasp, and now it's my turn to sit up as Nova places the container on the floor. "Is that what I think it is?"

She takes her place across from me, popping off the lid. "If you think it's every medical journal we've ever had to read, review, and write a paper on, then you would be correct."

"I completely forgot this existed." I look to see hundreds of highlighted and colored papers. Each one marked with our handwriting and red pens.

When we first started medical school, Nova and I decided to keep a photo album dedicated specifically to the years we were students. It sat on a shelve along the wall of our living room, and sometimes during our stay-at-home nights when we got drunk on wine and watched action movies, we would go through it. Recalling every single memory - every single thing we did and shared together.

After that first year was over, I was about to throw away my assignment papers when Nova stopped me and came up with the idea to keep them too. At the time, I argued with her, telling her that it would just cause too much clutter. But seeing them now, I'm grateful that she had the sense to stop me. These were memories too.

"Look at that." Nova holds up and opens one of her blue binders for me to see. "You can still make out the places where my tears fell."

"And the wine and coffee stains." I point out, laughing.

"Ah-ha!" Nova exclaims as she pulls out another journal. "Found it." She brushes the dust off the journal and hands it over to me. "This was what I wanted to show you."

I gently take it from her, and my eyes widened. "So he did work with him after all..." I breathe as the faces of my dearest brother and a stunning younger Dr. Gabriel come to view.

On the cover is a picture of Mason and my grumpy new boss, both of them wearing suits and their shiny white lab coats. Mason has his arm around Dr. Gabriel, smiling widely into the camera while the latter just crosses his arms, giving the viewer a small smirk.

The bottom captions reads:

The revolution of medicine is here as Dr. Mason Renna and Dr. Asher Gabriel Eliseo merge their brilliant minds together, discovering non-invasive surgical procedures and effective post-op healing treatments in heart condition and brain tumor patients.

I couldn't believe it. When I spoke to Dr. Gabriel about my brother, I had made the assumption that they had been colleagues or at least knew of each other because of the close partnership Mason had with his father - Santiago Eliseo. But it seemed that they weren't just partners. They were close friends.

"Where did you get this?" I ask Nova.

"I found it a long time ago back in Seattle. I was at a random book store when I saw it. I thought you'd like to have it, but I forgot about it until now." There's a lingering, sad smile on Nova's face. "Mason seems so happy."

"He does." I my fingers skim over the image. "He had to have been a senior resident here. Gabriel was what? An intern?"

"Yeah." Nova agrees, taking it back from me. "This was published six years ago."

"Mason would've been thirty-four at the time, too." I also notice something else. "Hmm, interesting. Dr. Gabriel doesn't seem so...unpleasant," I say, slightly startled that an expression other than a scowl could ever appear on his face. "Was he like that when you first started working at the City of Light?"

Nova's brows furrow in thought. "I wouldn't know. Leo was the one who hired me. And aside from faculty meetings and important patient debriefing, I've never even seen him outside of his office. I mean, I was just as shocked as you were when I saw him in the OR today."

"Hmm," I contemplate, continuing to rummage through the box when I see another interesting magazine. "Nova, look at this one."

She inclines her head to inspect what I am holding, and the sad, grim expression on her face matches my own at what we see.

This caption reads:

The world mourns as we receive news that Elena Eliseo - brilliant geneticist and wife to Santiago Eliseo -  dies of brain cancer.

The cover is a picture of the three of them. It's professional - a very regal, serious portrait compared to the fun ones my own family used to take. Santiago Eliseo stands up straight - a neutral, almost bored expression on his face. On the other hand, his son and wife stand in front of him. Both of them smiling broadly, Elena's arms wrapped tightly around her son.

Her son.

Dr. Gabriel must have been at least thirteen years old when this photo was taken. He reaches just shy of his mother's shoulders and he wears large, thick-framed glasses, braces on his pearly white teeth and two dimples on full display. And the more I stare, the more I see the resemblance.

Besides the obsidian eyes he received from Santiago, Asher Gabriel Eliseo inherited all his beauty from his mother. Elena was a stunning, remarkable woman with midnight dark hair and a pretty straight nose. But unlike her son and husband, she had bright blue eyes.

"His mom," I observe, a sinking feeling in my chest as I re-read the words. "He was just a boy when he lost her."

"His father died about six months ago too," Nova said, and at this, my head snaps up.

"What?" I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. "Santiago Eliseo? But - but how? How come you didn't tell me?"

Nova shakes her head, her lips pulling into a deep frown. "I couldn't reach you in Texas, remember? And it was all so sudden. I was in the middle of my shift when a nurse told me. Apparently, he had secretly been fighting an illness for months. But there was no formal staff announcement. No memorial." She shrugs her shoulders. "Dr. Gabriel took over the next day as if nothing ever happened."

I blink. Nova was right. During my training in Texas, the base we were located in was so secluded that Nova and I could barely go a minute without our connection breaking off. Trying to use a computer was even harder. But still - I should've somehow known about it. Santiago Eliseo was a powerful, rich man - this shouldn't have gone so unnoticed.

I realize something then.

"I brought up his dad." The statement of this hits me, as well as a wave of deep guilt. "Oh God - he probably thinks I insulted him."

"I'm sure he didn't take it like that."

"But what if he did?" I hear the intensity in my own voice. "He's probably trying to forget one of the worst days of his life and I just reminded him so casually about it."

"There's no way you could have possibly known." Nova drops the magazines she was holding onto the floor and stands up. "I think today has just been a lot for you. For the first time in years, Aedrienn, you walked into the hospital where your brother worked at. That takes a lot of courage." She comes over to my side, bending down to kiss the top of my head. "Don't let it get to you - and don't blame yourself either. Try to get some sleep." She lets out a loud yawn. "It's late."

I glance at our living room clock to see that it was already midnight, and I'm suddenly aware of how exhausted I truly was.

Nova disappears down the hall, leaving me alone with Ace and dozens of papers scattered all around me.

"She didn't clean this up like I told her to," I grumble as I start putting the journals back into the box. I'm about to put the lid back on when I catch sight of the portrait with Dr. Gabriel and his family again. I reach for it unwillingly, torturing myself by reading the caption over and over again.

Nova was right. I probably was taking our interaction to seriously, but I couldn't help it now that I knew of his father's situation. And as I continued to study the magazine before me, I also couldn't deny that I saw my younger self in Dr. Gabriel.

When I buried my father and brother, a piece of myself had also been buried with them - the piece that could hope and love. I didn't think I could ever be happy without them, so I pushed everything and everyone away. I lashed out and threw myself into a hole of despair.

Until someone dug me out and showed me that the impossible could be done - that despite everything, life could in fact be beautiful.

I wondered if Dr. Gabriel had that someone too. That someone who could give you a life full of joy. Losing a parent is devastating enough, but to have lost both of them...

Not a day went by that I didn't feel my father's absence, but the difference was that I still had my mother. Granted, we argued more than we spoke and brought out the worst in each other, but I always had reassurance in the fact that she was still here on earth with me.

Dr. Gabriel had neither of his parents. And as far as I knew, he didn't have siblings either. It made me wonder if he had any other family members he could rely on. From the casual way Leo spoke about him, it seemed that they had some sort of friendship. But how deep that ran, I didn't know.

Or maybe he had a girlfriend - a wife perhaps? Whatever the case may be, my only hope was that he wasn't alone in this. If he didn't and he was in fact grieving, it certainly would explain his behavior. And as someone who used her own anger as a shield, I couldn't blame him for it.

I shake the sad thoughts from my head and finish cleaning up, putting the box back in our storage closet.

As I make my way towards my room, Ace following me, I notice how heavy the two magazines feel in my arms now.

The magazines with the two portraits on them. Portraits I couldn't bear to leave locked up behind a door.

Portraits that display everything a young, innocent boy lost.

———————-

I'm going to throw up.

I place my hand over my mouth, praying that I can hold on long enough to get this ridiculous speech over with. I sneak a peek through the curtain, watching in horror as bodies continue pouring into the auditorium. There had to have been at least two hundred people in here by now.

Yeah. I'm definitely going to throw up.

I'm about to take my phone out to call Nova, then I remember that she couldn't be here. She had an important consult this morning that she couldn't reschedule.

I was all alone.

"Calm down," I whisper to myself, taking in deep, even breaths. "You can do this. It's just a simple introduction. You're going to walk up and there, tell everyone a little bit about yourself." I turn around, trying to block out the noise of the growing crowd. "And you're going to be fine and - and this is all your fault!"

I give up on my breathing exercises and instead direct my anger towards Leo as he approaches me. A look of pure confusion plastered on his face when he sees my aggravated expression.

He tilts his head. "A lot of things are my fault. You're going to have to be a bit more specific."

"You said I would have to give a small introduction, Leo!" I grab the curtain again, moving it just enough to where he can see. "Is this small to you?"

He lets out a low whistle. "Wow. Aren't you little miss popular?"

I ignore his jab, my patience running out. "I thought I was just meeting with the residents and their interns. Not the whole entire damn hospital!"

He gives me a flat, blank stare. "It honestly shocks me that you're surprised. If anything, this is your fault."

My mouth opens and closes in shock. "Mine? This wasn't my idea in the first place!"

Leo called me about a week ago, letting me know that I was ready to start the orientation process, part of which was giving a mandatory introduction to the surgical staff on my behalf. If I'm being honest, I was shocked that he called in the first place. I'd been so sure that he would change his mind after what happened.

"Well, it didn't take long for everyone to hear of your little show in the OR." He places his hands in his pockets, his lips pulling up into a smirk. "And they may or may not want a look at Mason Renna's little sister."

I hiss out a breath. "Of course." This was exactly what I was afraid of. It was one of the reasons why I applied with my second surname in the first place. I was proud of my name and everything my brother had accomplished, but I just wanted the chance to ease into it. I wanted for people to get to know me as a person first rather than make assumptions based off what they knew of Mason. I didn't want to let people down. That plan went out the window thanks to Dr. Gabriel and his grand announcement in the OR.

"Wait - don't tell me you have stage fright?"

"No, it's not that. It's just..." I consider carefully, searching for the right words. "I have more to offer than just my name. I'm more than just Mason's little sister."

I don't expect Leo to understand. And I wait for him to yell at me like Dr. Gabriel did and tell me that I needed to get over it. But he does none of that, and instead, his eyes soften, his previously smug expression now turning into one of compassion.

"I know that." He takes a step closer. "One minute with you in the operating room was enough to show me who you are. But they don't know that." He gestures toward the crowd behind the curtain. "You have the chance to start over. To decide who you want to be in this hospital."

I'm startled by his response, not expecting it to have been so...kind. And encouraging.

I return his smile with one of my own. "You know, that's actually something my brother would say."

"Then I guess we're both geniuses." He twirls a finger, signaling for me to turn around. "Come on, you can't keep them waiting forever."

No, I couldn't.

Giving Leo one final glance, I open the curtain and step out.

————————

Asher

The whole entire auditorium goes at a standstill as Aedrienn walks out. Her back is straight, chin up as she moves towards the podium at the furthest left side of the stage.

From my hidden spot at the very back, I could see her perfectly.

Her long hair fell down her shoulders in pretty brown waves. Under her white lab coat, she wore an elegant cream-colored pencil skirt and a silky white blouse tucked into it, a pair of shiny nude heels on her feet.

The sight of her makes everyone lean forward in their seats, their bodies coiled in anticipation at what the young doctor has to say.

"Good morning, everyone."

And just like I suspected - the second she greets the audience, a charming grin on her face - the whole entire audience is captivated. Mesmerized by the sound of her voice and the lovely words she speaks.

"Perhaps some of you already know, but for those of you who don't, my name is Aedrienn Atalia Renna." Everyone murmurs under their breaths at this, but it doesn't derail her. Instead, she keeps going.

She picks up a small remote from the stand and clicks a button on it, presenting a slideshow of pictures.

"I did my undergrad at the University of Washing in Seattle. I graduated with honors in biochemistry with a minor in business." She spends a few minutes speaking about her medical career. Where she studied, what type of research she did. Then she moves on to her personal life, and everyone laughs when a picture of her and a German shepherd pops up, the giant animal sitting on the former's lap as if he were a small puppy.

Cute.

The thought is brief - fleeting. I frown and shake the inappropriate word from my head. I came here for one thing and that was to get Leo, not to listen to some preppy, stuck-up speech every surgeon made the second they got the chance.

The board of Eliseo Enterprise called me for an emergency meeting this morning, and the topic at hand wasn't very pleasant. I had spoken with them and gone over a plan on how to handle the situation, but I needed Leo to also meet with them to get his input.

Sure, Leo spent most of his time giving smart-ass remarks more than he did breathing, but he was damn good at his job. It was important to me to have the counsel of my friend.

He send me a message saying he was in the auditorium, waiting for Aedrienn to finish her introduction. When I ordered him to hand her off to someone else, he had the nerve to send me a direct "No" over text - along with a red heart emoticon, knowing very fucking well I hated the damn things.

Which is why I was here now, waiting to drag his ass to the conference room.

I spot him near the stage curtains, and I move to go retreat him when someone speaks up from the crowd.

"Are you in any way related to Dr. Mason Renna?" a man asks, and I recognize him as Dr. Ethan Rhodes, a cocky surgical intern who believed he was the smartest person in the room.

I expect for the blatant mention of her deceased brother to unsettle her, but Aedrienn just takes the question in stride with a smile - and, curious to know what she'll say to this, I halt in my steps.

"What is your name?" It's a simple question, her voice strong and steady enough to project it throughout the whole entire room.

"I'm Dr. Ethan Rhodes and I'm a surgical intern."

"Well, Dr. Rhodes, then I look forward to working with you - and to answer your question -" she sweeps her gaze around the room. "To answer everyone's question, yes. Dr. Mason Renna was my older brother and yes. I am specializing in the exact same field he did."

At this, the murmurs begin again, and she holds up a hand, silencing everyone immediately. "But I need everyone to understand this: I know many of you worked closely with him, and because he lead this residency program with honesty and integrity - because it was him who turned it into one of the best programs in the world, I will do so also. But in my way." She moves away from the podium, standing front and center of the stage now. "I was appointed as your chief surgical resident for a reason, specifically because of my own qualifications. Therefore I promise to be the best mentor I can be for each one of you. Throughout my time here, I want to learn more from you than you would have ever learn from me."

"Interns, I expect you to learn great things. Residents, I expect you to teach them those great things." She inclines her head, smiling. "Once again, thank you for welcoming me to the City of Light. You're dismissed."

The rustling of bodies getting up from their seats makes me move again, and I can't help but commend her for her response and for the way she handled it. There were just some people who had a way with words. And it appears Aedrienn was one of them.

People clear a path for me as I head towards the stage, and I don't fail to notice their shocked - and fearful - stares as I pass them.

I don't blame them for their surprise. Six months ago when he died, I took over my father's business, and most of my time was spent inside the four walls of my office, either taking calls, organizing meetings and doing everything I could to make sure this company stood on its own two feet again. I'd occasionally check-up with each department of the hospital, but that was it. I was too busy cleaning up the mess my father left behind to do anything else.

And as for the fear...I inherited that.

For the majority of his career, Santiago Eliseo had been an expert at faking politeness. He knew how to make things sound and look pretty - appealing just enough for the media and his staff to recognize him as a renowned surgeon who cared about patients and the innovation of medical technology for the greater good.

Then someone exposed him for the person he really was. Exposed all the dark, illegal, fucked up things he used to do to secure this company's wealth.

Now the bastard was dead. And because I was lucky enough to have been born his son, it was only fair that I inherit all his shit too. But instead of correcting the rumors that were whispered about me - that I was just as corrupted as my father was, that I was a man-whore, and every other vile thing that came out of people's mouths - I let them continue. It had been much easier to accept those assumptions - much easier to uphold the harsh standards my own father drilled into my mind since I was a child - than to try to convince the world that I was nothing like him.

I couldn't get everything I wanted out of life, and this was one of them.

"Isn't this great?" Leo asks me as I climb up the few steps and move to stand beside him. "Everyone loves her already."

I see what he's referring to. Instead of leaving, some staff members begin to approach Aedrienn - actually, not some. A whole line was forming in front of her now, each of them waiting for the chance to speak with her.

Irritation flares within me. "Yeah. Amazing. You need to go to the conference room. I want you to speak to the board -"

"Can it wait? I promised Aedrienn I'd help her settle in."

I raise my eyebrows. "You promised? And you're on first-name basis now? What? Is she your new bff?"

He shrugs. "Perhaps. Maybe she can fill in for you on the days you're so insufferable." He laughs when he sees my sour expression, but I find no humor in it. "Relax, brother. No one will ever be able to replace you."

My eyes narrow. "How kind of you to reassure me. Just hurry up and go see them. This is important."

He lets out a long sigh. "Fine - but I need something in return."

"What is it?"

"They only need to speak to me, right?"

"Yes." I tap my foot in impatience. "I already spoke to them this morning. Now, what did you need?"

But instead of answering me, Leo just turns back to where the line was forming and calls out, "Aedrienn!"

I grab him by the arm. "What are you doing?"

"What?" Leo shrugs out of my grasp. "You said you'd help me. Aedrienn!"

"Why do you need her?" After what happened last week, I still wasn't ready to interact with her. Seeing her had been too much - and Leo knew this. But it seems he didn't care because he calls out her name again, drawing her attention towards us.

Aedrienn gives him a fleeting, confused stare before she turns back around, waving goodbye to the remaining people in line.

"Leo..." I warn.

"Since I can't take her to her new office, you're going to do it."

I gape at him. "Does she not know how to read the hospital map? And does it look like I have the fucking time to play tour guide?"

"Well make time for this. Plus," he gives me a pointed look. "Remember the advice Carter gave you. The perception people have of you right now is crucial."

"Carter can shove his advice up his ass."

Leo rolls his eyes. "I know you don't care about your image - you made that perfectly clear. But this isn't just about how people view you. It's about how people view the hospital. I'm just saying it wouldn't kill you to make friends that could put in a good word for you. Now shut up." His voice drops to a low whisper. "She's coming."

"So, how did I do?" Aedrienn asks as she approaches us.

"Amazing," my friend high-fives her. "If I wasn't a surgeon already, you would have inspired me to become one."

She snorts, but her amusement vanishes the second her gaze lands on me.

She scrutinizes me warily, her eyes darting between Leo and me. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine," he reassures her. "But unfortunately I've been called into an important meeting right now and can't show you your new office. But my dearest friend Asher here - " Leo grabs me by the shoulder. "Has kindly offered to take you."

Offered wasn't the word I'd use.

Her eyes slightly widen. "Really?"

Clearly, Aedrienn couldn't tell this wasn't my idea.  And I'm about to openly refuse but Leo doesn't give me the option.

"Yes. In fact, he insisted." Leo nudges me toward Aedrienn, and I straighten myself before I have the chance to fall on her.

I grit my teeth together. You're dead Callahan.

"I'll check up on you later," he says to her.

He turns around, and the sound of the door slamming shut behind him makes me realize that Aedrienn and I are alone.