It was like when we were kids. Richard would head out for snacks, telling me to wait for him at the orphanage. He promised he''d return safe and sound! I nodded. "I''ll wait for you."


    He was the only family I had left. I prayed for his safety. I couldn''t bear to look at the scene unfolding before Richard. I was afraid of the fear it would bring.


    A patient gripped my hand tightly, her voice weak as she asked, "Doctor, am I going to die?"


    Looking into her cloudy eyes, before I could respond, she smiled, "I''ve lived into my nies. I''ve had a good run. It''s okay, dear. Go save others." Seeing the IV needle in her chest, sheforted me with a smile.


    My heart ached, but I held back tears, reassuring her, "Ma''am, I''ll save you. We''re almost at base camp. They have the surgical tools we need there."


    I wasn''t sure about thepleteness of the surgical setup, but I still encouraged her to keep fighting. She smiled in response.


    Faces of people who decided to survive shed through my mind. I couldn''t give up, either.


    There was so much of the world I hadn''t seen yet and so many things I hadn''t done. To live was to hope.


    The kayak''s battery was nearly dead. Ahead, the tents of the makeshift base camp were visible. Close yet far, the only option was for the rescue team to get down and push the kayak forward. "One, two, three, push!"


    "One, two, three, push!"


    They inspired each other with their effort.


    The base camp was overcrowded, with many lying or sitting on the ground, staring nkly at the endless floodwaters.


    Vigers spotted our kayak and jumped into the water to help us ashore. I quickly surveyed the camp and led them toward the medical tent.


    At that moment, the phrase "united we stand" took on a tangible form in my mind.


    Pulling back the tent p, I was stunned to find over a dozen surgeries were happening simultaneously.


    Among the surgeons, a familiar


    figure moved from one operation to another, stitching wounds without a moment''s rest or a backward nce. It was Max. He hadn''te looking for me because he was


    stuck with something far more significant. Others needed his help, waiting for him to save them.


    I didn''t approach him. Instead, I followed the rescue team as they carried the olddy to an operating table.


    A nurse approached, likely from another hospital and unfamiliar with me, shouting, "Is there a doctor avable? This elderlydy has a punctured chest and needs surgery immediately!"


    "I''m a doctor. Prepare the surgical


    tools," I said, grabbing a disposable surgical gown from nearby and quickly dressing in sterile gear. The nurse hesitated, perhaps doubting my capability for such a major operation due to my youth.


    I said firmly, "I''ll take responsibility."


    The elderly patient was already fading out due to blood loss. We couldn''t dy the surgery any longer.


    Then, I heard a voice, "She''s my student, ire Floyd."


    That was like a divinemand. The nurses immediately prepared the surgical tools for me.


    "Dr. Floyd, if you''d said you were a student of the Grim Reaper himself."


    I exchanged a look with Max across the room. He finished hisst stitch,id down his scalpel, and walked over to check on the elderlydy. He briefed me on potential


    and what to be cautious of, then turned and gave me onest look before moving on to another operation. His demeanor was aloof, but his heart was always warm and tender. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    And at that moment, I was back on the front lines with him, shoulder to shoulder in surgery, with no barriers of rank between us.