First published 2000
Dr. Peter Werner Ernst stumbles through his internal medicine residency in a major hospital's intensive care unit. He survives on minimal sleep, working brutal shifts while managing eight critically ill patients. His primary goal is simple: keep everyone alive until the day shift arrives and the responsibility shifts to someone else's shoulders. Ernst's monotonous routine of medical crises and exhaustion breaks when Felicia Porter walks into the ward. She comes to visit her father, who lies in a coma, but Ernst sees something else entirely. The young model represents an escape from his grim daily reality, a chance for romance amid the sterile hospital corridors. Ernst pursues Felicia, but his attraction clouds his medical judgment. His desire for her pushes him to make increasingly questionable decisions that compromise his professional integrity. The relationship forces Ernst to confront how far he will go to satisfy his wants, even as his patients depend on him for their lives.
Genres: romance, medical, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, medical-drama
Setting: Intensive Care Unit, Hospital
Period: Contemporary
Audio Cassette · Books on Tape, Inc.
Content warnings: medical-trauma