Chapter Nine: When the Walls Turn Cold

By the third day, Iris knew something was wrong.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t obvious. It was quiet, sharp, and deliberate.

Whispers stopped when she walked past. Conversations died mid-sentence. A nurse she’d greeted warmly the day before now avoided her eyes entirely. Even the interns who had once smiled politely now looked at her like she was something contagious.

Iris tried to tell herself she was imagining it.

She focused on her work instead.

Morning rounds began earlier than usual. Iris arrived before sunrise, her scrubs crisp, hair neatly pulled back, her grandmother’s voice echoing in her mind like a prayer. Keep your head down. Work hard. Let your results speak.

She clung to that thought as she entered the cardiology wing.

Her first task was patient prep. She approached the nurses’ station, chart in hand.

“Good morning,” she said softly.

No response.

She cleared her throat. “I need the updated vitals for Mr. Caldwell in room twelve.”

One of the nurses, Clara, finally looked up. Her expression was blank. “Those were already sent.”

“I checked,” Iris replied carefully. “They weren’t.”

Clara shrugged. “Then check again.”

The dismissal stung.

Iris walked away, cheeks burning, heart heavy. By the time she reached room twelve, she realized the chart she’d been given was incomplete. Missing pages. Missing data.

She frowned.

This wasn’t a mistake.

Later that morning, during a supervised procedure, Iris was asked to assist with equipment she had never been trained on.

“I wasn’t briefed on this,” Iris said carefully.

Another nurse scoffed. “You’re training under Doctor Hale. We assumed you knew everything already.”

The words were sharp. Cutting.

Iris’s hands trembled as she stepped back. Her chest felt tight, her breath shallow. She hated this feeling—this sense of being unwelcome, of being set up to fail.

And then Nathaniel walked in.

The room shifted instantly.

Conversations stopped. Spines straightened. The energy changed like oxygen had been sucked out and replaced with steel.

His eyes scanned the room, then landed on Iris.

She didn’t miss the way his jaw tightened.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

No one answered.

“I asked a question,” he repeated, voice calm but dangerous.

Clara spoke up. “We were just about to start, Doctor Hale.”

Nathaniel looked at the setup, then at Iris. “She hasn’t been trained on this equipment.”

There it was.

Silence.

His gaze hardened. “Who assigned this task to her?”

No one spoke.

Nathaniel stepped closer to Iris, lowering his voice. “Did anyone brief you?”

She shook her head, embarrassed despite herself.

“That’s unacceptable,” he said, straightening. “Training does not mean throwing someone into deep water without preparation.”

His eyes swept across the room. “If I see this kind of behavior again, there will be consequences.”

The nurses exchanged uneasy glances.

Iris’s heart pounded—not just from anxiety, but from the way he stood up for her. Publicly. Without hesitation.

Afterward, he pulled her aside.

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

She nodded, though her eyes burned. “Yes.”

“That wasn’t a question,” he said softly.

Something in his tone broke her resolve. “I’m trying,” she admitted. “I really am.”

“I know,” he replied. “And you’re doing well. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”

Their eyes held for a moment too long. The air thickened again, heavy with unspoken emotion.

Then a voice cut through it.

“Iris.”

She turned.

Selena stood at the end of the corridor, impeccably dressed, lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Can we talk?” Selena asked sweetly.

Nathaniel stiffened. “That’s not appropriate.”

Selena ignored him. “Just a minute. Woman to woman.”

Iris hesitated.

Nathaniel’s voice dropped. “You don’t have to.”

“I’m fine,” Iris said quietly, though her stomach churned.

Selena led her to a quiet corner near the elevators. The smile vanished instantly.

“You’re making things difficult for yourself,” Selena said coolly.

“I’m just here to train,” Iris replied.

Selena laughed softly. “Don’t insult me. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Iris’s throat tightened. “Nothing is happening.”

“Yet,” Selena said. “But let me be clear—I belong in his world. You don’t.”

Iris met her gaze, heart racing. “That’s not your decision.”

Selena leaned in. “It will be.”

The elevator dinged behind them.

Selena stepped back, her smile returning. “Enjoy the hospital while you can.”

She walked away.

Iris stood frozen, chest heaving.

She didn’t notice Nathaniel watching from down the corridor, his expression dark, conflicted, furious.