Chapter 234: How long

The rest of the rounds felt endless. They moved from room to room, bed to bed. Yet despite his earlier coldness, Kieran was meticulous. He explained every condition, every anomaly, and every piece of research methodology to Yuki in clear, uncompromising detail.

By the third hour, Yuki felt like her brain was overflowing. Her legs ached from standing, and her head pounded with an overload of medical jargon. She glanced over at Kieran, who was currently standing near a mobile workstation, calmly walking an older resident through a complex lab report.

Does this man ever break? she thought, leaning her shoulder against the wall. He was surviving on nothing but black coffee and a handful of dry biscuits, yet his focus hadn’t flickered once.

Her own stomach chose that exact second to let out a loud, pathetic rumble. Yuki bit her inner cheek, flushing red and praying nobody had heard it. She hadn’t eaten since early morning, but with everyone working so intently, she didn’t dare utter a single word about food.

The older resident nodded respectfully at Kieran. "Thank you, Doctor. That clarifies the baseline completely."

Despite being clearly older than the second Ravencourt son, the doctor spoke with undeniable deference. Kieran’s brilliant mind left no room for argument.

As the resident hurried off, Kieran checked his silver wristwatch. He turned his head, his sharp dark eyes landing on Yuki. He took in her slightly slumped posture and the tired shadows under her eyes before shifting his gaze to Clara.

"It’s three twenty-five," Kieran said smoothly. "Your shift ended twenty minutes ago. My apologies for keeping you past your time."

Clara let out a light laugh, waving a hand airily. "Oh, don’t worry about it at all, Dr. Kieran! I signed up for a double shift to cover for Sarah today anyway."

Kieran gave a subtle nod. "Regardless, we take a break now. It’s well past lunch," he suggested.

Clara’s eyes instantly lit up. "Are we hitting the hospital cafeteria, or ordering out?" she chimed.

Kieran paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face before he glanced at Yuki. "Do you want to try the hospital cafeteria?" he asked.

Clara immediately leaned over toward Yuki’s shoulder, covering her mouth to whisper in a very loud stage whisper, "The cafeteria food is absolute trash."

Kieran’s ear twitched. He had heard every word. The cafeteria food wasn’t actually bad, but Clara routinely used her breaks as an excuse to escape the building so nothing could interrupt her off duty peace.

Yuki rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Honestly, anywhere is fine with me. You really don’t have to worry about feeding me, Kieran."

Kieran clicked his tongue softly, a tiny flash of annoyance crossing his face. "It’s your first day. I am showing you around properly." He turned toward the double doors leading to the main foyer. "It’s settled. We’re eating at the restaurant across the street."

Clara beamed, clapping her hands together in victory.

They took the elevator down to the underground parking garage. When Kieran pressed his key fob, a sleek, navy blue Aston Martin chirped from a reserved bay.

Yuki frowned, stopping in her tracks. "I thought you said the place was right across the street?" she asked.

"It is," Kieran replied, opening the driver’s door. "Technically a ten minute drive around the boulevard block. It’s nearby."

Clara chuckled as she slid into the back seat, motioning for Yuki to get in beside her. "Enjoy this while it lasts, Yuki," she teased cheerfully. "Some days on rotation, lunch is literally three saltine crackers and a bottle of glucose water."

Yuki climbed into the back beside Clara, pulling her seatbelt shut. Clara leaned close, nudging Yuki’s shoulder with a quiet whisper. "Consider yourself lucky. He never lets anyone ride in his car like this."

Yuki blinked, a silent wave of confusion washing over her. Never lets anyone in his car? She had sat in his front passenger seat multiple times without him so much as batting an eye.

The drive was brief. Clara and Kieran traded light banter about hospital logistics until Kieran pulled the Aston Martin into the parking area of a modest, two story bistro. It wasn’t an overly extravagant fine dining establishment, but it was warm, clean, and effortlessly charming.

Kieran pushed open the glass door and walked straight toward a quiet booth tucked in the corner, moving with the familiar ease of someone who had sat there a hundred times.

It was a cozy four seater table. Yuki slipped into the booth seat directly across from Kieran, while Clara slid in beside her.

A waiter materialized almost instantly, notepad in hand. "Welcome back, Dr. Ravencourt," he greeted.

Kieran didn’t even bother opening the leather bound menu on the table. "The roasted chicken salad and a sparkling water, please," he ordered.

"I’ll have my usual, the salmon pesto pasta," Clara said with a bright smile.

Yuki looked between the two of them, amused. "You guys are really regulars here, huh?"

"Whenever the floor isn’t burning down," Clara laughed. "It’s my sanctuary."

The waiter turned his polite smile toward Yuki. "And for you, miss?"

Yuki scanned the lunch menu quickly. "I’ll take the creamy garlic pasta, please. And a side of the fresh mango tart for dessert."

Clara grinned at her. "Oh, you’re a mango lover?"

"Absolute favorite," Yuki answered without missing a beat. "I could eat them every day."

Across the table, Kieran’s eyes flickered. For a split second, his composure cracked, a subtle flash of surprise passing over his face before he masked it behind a sip of his water. Eloise loved mangoes too.

Clearing his throat, Kieran restored his formal tone. "Before the day ends, you will submit your daily observation notes to my desk for review."

"Understood," Yuki replied obediently.

The meal turned out to be remarkably pleasant. Between bites of exceptional food, Kieran casually broke down the complex cases they had seen earlier, turning the lunch into an effortless, highly engaging tutorial.

Once they finished, Kieran drove them back to the medical centre. He handed Yuki back over to Clara to wrap up the afternoon’s basic administrative orientation, with strict instructions for Yuki to report directly to his office before leaving.

Five o’clock arrived faster than Yuki expected. She said her goodbyes to Clara outside the botanical research room and stretched her aching back. She was supposed to head straight to Kieran’s office, but her scrubs felt sticky and heavy. Deciding a two minute stop wouldn’t hurt, she detoured to the staff locker room to change back into her regular clothes first.

She tapped her keycard against the electronic lock. The door beeped open with a heavy click.

Yuki stepped inside, rolling her shoulders forward. "Ugh, my neck is completely wrecked..." she groaned aloud to the empty room.

The words died in her throat.

Standing right by her assigned locker, leaning casually against the metal frame, was Kieran. He was flipping through a small, leather bound notebook.

Not just any notebook. Her sketchbook.

Her heart practically stopped. Shock flashed into white hot panic. Before her brain could even process the move, Yuki lunged forward, reaching out frantically. "Drop that right now!" she yelled.

Kieran didn’t even flinch. With aggravatingly smooth reflexes, he casually sidestepped her momentum. Yuki stumbled forward, catching herself against the bench, her face burning with pure outrage.

Kieran held the open book just out of her reach. His face was a mask of cold, stern intensity, but the tips of his ears were burning a bright, furious red.

"How long," Kieran demanded, his voice dangerously low as his eyes locked onto hers, "have you been keeping this?"