The next day morning
8:00am
Owen groaned, rolling over to silence his alarm clock. He reached for his phone, eyes widening as he saw the time. "Oh no, not again!" He jumped out of bed, hastily connecting his phone to charge as he rushed to the bathroom.
After a quick bath, he got dressed in a hurry and ran out of the house, forgetting his phone on the bed.
An hour later, Owen burst into Hayden's office, his tie askew. Hayden was mid-conversation with some nurses, but he dismissed them with a wave of his hand, his gaze fixed on Owen.
"You're late again," Hayden said, his expression unyielding. "Traffic this time?"
Owen shook his head, trying to catch his breath. "No, I...I wasn't able to sleep last night because I was...I was..." He trailed off, aware of Hayden's raised eyebrow.
"Because you were what?" Hayden prompted, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes.
Owen scrambled for an excuse. "I was studying."
Hayden's curiosity piqued, he leaned forward. "Studying what?"
Owen's mind went blank, and he blurted out, "The skeleton structure."
Hayden's lips twitched, and he leaned back in his chair. "Good. Then recite it."
Owen's eyes widened, and he stalled, "P-pardon?"
Hayden's expression hardened, his voice firm. "You heard me."
Owen's face scratched with panic as he tried to think of an escape route. "Sir, I...I'm not feeling well. I have a headache."
Hayden's gaze narrowed, his voice dripping with skepticism. "First, you're studying, suddenly you're sick?"
Owen looked down the look directly at Hayden eyes trying to appear pitiful. "I'm really sick, can't you see it in my eyes?"
Hayden's eyes met his, and for a moment,he thought Owen is amazing then replace it with a sighs "All I can see is your annoying eyes 😊," Hayden said, his voice low and smooth.
Owen turned to leave, thinking he'd escaped trouble, but Hayden's voice stopped him. "Owen."
He turned back, a questioning look on his face. "Yes?"
Hayden pointed to a lifeless toy lizard on the practice desk. "You see that lizard?"
Owen nodded, curiosity piqued.
Hayden's smirk grew, his eyes glinning with amusement. "I want you to bring it to life."
Owen's eyes widened in shock. "Sir, it's lifeless!"
Hayden's smirk deepened. "You're a doctor, so it's your job."
Owen's expression turned annoyed, and he shook his head. "My job is to save lives, not give lifeless lizards life."
Hayden leaned back in his chair, his voice firm. "And I'm your boss. I'm not requesting, I'm ordering you."
Owen sighed, grumbling as he approached the desk. Hayden leaned back, watching him with an amused glgle, muttering to himself, "Maybe this'll teach him to be on time..."
Owen picked up the toy lizard, examining it with a mix of disdain and amusement. "How exactly do you expect me to 'bring it to life', sir?"
Hayden's smirk never waded, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "That's for you to figure out, Doctor."
Owen rolled his eyes, playing along. He cleared his throat, adopting a dramatic tone. "Alright, little lizard. In the name of medical magic... I command you to... inflate."
He blew a puff of air into the lizard's face, and to Hayden's credit, he kept a straight face. The lizard didn't move.
Owen tried again, this time wiggling the toy wildly. "Rise, lizard! Show the great Hayden your scaly prowess!"
The lizard remained lifeless.
Hayden chuckled, the sound low and smooth. "Hmm, maybe it's not the lizard that's lifeless... maybe it's your bedside manner."
Owen shot him a dry look. "Ha ha, sir. Very funny."
Just then, the lizard's leg twitched. Owen's eyes widened, and he waved the toy triumphantly. "See? It's alive!"
Hayden raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You rigged it."
Owen grinned, tucking the lizard into his pocket. "Maybe a little, sir."
Hayden shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Dismissed. For now."
Owen saluted, still grinning, and made his exit. As he left the office
As Owen walked out of Hayden's office, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. He had survived another one of Hayden's crazy requests. He made his way to the hospital cafeteria, craving a strong cup of coffee to shake off the morning haze.
As he waited in line, he noticed a familiar figure sitting at a table by the window - Emily, sipping on a latte and typing away on her laptop. Owen's eyes lit up, and he quickly grabbed his coffee, making his way over to her.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, plopping down in the chair across from her.
Emily looked up, startled, then smiled. "Not at all, Owen. What's up?"
Owen took a sip of his coffee, waving his hand dismissively. "Just survived a weird morning with Hayden. He made me try to bring a toy lizard to life."
Emily's eyes widened, and she burst out laughing. "What? Why?"
Owen chuckled, shaking his head. "No idea. Maybe he's just bored or something."
Emily leaned in, a mischievous glgle in her eyes. "Or maybe he's trying to test your creativity, Doc."
Owen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You think so?"
Emily nodded, taking a sip of her latte. "Definitely. You should take it as a challenge."
Owen's eyes sparkled, and he leaned back in his chair, a plan already forming in his mind. "You know what, Em? You're a genius."
Emily grinned, raising her cup in a toast. "Anytime, Doc. Now, what's the plan?" 😊.
Owen leaned in, a conspiratorial look on his face. "Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to make that lizard so 'alive' it'll be the talk of the hospital."
Emily's eyes sparkled with interest. "How?"
Owen's grin grew wider. "I'll make it 'perform' tricks. Get Hayden's own medicine back at him."
Emily giggled, clearly loving the idea. "Oh, this is gonna be good. What kind of tricks?"
Owen tapped his fingers on the table, thinking fast. "Hmm... it could do a tiny dance on Hayden's desk. Or 'attack' his coffee cup."
Emily burst out laughing. "Perfect! You have to do it."
Just then, Owen's phone buzzed in his pocket - Hayden's number. He pulled it out, raising an eyebrow.
"Speak of the devil," he muttered, answering the phone. "Yes, Dr. Blake?"
Hayden's smooth voice came through the line. "Owen, I need you to check on patient Thompson in ICU. Now."
Owen nodded, even though Hayden couldn't see him. "On it, sir."
As he hung up, Emily leaned in. "Gotta go?"
Owen nodded, standing up. "Yeah. But this isn't over. Lizard revenge, incoming 😊."
Emily chuckled, winking. "I'll bring the popcorn."
Owen laughed, grabbing his things. "I'll send you updates."
As he headed to the ICU, he couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. Game on, Hayden.
Owen arrived at the ICU, his focus shifting to patient Thompson's charts. He spent the next hour reviewing the patient's vitals and consulting with the nurses. As he was about to leave, he noticed a small, oddly placed camera on the nurse's station counter.
He raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
Nurse Lisa followed his gaze. "Oh, Dr. Blake asked us to set it up. Said he wanted to monitor something."
Owen's curiosity piqued. "Monitor what?"
Lisa shrugged. "No idea. He just said to keep it pointed at... hmm... 'the usual spot'."
Owen's mind flashed to the lizard. Was Hayden planning something?
He discreetly pulled out his phone and texted Emily: "Check the nurse's station in ICU. Camera pointed at... something. Might be lizard-related 😊."
Emily replied instantly: "On it. Going incognito."
Owen smirked, trying to look nonchalant as he waited for Emily's next move. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.
Emily: "OMG. The lizard is on Hayden's desk. In a tiny party hat. And sunglasses."
Owen burst out laughing, barely containing himself. He glanced around, making sure no one was looking, then typed back: "Perfect. Let the games begin."
Just then, Hayden appeared at the ICU entrance, his expression unreadable. "Owen. A word."
Owen's grin never waded. "Of course, Dr. Hayden
Owen followed Hayden to his office, trying to keep a straight face. Hayden closed the door behind them, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Care to explain why there's a toy lizard wearing sunglasses on my desk?"
Owen adopted an innocent tone. "No idea, sir. Maybe it has a personality crisis?"
Hayden raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "A personality crisis. In a party hat."
Owen shrugged, fighting a grin. "Guess it's living its best life, sir."
Hayden leaned against his desk, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You know, I expected more creativity from you, Owen."
Owen's grin broke through. "Hey, the lizard's got style. You should be impressed."
Hayden chuckled, the sound low and unexpected. "Alright. I think the lizard's made its point. You can... handle it."
Owen nodded, trying to look serious. "I'll take care of it, sir. Right after lunch."
Hayden shook his head, a small smile still on his lips. "Dismissed, Owen."
As Owen left the office, he couldn't help but feel a sense of victory. The lizard had won this round