Dad, breakfast?" Jay didn't look up from the files.
"Skipped again?" Jasfer's voice was calm, but sharp.
"I'll eat later."
"You need to eat, Jay."
"I know." She tapped her pen, eyes on the charts.
Aries appeared behind her chair. "You've been at it since six."
"I started early."
"You need a break," he said softly.
"I don't have time." She smiled faintly. "Patients first."
Percy burst in, juggling two coffee cups. "Morning, superstar! One for you, one for me!"
Jay raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, chaos."
He grinned. "You're welcome. By the way, someone left a rubber chicken in the lounge."
"Percy…" she muttered, shaking her head, but her lips twitched.
In the OR, she whispered, "Steady… steady… we've got this."
Her assistant nodded. "Yes, Dr. Jay."
"Scalpel."
"Here."
"Good. Keep an eye on the vitals."
She glanced at the monitor. Heartbeat steady. "Perfect. Almost there…"
A fellow doctor peeked in. "Dr. Jay, the way you handled that incision… I've never seen anything like it."
Jay shrugged slightly. "Just doing my job."
"Your job? You're twenty-six and everyone's still trying to keep up with you," he said, awed.
Another nurse whispered, "I've worked with surgeons for years… none of them move like her. None."
Aries peeked in during lunch. "Sandwich?"
"I'll manage."
"You can't manage everything," he said softly.
"I can." She sipped coffee, scrolling through notes.
Percy leaned against the wall. "Seriously? No fun at all?"
"I don't have time for fun," she said.
"You'll die if you don't laugh at some point."
"I'll survive."
Emails. Reports. Case studies. Calls from journals. Interviews. "Another day, another life saved," she muttered to herself.
A young doctor stopped outside the office. "Dr. Jay… I just wanted to say, every time I watch you operate, I learn something new. Everyone talks about you… you're incredible."
Jay looked up. "Thank you. Now, back to work."
Her office quiet at night, she leaned back. "Did I do enough?"
"Yes," she whispered, barely audible. "Always enough."