The Audit That Exposed Us

The paper slipped from my fingers, revealing an HR audit I was never supposed to see.

It wasn’t a patient list; it was a security log of every time Dr. Pierce and I had "coincidentally"

checked into the same on-call room over the last three months. In a hospital with

a strict zero-tolerance policy for staff dating, this wasn't just a leak—it was a

career killer. We had been so careful. We blended into the chaos of the ER,

hiding our relationship behind surgical masks and "professional" consultations. But seeing our names

side-by-side on that paper made the risk feel real. As Chief Resident, I had everything

to lose. One report to the board and my years of 80-hour weeks would vanish.