She glanced at the clock again. 11:00 PM. The hours stretched before her, and she was already mentally planning how she’d break up the night: rounds at midnight, a quick snack around 2 AM, and maybe a few minutes to read the book she’d tucked into her bag.
Just as Julie was about to settle into her routine, the automatic sliding doors hissed open. A blast of cold air swept into the lobby, momentarily disturbing the warm stillness. Julie barely looked up—she assumed it was a late-night visitor or perhaps a patient needing urgent care.