Chapter 20 — Calls are not allowed to be hung up

At seven o'clock in the morning, the longest night shift in Dan's career officially ended. Dan sat in front of the screen, typing the last lines into the handover report, her hands still trembling slightly even though her body now mainly felt exhausted, the fatigue seeping deep into every muscle after a long night without a minute of real rest.

The daily shift team arrived one after another, the familiar loud greetings echoed throughout the duty room, a complete contrast to the tense and suffocating atmosphere just a few hours before. A few people in the day shift team glanced at Dan with curious eyes, perhaps rumors about an unusual shift had begun to spread through a few whispered stories during the handover.

Bao Ky, even though his shift had ended, still stayed for a few more minutes, helping Dan rearrange documents related to the incident to attach to the official report. The two worked in silence, a comfortable silence that was different from the reserved atmosphere between the two of them earlier last night.

— Are you planning to take a few days off before going to the meeting? — Bao Ky asked, his voice a bit worried for Dan.

— You will still go to work normally. Avoiding doesn't solve anything, I think facing it directly is better.

Bao Ky nodded, did not say more, just gave Dan the neatly arranged documents, a small gesture that clearly showed the silent support he had for his colleague after tonight.

The operator who received the case from Dan, a young girl named Thuc Nghi, sat down and glanced at the handover report, her eyes widening when she read the summary of last night's incident full of unusual details.

— Oh my god, did you just have a night like a movie?

— Yes, it's been a long night. — Dan replied, her voice was hoarse, the smile on her lips was somewhat tired but genuine. — I had recorded all the necessary information in the report. If you had anything else, please ask.

— I heard that the girl's name is Bao Nhi, right?

Dan nodded, did not say more, just smiled slightly, that name has now become a part of the memory that she will carry with her for the rest of her career, just like how the name To Diem Thuy has accompanied her for the past five years.

— Sister, if it were me, I don't know if I would have the courage to do what you do. — Thuc Nghi added, the young girl's voice was somewhat admiring. — I've only been in the profession for six months, I'm still learning to distinguish between reliable intuition and overreaction.

— You'll learn it eventually, as long as you don't stop asking yourself questions after each shift. I was once like you, and I'm still learning every day.

Thuc Nghi smiled, somewhat relieved after that answer, then returned to focusing on the handover work, reading more carefully every detail in the report that Dan left behind.

Vuong Dac Long walked by, stopped for a moment, looked at Dan with unpredictable eyes, a mixture of usual seriousness and something close to sympathy that he rarely showed to his subordinates.

— Dan, I have sent the official meeting notice, you will receive it this morning. Don't worry too much, this is a mandatory process for any case of exceeding the process, not a sign that your decision has been judged wrong.

— I understand you. Thank you for standing up and taking responsibility with me last night.

— I do what I believe is right, just like you. — Long said, then nodded slightly, turned and walked towards his office, his gait was still steady even though he hadn't slept all night.

Anh Tuyet, preparing to leave after a long shift, stopped by Dan's desk and placed his hand on her shoulder one last time before leaving.

— Go back and rest, Dan, don't think about anything else today. Everything that needs to be done, she and Mr. Long will take care of the remaining procedures.

— Yes, sister. Thank you for everything, not only tonight, but throughout the past eight years, you have always trusted me.

Anh Tuyet smiled, didn't say anything more, just patted Dan's shoulder and turned to walk away. Her appearance was still steady even though she had gone through a long night that was no less stressful than Dan's. Twenty years of experience in the profession had trained her to have an unshakable calmness.

Dan packed up his personal belongings, a leather-bound notebook with frayed corners, and a long-empty water bottle, then walked out of the emergency center building at seven twenty in the morning. The morning sunlight had begun to filter through the trees along the road, not bright, just a gentle light signaling a new day, different from the dense darkness that covered the entire night.

She drove home in a semi-conscious state, her mind still echoing the conversations from last night: the first nine seconds of whispering, the sound of typing, the sound of soft breathing, the sound of the wooden door cracking, and finally a name, Bao Nhi. The familiar route home every day suddenly became strange under the early morning sunlight, as if she herself had just stepped out of another world, a world that only existed between midnight and dawn.

When she got home, she took a quick shower and lay down on the bed, but sleep did not come immediately, even though her body was so exhausted that it seemed like she could sleep immediately. Her small room was so silent that it was almost strange after a long night filled with sounds, phone rings, whispers, door punches, now only the sound of the ceiling fan spinning steadily and the sporadic sound of traffic coming from the road outside remained.

She lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting her mind go through every moment of last night again, not to torment like she had done with the memory of To Diem Thuy, but as a way to gradually accept that everything was over, at least the most urgent and dangerous part.

She thought about Bao Nhi, wondering what she was doing now, whether she was sleeping peacefully in an unfamiliar hospital room or being picked up by a relative, whether she was still afraid or had begun to feel a real sense of safety for the first time after weeks, maybe months, of living in constant fear. She also thought about Kieu Thi Diem, the mother whose voice she had never heard clearly all night, only through a few soft moans that entered the line, wondering if she had enough strength to start over again after everything that had happened.

Those thoughts kept circling in her head, not quite anxiety, not quite complete relief, but a state of limbo in between, where the joy of having saved a life mixed with the insecurity of what was still unknown ahead.

Her phone vibrated, a message from the central internal mailbox, sent automatically at nine o'clock in the morning. She opened it, skimmed through the contents, and saw an official notice inviting her to attend a meeting to review emergency procedures on the thirteenth night of this month, held the following Thursday afternoon, attended by the center's board of directors and representatives of the human resources department.

Dan read and re-read that line a few times, the familiar feeling of anxiety crept back, even though it had been predicted from Long's words last night. She sent a short text message to Anh Tuyet, asking if she had received the same notification, and received an answer just a few minutes later: "Yes, I received it too. Don't worry, we'll get through that meeting together, just like we got through last night."

That text message made Dan feel a little more relieved, although his anxiety had not completely disappeared. She put down the phone, closed her eyes, trying not to let thoughts about the upcoming meeting take over her entire mind right now, when her body needed rest more than ever.

Sleep finally found her, fitful and not deep, interspersed with fragmented dreams about the sound of knocking, about a wooden door, about a childish voice whispering incessantly "Miss, help me" that echoed in her mind even after falling asleep.

Near noon, she woke up, her mind was still heavy but her body had somewhat recovered. She lay quietly for a while on the bed, listening to the afternoon sun shining through the curtains, clearly feeling the contrast between this peaceful time and the fierce sound storm she had experienced just a few hours before, a contrast that made her realize more clearly than ever the value of seemingly obvious moments of calm in everyday life.