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Dr. Casey Valentine (Main Character)
The protagonist of the story and an intern at Edenbrook Hospital
- Badass Boast: Casey has the option to say this to Declan in Chapter 17 during their hearing when he threatens to have their license stripped.“You come at the king, you better not miss.”
- Dr. Jerk: They can have some rude dialogue options which make them come off like this.
- Enemy Mine: Casey and Landry are this in Chapter 16 as they work to cure Dr. Banerji.
- "Eureka!" Moment: They are frequently able to solve difficult cases when an unrelated comment from someone else inspires them to the solution.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Delivers one to Aurora: While Aurora has every right to be upset that people want to use her to gain favor with her aunt, that's no excuse to treat other people like garbage.
- Genre Savvy: In Chapter 10, Casey can be this when they realize that their and Ethan's seats for the medical conference are first class, wondering what Big Pharma hopes to get out of them.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Like all Choices characters, they can be named whatever, but the canon name is Casey Valentine.
- Heroic BSoD: Falls into this after learning that Mrs. Martinez died from an experimental treatment they administered her.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: As all the love interests (except Ethan) inform them, they are filled with doubt preventing them from owning how good they are at what they do and constantly justifying it.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Chapter 12 starts with them getting the cold shoulder from every nurse in the hospital. It's not until they speak to Danny that they learn someone spread rumors they insulted the nurses.
- Honor Before Reason: Chapter 15 has their friends feel they're doing this by confessing to giving Mrs. Martinez the serum which killed her and asking for a hearing which could see them blacklisted from the medical community.
- I Regret Nothing: This is one of the choices Casey can say they don't regret the decisions they made over the year, like giving Mrs. Martinez the cure that killed her.
- Lonely at the Top: After finally reaching the #1 ranking of the interns, they can have this reaction to their new position of power.
- New Meat: Casey starts the series on their first day on the job fresh from medical school.
- Sherlock Scan: Casey needs to pay attention to details from their patients outside of the visible symptoms, like hobbies, personality traits, occupations, to catch on to their real problems.
- Shipper on Deck: Casey can be this for Elijah and their neighbor, Phoebe.
- Talk to the Fist: After the hearing, they have the option to give this to Declan after everything he put them through.
Edenbrook Hospital Staff
Dr. Ethan Jonah Ramsey
- The Ace: He's considered one of the best doctors in the hospital to the point Casey and Landry are his big fans.
- Big Damn Kiss: Only as Premium choices. His first kiss with Casey happens in Chapter 10, but Ethan cuts it before they get too far. As a Premium in Chapter 15, Casey and Ethan kiss in the middle of a heated argument and end up sleeping together.
- In Book 2 Chapter 17, if Casey goes as his date to the Charity Gala, he decides to start his change of heart by kissing Casey in front of everyone.
- Deuteragonist: Aside from being Casey's boss and main love interest, he is the second most prominent character, most of his past has been discussed in the story, and he gets more character development as the story progresses. In Book 2 Chapter 11, he becomes one of the playable characters along with Bryce, since Casey is being put in quarantine.
- Developers' Desired Date: Due to him being Casey's boss. Besides, the title actually refers to him opening his heart to Casey, which is the main focus of the story.
- Dr. Jerk: He tends to be this to Casey, calling them "Rookie" even when they've done a good job.
- Heroic BSoD: Chapter 13 is his. He tells Dr. Banerji he has a month to live and makes the judgment call to either let Harper know he’s been treating him in secret or letting Dr. Banerji leave before leaving the hospital.
- Hospital Hottie: Many have noted how Ethan is both handsome, mature and very aloof.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: If the player chooses the premium options, he shows a more sensitive and mellow side of himself, justifying that his hard exterior is a result of years of experience with patients on a personal level draining his energy to be sociable.
- The Mentor: He has this relationship with Casey, eventually revealing that he personally picked Casey for the internship because of their potential.
- Must Have Caffeine: A premium date with him in Chapter 7 is at a cafe since he refuses to drink the hospital cafeteria's coffee. He also likes going there since nobody there knows him and he can get some peace and quiet.
- My Greatest Failure: In a premium scene in Chapter 6, his most embarrassing moment as a resident is that he misdiagnosed a patient. By Chapter 13, his is being unable to cure Dr. Banerji and having to call in Harper or letting him leave. In Chapter 15, he is also frustrated about being unable to speak on Casey's behalf, since Harper noticed that Ethan is already emotionally compromised because of his own feelings for Casey.
- Named After Someone Famous: His dog Jenner named after Edward Jenner, the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine. He takes offense to it being compared to the other famous family.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: His portrait makes him look like Benedict Cumberbatch.
- Stern Teacher: He has little patience with Casey because he wants them to be better on making quick diagnosis on the clock, as their patients’s lives depend on them.
- Teacher/Student Romance: Because of his position and his role as Casey's mentor, he tries to resist his feelings for Casey. Once he quits Edenbrook and Casey gets suspended, they can potentially kiss and sleep together in a Premium choice.
- Time-Passage Beard: After the two month Time Skip, Ethan returns with a more prominent beard, with Elijah noting that it looks cool. Casey can either tell Ethan to keep it or shave it in a premium scene. He will shave it regardless without the premium scene.
- Working with the Ex: In Chapter 4, Casey can overhear that him and Dr. Harper Emery have been closer. If they go on a Premium scene to recover Dolores’ stuffed frog, he explains that they used to be in a Relationship Revolving Door, before breaking up for good. Yet in Book 3, he invites Harper to join the diagnostics team to replace June Hirata.
- In Book 2, he has to cut things with Casey because they can't have a relationship while being colleagues in the same team. It's clear that both of them are struggling with repressing their feelings for each other.
- You Are in Command Now: He succeeds Dr. Banerji as Chief of Medicine at the end of the series.
Dr. Jackie Varma
- Competition Freak: She is determined to place first in the competition to prove herself in Edenbrook, to the point she can't help resenting Casey for surpassing her in the rankings. Despite this, she never thinks about cheating or ruining her friendship with Casey.
- First Girl Wins: She can be this as the first (and only) female love interest that's met by Casey, so it's more like Only Girl Wins.
- Honor Before Reason: Despite being entirely focused on the competition, she agrees that helping Casey cure Mrs. Martinez is the best they can do for her. Unlike Landry, she refuses to rat out Casey to Harper.
- In Book 2, she is having financial trouble, which makes her an easy target for Panacea Labs to sell their products to all her patients. She feels so guilty that she decides to take down the company at the cost of her own reputation.
- Hospital Hottie: She is an internal medicine intern and very easy on the eyes.
- Hypocrite: She tells Casey that their friendship shouldn't be compromised because of the competition. She later acts aloof around Casey after her ranking position drops.
- Love Interest: One of Casey's potential love interests.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's introduced in the locker room in her lingerie.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: She appears on the cover of Book 2.
- The Smurfette Principle: She's this out of the love interests for Casey.
- Stealing the Credit: After she helps Casey to save Annie from an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, she doesn’t correct Dr. Ramsey when he assumes that she saved Annie by herself. If Casey calls her out on this and chooses to confront her in the supply closet, she admits that she did wrong. If Casey chooses to let it slide, she does seem to feel guilty about it.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: She becomes this with Bryce, as they often exchange playful banter at each other's expense.
Dr. Bryce Lahela
- A Day in the Limelight: He becomes a playable character in Book 2 Chapter 11 along with Ethan, since Casey is in quarantine.
- Heroic BSoD: During book 3, he botches a surgery on one of his attendings, seriously shaking his confidence for half the book, it takes Casey and a patient who’s a friend to finally pull him out.
- Hero-Worshipper: As a surgeon at Edenbrook, he looks up to Harper Emery and his mentor Dr. Tanaka.
- Hospital Hottie: He is a surgeon and very easy on the eyes.
- Lovable Jock: He is handsome, athletic, flirty and nice. Jackie often calls him “Scalpel Jockey”.
- Love Interest: One of Casey's potential love interests.
- Ponzi: Book 2 reveals his parents were the ringleaders of a Ponzi scheme, which is why he doesn’t want anything to do with them and moved literally to the other side of the country.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: He appears on the cover of Book 2.
- Promotion to Parent: In Book 2, his little sister Keiki rus away from her house and moves in with Bryce. He has a hard time trying to figure out how to deal with a teenager and his career.
- Tall Poppy Syndrome: As a surgeon, he faces a similar situation to Casey struggling with the downsides of reaching the top spot in the competition. Many of his fellow surgeons have distanced themselves from Bryce because they deem him "arrogant and pushy" once he starts getting more cases and begins making a deliberate effort to show off his talent. He advises Casey to ignore the negativity and keep being their best.
- Thrill Seeker: In the Premium outing to skydive with Kyra, Bryce is the only one in the group who has already done it. According to him, he does it every time he can, and admits to being an adrenaline junkie.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He becomes this with Jackie, as they often exchange playful banter at each other's expense.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: He's introduced in the changing room shirtless, and is also seen shirtless on several other occasions.
Dr. Landry Olsen
- See Mass Kenmore Hospital
Dr. Sienna Trinh
- Beware the Nice Ones: Is one of the sweetest characters in the book but when she grows sick of her intern Mitch taking advantage of her by making her do the things he doesn’t know or is uncomfortable doing himself, she gives him a massive chewing out.
- Good Feels Good: One of the things she likes about being a doctor is the satisfaction of helping people get better.
- Good Is Not Soft: She stands up to a frat boy for his rude behavior towards her and Casey.
- Heroic BSoD: She has a brief moment where she starts to doubt her potential as a doctor after being forced to diagnose three people, one being a little kid, about their terminal diseases, and thinks about quitting the competition and the internship. Casey encourages her to keep fighting to the end. She starts loving her job again when she is able to save many victims of a subway crash.
- Nice Girl: She rescues Casey from Dr. Ramsey when she notices that he is chewing them out.
- Prone to Tears: She has a difficult time dealing with sad cases and the general stress of the job. Several references are made to her crying in the supply closet.
- Ship Tease: She and Danny immediately hit it off during the housewarming party, with her roommates cheering on them to get together.
- Supreme Chef: She loves cooking, making breakfast for her roommates and baking cookies. If Casey chooses the Premium option to talk the landlord into renting them the apartment, one of the bargains can be Sienna’s cookies.
- What Does She See in Him?: All her friends question her about why she is still together with Wayne, who is often condescending, rude and dismissive of Sienna, while she is still in denial about his behavior. Even Bryce, who only spoke to him for a few minutes, thinks he is a jerk. Chapter 14 has a premium choice where she finally gives him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech along with Casey, finally breaking up with him. If the premium option is not taken, she breaks up with him regardless in Chapter 17 by throwing his phone out the window of Donahue's.
Dr. Elijah Greene
- Extreme Doormat: Because of his friendly nature, he can't help befriending his intern Sothy, to the point he ends up fixing after him in the hospital. Casey and Jackie have him realize that he needs to teach Sothy to own up to his mistakes, even if it costs their friendship.
- Hope Bringer: He was inspired by the doctor who treated his potentially fatal chronic spinal cord damage with an experimental procedure, motivating him to become a doctor so he could save lives previously thought hopeless.
- Nice Guy: Like Sienna, he is very nice and doesn’t treat Casey any differently when they rise to number one in the rankings.
- The Nicknamer: He calls Casey Harry Potter after Casey’s story about their rental room being a staircase cabinet.
- Ship Tease: He immediately has a connection to their neighbor Phoebe. The others waste no time to encourage Elijah to ask her out.
- Twofer Token Minority: He is African American and uses a wheelchair.
Dr. Harper Emery
- Amicable Exes: With Dr. Ramsey. Although they argue, he is never as overtly rude or pushy as he is with nearly everyone else, and it is clear he has great respect for her. In Book 3, they are so friendly that it makes Casey slightly nervous.
- Da Chief: She's the Chief of Medicine which makes her the boss of Edenbrook. She steps down at the end of Chapter 17 and becomes Head of Surgery instead.
- Jade-Colored Glasses: In Chapter 14, she tells Casey that she used to be a Wide-Eyed Idealist like them until she slowly learned that she couldn't save everyone.
- Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: If Jake Sandburg (the pitcher) is called on as a witness during Casey's hearing, most of those in attendance recognize him as a famous baseball player. After he steps down, Harper indicates that she has no idea who he is and asks if he's some sort of sports person.
- Retired Badass: She's retired being from a surgeon, though she gets to put those skills to use in Chapter 14 when she and Bryce (and Casey) do emergency surgery on Rafael. Her stepping down from Chief of Medicine means she can return to being a surgeon full time.
- Statuesque Stunner: In her introduction, narration describes her as tall.
- Working with the Ex: In Chapter 4, Casey can overhear that she and Dr. Ramsey have been closer. If they go on a Premium scene to recover Dolores’ stuffed frog, he explains to Casey that they used to be in a Relationship Revolving Door, before breaking up for good. Yet in Book 3, he invites Harper to join the diagnostics team to replace June Hirata.
Dr. Aurora Emery
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She's emotionally distant towards her fellow interns trying to suck up to her or gossiping about her.
- Ambiguously Bi: In a premium scene in Book 2, Chapter 6, Casey attends Aurora's college reunion with her. Regardless of their gender, if Casey introduces themselves as Aurora's boyfriend or girlfriend, she will be surprised but won't react negatively, and will even agree to dance with them.
- Calling the Old Man Out: She does this to Harper in Chapter 17, saying the reason she pushes her so much as a doctor is because Harper misses being a surgeon and is living vicariously through her.
- Deadpan Snarker: She often makes sarcastic remarks towards others, particularly Casey, whom she "congratulated" by saying that the other interns will be coming after them after they reached number one in the rankings.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Her relationship with Casey begins to improve in the latter part of Book 1 as she begins to gain respect for them.
- Dr. Jerk: She makes scathing remarks towards fellow interns and prefers “interesting” patient cases. When Casey becomes number one in the rankings, she "congratulates" in a sarcastic manner and says the rest of the interns will be coming after them.
- Heroic BSoD: Chapter 14 shows that she's unable to think on her feet in the middle of a crisis and nearly has a nervous breakdown during the subway triage.
- Suffers another one in Book 2 Chapter 16 when she learns Tobias only hired her at Mass Kenmore to try and convince her aunt to come there, shattering her self esteem and making her wonder if people only see her as her aunt's niece.
- Nepotism: She has been accused of such because of her aunt's position as Chief of Medicine and her own position at the top of the rankings until Casey reached number one.
- Red Herring: There are several times where it seems like Aurora is the one sabotaging Casey. When Casey realizes that Landry is the real culprit, Aurora herself is surprised to hear that they don't suspect her anymore.
- Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Her prickly exterior hides her frustrations at the pressures her aunt put on her and her fellow interns taking advantage of her connections.
- Successful Sibling Syndrome: She is accustomed to people trying to suck up to her so they can get a good word with her aunt, even if they haven’t said anything about it.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Despite her Ice Queen behavior towards her colleagues, particularly Casey, she is more approachable towards patients and ensures their well-being.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After the two month Time Skip, she becomes the new roommate and gets to relax more around the gang.
Dr. Naveen Banerji
- Big Damn Heroes: Returns to the hospital cured and enters Casey’s ethics hearing right when they were about to vote and reclaims his seat, helping sway the rest of the panel.
- Blood from the Mouth: Chapter 11 has him coughing some into a handkerchief. A premium choice is done to sneak in and do a blood test.
- Laser-Guided Karma: One he feels is self-inflicted with his own work ethic. A. baumannii is a superbug found in hospitals that's resistant to antibiotics. He feels he's quite literally worked himself to death.
- Meaningful Name: "Banerji" means "venerable teacher" in Hindi, and he's served as a mentor to not just Ethan, but countless other doctors.
- The Mentor: He's this to Ethan.
- You Are in Command Now: He becomes the new Chief of Medicine after Harper steps down from the position. He in turn names Ethan his successor as Director of Diagnostics.
- You See, I'm Dying: Casey finds out that he's Patient X midway through the book. Ethan tells Casey that he is doing the research on his illness as a secret from the rest of the medical staff, despite Dr. Banerji initially refusing to accept this.
- Your Days Are Numbered: By the end of Chapter 12, it’s revealed he has only a month to live. The trope is subverted when Casey is able to find a cure for his condition.
Dr. Ines Delarosa
- Lipstick Lesbian: It's revealed in Book 3 that she has a girlfriend. They get married in Chapter 11.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Zaid's blue. She's warm, energetic, and supportive.
- Team Mom: She is always in a good mood, and always tries to encourage the interns to confide in her. Jackie finds this annoying.
- Those Two Guys: As senior residents in charge of overseeing interns, she and Zaid are often seen together.
Dr. Zaid Mirani
- Always Someone Better: Feels this way about his twin Baz who’s more likable and is ahead of him career wise.
- Deadpan Snarker: He often makes sarcastic remarks that give Aurora a run for her money.
- Defrosting Ice King: Although he appears rude and cranky in his first few appearances, he does acknowledge that he cares about Casey and congratulates them when necessary.
- Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher: Inverted. According to his brother, he tried to be a teacher to third graders, and it didn't go well at all. He also has very little tact towards the freshmen interns.
- Moment Killer: If you choose to kiss Bryce or Jackie, he walks in on you and kicks the two of you out.
- Odd Friendship: To Casey's surprise, he and Esme bonded over their shared taste for TV shows, and they have fun shouting their debates to each other.
- Perpetual Frowner: He is always strict and grumpy, even while "having fun" during a casual party.
- Polar Opposite Twins: In Book 2, Casey meets his twin Baz, who is cheerful and friendly, while Zaid is grumpy and sarcastic.
- Those Two Guys: As senior residents in charge of overseeing interns, he and Ines are often seen together.
- Tsundere: He, along with Ines, go to visit Casey after they get suspended, claiming that he is only concerned about the incident giving the Hospital a bad reputation. Ines has to translate this as genuine concern about Casey.
Rafael Aveiro
- Childhood Friend Romance: With Sora in Book 2, though it's implied that he still has feelings for Casey if they romanced him in Book 1. They break up at the end of Book 2 Chapter 11.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: A serious Fatal Flaw of his. He always throws himself into dangerous situations to save others without much regard for his own safety. Because of this, he ended up injured in a subway crash in Book 1, Chapter 14, lost his job as a paramedic in Book 2, Chapter 5 and almost died in Book 2, Chapter 11.
- The Everyman: When Casey invites him for dinner with the gang, he feels out of place because he is the only person there who isn’t a doctor, has gone to community college instead of Ivy League universities like the others or even has more simpler work stories.
- Heroic Build: He's quite muscular for a paramedic, even by Choices standards. This is lampshaded by Dolores, whom he rescued from an office fire.Dolores: I'm glad you have Superman on payroll. The EMT who carried me out was a total hunk.
- Hunk: Is referred to as one several times throughout the book due to his muscular build.
- Immigrant Parents: His grandparents came over to Boston from Brazil years ago, making him a third generation immigrant.
- Jumped at the Call: He never hesitates to throw himself into danger if he deems it necessary to save someone in need of rescue. Even after he suffers a life-threatening injury in Book 1, Chapter 14 as a result of his heroism and gets put on suspension for disregarding safety protocol in Book 2, Chapter 5 he doesn't regret his actions. This comes to a head when he tackles somebody who's holding a weapon of biological warfare to save Casey and is badly poisoned as a result.
- Love Interest: One of Casey's potential love interests.
- The Medic: He works as a paramedic. He later switches to physical therapist.
- Native Guide: Native more in that he knows Boston like the back of his hand and all the best spots to get a good meal off the beaten path.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: He appears on the cover of Book 3, after not appearing on the cover of the first two books.
Danny Cardinal
- Nice Guy: He is the only nurse on Casey's side after the rumors of them badmouthing the nurses spread at Edenbrook. Whenever the gang needs information or tips about what happens in the hospital, he gladly gives it to them.
- The One Guy: He is the only male nurse seen at Edenbrook.
- Sacrificial Lamb He is the second member of the staff to die from the murder attempt on Senator Farrugia. Before his death, he gave permission to use his body to find a cure for the poison.
- Ship Tease: The friends gang root for him and Sienna to get together. In Season 2, it's revealed that he and Sienna didn't get together.
Dr. Garrett Thorne
- Dr. Jerk: He prides himself on being the best plastic surgeon, harasses female staff freely, and nobody at Edenbrook likes him.
- Potty Failure: Esme has to diagnose him after he pissed himself and fell into a wall during a consultation. Despite his protests, Esme discovers that he has transverse myelitis, which could have manifested in Alzheimer's or Parkinson's in a future, putting himself and his patients in risk.
- Would Hit a Girl: He gets his hand broken after sexually harassing Esme, to which he responds by shoving her backwards, breaking a few bottles on her leg.
Dr. Esme Ortega
- Ambiguous Situation: Midway through Book 2, she gets in deep trouble when the parents of a patient accuse her of giving him an assisted suicide. She never confirms or denies if she took her patient's request, which can potentially sink the entire hospital.
- Demoted to Extra: In Book 2, she's an important character, with her even having a character arc in which her actions could affect the hospital. She only appears in one or two chapters in Book 3, and is only mentioned briefly in a couple of others.
- Odd Friendship: To Casey's surprise, she and Zaid bonded over their shared taste for TV shows, and they have fun shouting their debates to each other.
- Parental Abandonment: Not voluntarily. Esme's parents were deported back to El Salvador when she was 14, and she had to be raised by one of her neighbors, who had a hands-off approach when raising her.
- Tattoo as Character Type: She has a tattoo around her arm, to match with her rough background and the contrast with her career choice.
Dr. Baz Mirani
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Zaid isn't thrilled to learn that Baz transferred to Edenbrook. According to him, Zaid always wanted to prove they were completely different, to the point he tried to be a school teacher instead of being a doctor too.
- I Call It "Vera": He named his car Helen.
- Nice Guy: He immediately welcomes Casey and is very understanding of their status as the new team member.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Unlike Zaid's grumpy personality, Baz is more cheerful and friendly, serving as a Big Brother Mentor to Casey on the first day on the team.
- Sarcasm-Blind: He isn't good at deciphering tone of voice, as evidenced when Casey talks to him sarcastically, he doesn't seem to understand it.
- Twin Switch: According to Ethan in a Premium scene, Zaid gave his approval to Baz transferring to Edenbrook, but it might have been Baz in disguise, which is confirmed in Book 2 Chapter 19. Much later, he manages to get in Mass Kenmore by impersonating Zaid.
Dr. June Hirata
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first, June seems very supportive and caring to both her patients and Casey. It is later revealed that she just says whatever her patients want to hear to get them to open up to her. It's also revealed that she is manipulating Casey and telling them exactly what they want to hear because she wants to turn them against Ethan and she blatantly states that she would have done this with any new member on the diagnostics team.
- Guile Heroine: Her preferred tactic when dealing with new patients is to appeal to their personality traits so they will open more into talking more about themselves. Casey can agree or disagree with her methods.
- Honey Trap: In Book 2 Chapter 9, Casey finds out that June had been sleeping with Tobias Carrick to get information out of him. In her own words "Screwing him doesn't mean she wouldn't screw with him."
- Put on a Bus: She transfers to Solomon Kenmore near the end of Book 2, and is completely absent in Book 3.
- The Social Expert: Manipulative or not, June always knows what to say and do to get people on her side. She's also very perceptive.
- Smug Snake: She isn't shy from admitting that she sees her coworkers as competition, and never shows remorse when it comes to manipulate others. She doesn't hesitate to file her transfer to Mass Kenmore when Edenbrook's funds are in danger.
- Stalker without a Crush: Played with. According to Ethan, she gained her spot on the team by "stalking" Dr. Naveen and stealing his charts so she could get them solved.
Bobby Gunderson
A security guard from Edenbrook- Cool Old Guy: He is a middle aged security guard and has a good relationship with Casey and the other doctors of Edenbrook.
- Fatal Family Photo: Not a literal photo. He mentions having a 16 year old daughter on the chapter he is introduced, and he needs to save money to buy her a car. Later he is the first to die at the end of it.
- Red Shirt: He is briefly introduced, shown to have a good relationship with the rest of the staff, only to be killed in the same chapter to show how lethal is the biological weapon used on Casey and the others.
Kyra Santana
A cancer patient at Edenbrook Hospital. In Book 2, she becomes Edenbrook's accountant.- Baldness Means Sickness: Chapter 11 has Casey run into her with a freshly-shaved head as she starts chemotherapy treatments for her cancer.
- Genki Girl: She broke her arm because on her way to the hospital for her treatment, she saw a bike and tried to learn how to ride it on the spot.
- The Pollyanna: Despite having a very advanced lung cancer, she tries to be upbeat and peppy, often flirting with the doctors and keeping a bright smile.
- Put on a Bus: By the end of Book 2, Kyra decides to move away to start a new life. She is completely absent in Book 3.
- Survivor Guilt: In Book 2 Chapter 18, she feels sad and guilty that Danny and Bobby, who served her at Edenbrook, died on the day of her surgery.
- Thrill Seeker: After finding out that her cancer came back, Kyra ropes Casey into her quest to seek new experiences in the time she has left. One of those experiences involves taking skydiving lessons with the gang.
- The Topic of Cancer: She has a very advanced lung cancer. Even after her first surgery, it returns and causes her to need chemotherapy and a second surgery to remove part of her lung.
Dr. Tobias Carrick
Head doctor at Mass Kenmore Hospital and an old rival of Ethan Ramsey. He eventually is recruited to join Bloom's Edenbrook as the new member of the diagnostics team.- Competition Freak: Whenever the issue involves Ethan Ramsey, even a "friendly" game of baseball between the two hospitals.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his extremely competitive nature and rivalry with Ethan, he's still willing to put their differences aside to work on a cure for the toxin in Book 2, Chapter 11. If Casey thanks him, he gives a genuine smile.
- Pungeon Master: In Book 3, he wants to crack some beet puns after they solve the case of a patient who was peeing red because she was eating a lot of beets. Casey can opt to follow his lead and have a Hurricane of Puns.
- The Rival: To Ethan. They have become bitter rivals after their friendship deteriorated.
- We Used to Be Friends: Before becoming enemies, he and Ethan were inseparable. According to Ethan, his competitive nature and ambition overtook the good qualities he had. In Book 3 they finally solve their differences and rekindle their friendship.
Edenbrook Hospital Patients
General Tropes
- Lethal Diagnosis: Casey has to deal with telling their patients if they have a severe case, like Dolores and Remy.
- Patient of the Week: Almost all of them are one shot characters, with the exception of Kyra, Patient X, and Mrs. Martinez, who have recurring roles, though Mrs. Martinez dies.
Annie
A patient with labyrinthitis- Nervous Wreck: Casey discovers that she has labyrinthitis, caused by her having a panic attack while scuba diving, resulting in a quick resurface and an infection in her inner ear.
- Plot Allergy: She ends up having a nearly fatal allergic reaction to the antibiotics given to her.
Kyra Santana
A cancer patient at Edenbrook Hospital- See Edenbrook Hospital Staff
Teresa Martinez
A Rhodes disease patient who has been hospitalized for ten years- Cool Old Lady: She's one of the nicest senior citizen patients that both the interns and residents get along with.
- Dirty Old Woman: Played for Laughs. At one point, Casey suspects that she goes around with her gown open on her butt on purpose.
- Hope Spot: Chapter 12 has her given a cure to her disease with a 40% chance it would kill her. Days later, she dies in Buenos Aires.
- The Pollyanna: Despite being aware that she has to be bound to the hospital to prolong her lifespan, she tries to be very peppy. According to the hospital staff, she has been playing pranks on the doctors and nurses, to the point some of them will miss the salt in their coffees.
- Walking the Earth: Her dream was to travel around the world, but her illness confined her to live the rest of her life at the hospital. After Casey gives her the experimental treatment, she gets to Paris and sends Casey a postcard, but she dies days later in Buenos Aires.
Mike Knoblauch
A patient hospitalized as a result of a car crash after suffering from migraines- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: His son, Matthew, has ADHD. Taking his son's pills and then withdrawing from them was what led to him having the migraine that caused his car accident.
Dolores Hudson
An old friend of Ethan who was pregnant at the time of her admission- Affectionate Nickname: She loves frogs, and she often calls her unborn baby “tadpole”.
- Death by Childbirth: She dies from eclampsia and her delivery has to be induced.
- Old Friend: She's one for Ethan, being his first patient when he started as an intern. As her dying wish, she requests her son to be named after him.
- Tragic Keepsake: If Casey retrieves the frog plushie as a Premium Choice, baby Ethan keeps it after his mom dies. If Alma Hudson is chosen to testify at Casey's hearing, she says that baby Ethan could have not survived the night without it.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: If Casey chooses Alma Hudson (Dolores' sister) to speak at the hearing, Casey is surprised at how much she looks like Dolores.
Shonda Turner
- Almost Dead Guy: Happens to her in the beginning and near the end of Chapter 6.
- Chekhov's Classroom: Her advice to Casey is that when things are getting stressful, just take a deep breath. This helps them avoid a Heroic BSoD when she crashes again, allowing them to give orders to the nurses to save her life.
- Cool Teacher: After Casey has a Heroic BSoD, she gives encouraging advice to them on how to delegate and handle harsh situations. If she is chosen to speak at Casey's hearing, she explains that Casey took her advice to heart and managed to keep her alive because of it, and promptly calls out the panel for not teaching their interns properly.
Remy
A patient with a genetic disorder that will cause him to develop distal muscular dystrophy later in his life- Heroic BSoD: Generally upbeat and relaxed, he has a breakdown if Casey tells him that he might lose the use of his legs by age 40. After he gets over it, he has time to rethink his life and make the most of it.
- Nice Guy: If he is chosen to speak at Casey's hearing, he actually thanks Casey for detecting his condition so he could make a better use of the time he has left.
- Surfer Dude: He is a passionate surfer who plays ukulele in his spare time. If Casey tells him about his muscle disease, he eventually accepts his situation and decides to keep surfing as long as he can.
Willow and Rowan
- Half-Identical Twins: This comes handy when Casey plans to offer them to be part of a research program for fraternal twins so they will be able to afford Willow's treatments.
- Hippie Parents: Both Willow and Rowan lampshade their tree themed names because of their parents. They don't believe in modern medicine or insurance, leaving their kids with a huge college debt. Their mom's recommended cure for Willow's illness was for her to sleep with an amethyst stone on her chest.
Patient X/Dr. Naveen Banerji
- See the Edenbrook Hospital Staff section
Nigel Platt
An unpleasant patient diagnosed with hypothroidism- Fat Bastard: He's portly and a very unpleasant person.
- Gass Hole: He can't seem to go two sentences without belching.
- Hypocrite: He dismisses Casey’s credentials because “anyone can be an expert with the Internet”. He then refuses to accept other diagnoses because he read on the Internet that his symptoms are from a heart attack.
- Jerkass: He makes several rude and belittling comments towards Casey. The nurses refer to him as a PITA, which is an acronym for "pain in the ass".
- Know-Nothing Know-It-All: He refuses to believe Casey's diagnosis, instead believing what he read about his symptoms on the Internet.
- Took a Level in Kindness: If he is chosen to speak during Casey's hearing, he admits that Casey did help him and that he was being difficult.
Lamar Stevenson
A patient who was admitted for having partial vision loss and hallucinations. He is later diagnosed with tertiary syphilis.- Dark and Troubled Past: He used to have a wild life during his time at the Green Corps, before meeting his wife.
Evelyn de la Vega
A painter who was losing her sight.- Dramatic Irony: She was afraid of never getting to see her work at display, and she loses her sight right before opening day of his exhibition.
Gwyneth Monroe
A very popular influencer who was dismissed by many doctors for her weight loss. Casey suggests taking up her case to give more publicity to the Hospital.- Brainless Beauty: She doesn't have a lot of conversation range other than her vlogs and social media.
- Social Media Before Reason: Gwyneth insisted to blog every second of her stay at Edenbrook, even when Ethan found the situation annoying. Eventually, Ethan and Casey discover through one of her many videos that she got a tapeworm after eating beef tartare. Casey can advice her to keep this private before they lay it on her. If Casey tells her in private instead of live streaming it, she still shares it with her followers, but thanks Casey for giving her the option.
Leland Bloom
- Big Bad: Of Book 3. With Edenbrooke under his control, he makes it his mission to direct all research into finding a cure for his wife, all the other patients be damned. When Ethan tries to resist, Bloom does everything in his power to get Ethan out of his way, even slamming him with a malpractice suit to get him fired from Edenbrook once and for all.
- Can't Have Sex, Ever: Near the end of Book 2, he learns that he overproduces Immunoglobulin A which his wife is violently allergic to, meaning that he can never physically touch her again, let alone have sex with her again. This is torture for such a physically affectionate couple and what prompts him to buy and save Edenbrook, to hopefully find a cure for their conditions so they can touch again.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While Leland is not evil, and more of a self-centered rich guy, he reasons that he will pay anything as long as he gets more time to be with his wife.
- Laser-Guided Karma: He uses his influence to get himself a new kidney, which implies that he basically stole the turn from another patient who was waiting for the organ who knows how long. By the end of the book, the team discover that his new kidney caused him to overproduce Immunoglobulin A, to which his wife is violently allergic to, meaning that he managed to live a longer life with his wife, but to never touch her again for the rest of their lives.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Leland has the belief that he can get everything in life by buying it or bribing his way up, even his health. After being told that he could get just a few extra years of life with a kidney transplant note . Ethan and Casey have doubts over how much it cost (economically and morally) Leland to get that kidney so quickly.
Stephanie Hill
A woman who's spent 13 years in a coma after a drug overdose.- Bungled Suicide: She deliberately took an overdose of her prescription medication after being unable to cope with her anxiety anymore. Rather than the overdose killing her, it led to her being in a coma for nearly half her life.
- Improbably Quick Coma Recovery: Averted. Instead of having a Convenient Coma, Stephanie at first has trouble with her speech and use of her legs when she wakes up. She is being told that she will need a lot of physical rehab before returning to the real world.
Senator Ed Farrugia
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He appears to be a correct authority figure who is set to help the average citizen. Casey discovers that he is as corrupt and opportunistic as any other politician.
- Corrupt Politician: Despite advocating for a Addiction rehabilitation bill, he drops it in favor of bribes from his donors, with the reasoning that he needs to climb higher for the greater good.
- Create Your Own Villain: Casey finds out that during his time as a mayor, he was involved in a lead poisoning incident that killed three people , one of them the brother of his assistant Travis, who was plotting to kill him for ten years.
- Karma Houdini: After everything that happens in Chapter 11, he gets no comeuppance for his actions, which caused the deaths of at least six people overall.
- Karmic Death: How Travis intended to kill him. Since his brother died of lead poisoning during his time as a mayor, Travis was slowly poisoning him by putting lead in his drinks. Averted, since the diagnostics team detected the cause, so Travis looked for an alternative way to kill him.
- Lack of Empathy: If Ethan decides to confront him, Ed hardly feels bad for getting away, while the people who got in the crossfire protecting him (one of them already dead, while other was in a coma) are in critical condition.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His past failures as a mayor ended up in an asasination attempt from his assistant, which ended up causing the deaths of the latter, Bobby and Danny, and almost killing Rafael and Casey as well.
- Walking Spoiler: His role as Patient of the Week is the direct cause of the tragic events in Chapters 10 and 11.
Levi Coates
- Ship Tease: He had a lot of flirting interactions with Esme.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death gets Edenbrook in deep trouble, since his parents want to sue the hospital, with a big suspicion on Esme performing an assisted suicide on his request, which is illegal in Boston. Casey is forced to choose between backing Esme or blaming her entirely.
- Walking Spoiler: What happens to him is one of the biggest obstacles in Esme's arc.
Other people in Boston
Farley
The landlord of the apartment Casey, Jackie, Sienna, Elijah, and Landry live in.- Berserk Button: Communists. He first gets angry when Elijah suggests offering him free consultations in exchange for their rent. If Casey chooses the Premium option to convince him, one of the arguments can be telling him that the tech developers are not guaranteed to keep paying their rent, and the basis of start-ups sound to him like communism.
- Big Eater: He is seen enjoying Sienna's cookies during the apartment showcase. If Casey decides to convince him to give them the nice apartment, one option is to offer him weekly batches of Sienna's cookies.
- "Friends" Rent Control: Subverted. He charges a high rent for the penthouse, and can only be convinced to give it to the gang via Premium option. Otherwise, he offers them the garden level apartment, which is much less expensive but nowhere near as nice.
Wayne
Sienna's boyfriend. She eventually breaks up with him.- Hate Sink: He is intended to be a very unlikable character due to his narcissism and rude behavior, going so far as to get angry at his girlfriend for "wasting his time" when she was too busy tending to the victims of a serious accident to meet up with him.
- It's All About Me: He appears at the hospital because Sienna stood him up for a date. His girlfriend has been a whole shift attending victims of a subway crash, covered in blood, and he is only concerned about her wasting his only free spot in his busy schedule.
- Jerkass: The gang hates him for being condescending, rude and dismissive of Sienna. He claims that his job is very demanding and important, even though Sienna's job as a doctor is as stressful as his or even more so. Every time he's brought up, Jackie makes it clear how much she dislikes him. Even Bryce, who only talked to him for a few minutes, acknowledges that he's a jerk.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Chapter 14 has him on the receiving end of one in a premium choice by Casey and Sienna.
Phoebe
The gang's neighbor who has a mutual crush on Elijah- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She stops appearing after Book 1. Unlike several other characters who are written out of the series between Books 2 and 3, she's never even mentioned after the end of Book 1, with even Landry (who was Unpersoned by the gang for what he did to Casey) getting at least one more appearance/mention.
- Girl Next Door: She is the gang's neighbor and Elijah's love interest.
- Love Interest: She immediately hits it off with Elijah. Casey can choose to be matchmaker for them.
- Put on a Bus: She's absent in Books 2 and 3.
Jake Sandburg
A pitcher for the Boston Nighthawks. Casey and the gang attend him after he collapses in the middle of a game.- Patient of the Week: He is the first patient to be rescued by Casey outside of Edenbrook Hospital.
Declan Nash
A V.P. from Panacea Labs- Abhorrent Admirer: He's attracted to Harper Emery, who shuns him for being a scumbag.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of Book 1.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: He is considerably more focused on profits than patients. When Casey's request to treat Mrs. Martinez with a drug Panacea produces is denied, Bryce suggests that it was because Panacea would make far more money treating her symptoms than actually curing her. Also, at Casey's hearing, it's strongly implied that he bribed some of the doctors on the panel.
- Disproportionate Retribution: He once ruined a man's career for breaking his toy back in kindergarten.
- Hate Sink: He's greedy, selfish, makes unwanted advances on Harper, and tried to ruin Casey's career. Who wouldn't want to punch him in the face?
- Put on a Bus: After his crimes are exposed, Nash is written out of the series, but not before throwing one last Spanner in the Works by preventing the merger of Edenbrook and Mass Kenmore from happening.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: According to Ramsey, Declan has a big ego and tends to gloat after winning.
Luis Martinez
The son of Mrs. Martinez- Hug and Comment: He does this to Casey when he thanks them for giving his mother a week of life outside of the hospital to the point he withdraws his lawsuit with the hospital.
Sora
Rafael's childhood sweetheart.- Character Customization: Sora is the same gender as Casey.
- Romantic False Lead: In Book 2, Rafael starts dating Sora again after he and Casey didn't work out during the Time Skip. In Chapter 11, Sora realizes that Rafael still has feelings for Casey.
- Satellite Love Interest: To Rafael. Sora has no characterization beyond being Rafael's partner, preventing any romantic interactions between Casey and Rafael. After Sora breaks up with Rafael, they stop appearing for the rest of the series.
- Wet Blanket Wife: Sora decides to break up with Rafael because of his Chronic Hero Syndrome, which also was connected to Rafael still having feelings for Casey.
Travis Perry
Senator Ed Farrugia’s assistant- Big Brother Instinct: His main motivation to kill Senator Farrugia is to avenge the death of his brother, who died of lead poisoning when Farrugia was mayor of his hometown.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Since he also got poisoned by his maitotoxin, his last moments alive were extremely painful and agonizing, which let Ethan have more information on his symptoms. Ethan can either help him with the pain or just let him suffer.
- Never My Fault: When Ethan confronts him for killing Bobby and infecting Casey and the others, he hardly feels sorry, since They got in the way of killing Farrugia.
- Sour Supporter: After Casey discovers that Ed Farrugia is really a Corrupt Politician and a liar, Travis let’s out that he secretly hates him, but has to tolerate him for the greater good. It got to the point of Travis poisoning him gradually.
- Taking You with Me: When His attempt to poison Senator Farrugia is foiled, he tried to kill him with a mysterious biological weapon, not caring if he was also caught up with it. While he failed to get the Senator, he instead causes his own death, along with Bobby and Danny, and almost kills Casey and Rafael as well.
- Walking Spoiler: His actions trigger the biggest conflict of Book 2 Chapter 11. He is responsible for trying to kill Senator Farrugia, resulting in the direct deaths of Bobby and Danny, and almost killing Casey and Rafael.
Mass Kenmore (later Solomon Kenmore) Hospital
General Tropes
Dr. Tobias Carrick
Head doctor at Mass Kenmore Hospital and an old rival of Ethan Ramsey.- See Edenbrook Hospital Staff
Dr. Landry Olsen
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first, he seems to be a nervous wreck who idolizes Ethan Ramsey, Then he is shown to be so obsessed with working with his idol and jealous of Casey for their closeness with Ethan that he will do anything to sabotage them.
- Cannot Talk to Women: He is very shy about asking girls out. Casey can sympathize with him or offer to be his wingman.
- Dr. Jerk: He's implied to show disregard for patients, such as turning off Casey's pager and messing with their charts, putting patients at risk of misdiagnoses in the process. Rafael also added that he determines what patients can do for him rather than what he can do for them.
- False Friend: He sabotaged Casey's pager, hid their charts, spread malicious gossip about them, and told Mrs. Martinez's relatives that they administered the vaccine that contributed to Mrs. Martinez's death, putting them and the hospital in jeopardy.
- For Science!: As a doctor, he's more interested in the science behind patient cases than the well-being of patients.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Although Landry is willingly invited to live in the apartment with the other main interns at the beginning of book one, it will become apparent that he does not fit in. He is introverted to the point of being withdrawn, and no amount of interaction with him will make him become more friendly. He also has no premium interactions available, hinting that he won’t stick around. This becomes
Harsher in Hindsight during the victory celebration at Donahue’s if he is the last person you choose to speak to. He is surrounded by people noisily celebrating your victory with everyone pointedly ignoring him, and he leaves before you can speak to him, completely dejected. - Green-Eyed Monster: His reason for sabotaging Casey in the competition is that he is jealous of Casey becoming Ethan's favorite.
- Hypocrite: He claims that he felt obligated to inform Mrs. Martinez's relatives about the circumstances of her death because Casey's behavior was a violation of medical ethics. Then Casey discovers that way before that, he was sabotaging Casey by turning off their pager, messing with their charts, and giving them a bad reputation with the nurses, therefore being even more unethical.
- Karma Houdini: He was never held accountable for sabotaging Casey.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Although Landry avoids any outright punishment in Book 1, it is also made very clear that he would not have been welcome to stay at Edenbrook. Casey has the opportunity to take revenge on him in book 2 at the baseball game. If you didn’t choose the diamond option to prepare for the game, you actually must hit him on the final play of the game or Edenbrook will lose.
- Lack of Empathy: The main reason he has never reached the top of the rankings, despite his extensive theoretical knowledge, is because he doesn't care about knowing details on his patients lives.
- Never My Fault: After the reveal that he was the one sabotaging Casey, he explains that he never felt Casey acted like a friend to him because Casey never put word about him with Dr. Ramsey, and even blamed Casey for having so many chances to be near Ramsey, while he never even attempted to talk to him directly. Then blames Casey for being ranked higher than him despite how much he studies, completely forgetting that the job also includes talking and getting to know their patients as people, which he is completely incapable of. When Jackie, Sienna and Elijah agree that what he did to Casey was awful, Landry was more shocked that the others "took Casey's side".
- New Meat: Just like Casey, he's also a new intern.
- No Social Skills: Despite being a knowledgeable doctor, his ranking is affected by his difficulty at small talk with the patients, while Casey can either tell him that knowing their patients is either part of the job or what makes it an exciting profession.
- Put on a Bus: Whether you talk to him or not after the hearing, he's transferring to Mass Kenmore. He is seen again in the softball game between Edenbrooke and Mass Kenmore in Book 2, Chapter 8, before disappearing for the rest of the series.
- Technician vs. Performer: The crux of what separates him from Casey in terms of their approaches to their work, Landry gets up earlier, works harder, has better outcomes, but he’s cold and clinical in his assessments and doesn’t take time to get to know his patients and listen. Casey on the other hand is less polished and lets the situations of the patients get to them, but is warmer and more empathetic and able to come up with diagnoses based off what the patients told them about their lives.
- Unperson: In Book 2, Elijah refers to him as "He Who Shall Not Be Named".
- Walking Spoiler: Much of his true character after Chapter 14 is this!
- What the Hell, Hero?: Gives one of these to Casey for wanting to steal an experimental treatment from Panacea Labs.
Dr. Aurora Emery
- See Edenbrook Hospital Staff
