OVERVIEW

Born and raised on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Isadora Carvalho has spent her entire life surrounded by New York's most influential circles. The daughter of a decorated NYPD detective and a former Assistant District Attorney turned judge, she was raised believing justice, discipline, and integrity weren't virtues, they were expectations. While her parents spent decades pursuing justice after tragedy struck, Isadora became fascinated with preventing tragedy altogether. Medicine gave her something the legal system never could: the chance to save someone before they became another case file. After graduating medical school, she matched into one of New York City's busiest trauma surgery residency programs. Years later, she's become one of the hospital's most respected residents. She is known for impossible composure, relentless work ethic, and an uncanny ability to keep people alive when everyone else has already begun preparing for the worst. To the outside world, Dr. Carvalho is exactly what people expect. She's polished, brilliant, and endlessly dedicated. What almost no one knows is that New York's underground has quietly come to know her by another reputation entirely. THE OFF THE BOOKS SURGEON A few years ago, after finishing an overnight shift during one of her first nights as a resident, Isadora was approached and asked if she'd help someone who couldn't risk stepping foot inside a hospital. Against every instinct telling her to walk away... She said yes. She treated the injury. Collected her fee. Went home. She assumed it would be the last time. It wasn't. Word spread quietly through the city. Now, every so often, usually in the middle of the night or on one of her rare days off, Isadora receives a simple text. Need you. Within minutes, a car or SUV arrives outside her building. No names. No destinations. No questions. She climbs in carrying the same worn leather medical bag she's owned since residency and treats whoever is waiting. To New York's criminal underworld, she's become something of an urban legend. The surgeon who never asks questions. The surgeon who never speaks about what she's seen. The surgeon who always comes. She doesn't do it because she believes in organized crime. She doesn't do it for the money. She does it because when someone is bleeding in front of her, every instinct she possesses tells her to save them.

FAMILY

Miguel Carvalho - Father. Retired NYPD Detective. He spent nearly thirty years investigating violent crime throughout New York City. He still calls Isadora every Sunday, convinced she isn't eating enough. He has no idea his daughter has become intertwined with the very world he spent his career trying to dismantle. Judge Elena Carvalho - Mother. Former Assistant District Attorney and New York State Judge. She sees straight through Isadora's carefully maintained composure and worries her daughter has sacrificed too much of herself in pursuit of becoming exceptional.

PERSONALITY

Isadora is composed, observant, fiercely intelligent, and quietly ambitious. She doesn't command attention by being loud, she commands it through competence. People trust her because she never panics and she notices everything. Despite her reputation, she isn't cold. She's deeply compassionate. She simply communicates love through action instead of words. She'll remember your coffee order, notice you've skipped lunch, and stay three hours after her shift ends because your family needs answers.

INSPIRATION

Cristina Yang - brilliance, ambition, dry humor, surgical obsession. Olivia Pope - composure, elegance, authority, presence. Donna Paulsen - emotional intelligence, observational skills, quiet loyalty.

STRENGTHS

• Calm under pressure • Highly observant • Brilliant problem solver • Exceptionally competent • Emotionally resilient • Fiercely loyal • Protective • Quick decision maker • Naturally respected • Quietly empathetic

FLAWS

• Workaholic • Emotionally guarded • Struggles to ask for help • Avoids vulnerability • Overly independent • Carries guilt privately • Believes every problem has a solution if she works hard enough • Often forgets to care for herself while caring for everyone else

QUIRKS

• Carries a ton of pens in her scrubs because someone always steals one or she loses them. • Keeps protein bars in every purse, coat, and drawer because she constantly forgets to eat. • Pushes her sleeves up before surgery, difficult conversations, or making important decisions. • Has beautiful handwriting despite writing medical notes all day. • Speaks conversational Portuguese with family. • Buys herself fresh flowers every Sunday. • Has a worn leather medical bag dedicated solely to off-the-books calls. • Knows every overnight nurse by name. • Notices injuries before introductions. • Secretly prefers tea over coffee but survives almost exclusively on hospital coffee. • Rarely cries where anyone can see. • Falls asleep almost instantly after long shifts. • Hasn't taken a proper vacation in years.

MANNERISMS

• Rolls her sleeves to her forearms whenever she's mentally preparing herself. • Tilts her chin slightly instead of raising her voice when someone says something particularly stupid. • Crosses her arms while listening rather than while speaking. • Makes direct eye contact when delivering difficult news. • Speaks calmly no matter how chaotic the situation becomes. • Has a habit of saying "Again." when she wants someone to repeat themselves after they've made a poor decision.

STYLE (outside of work)

Effortlessly expensive. Silk blouses. Tailored trousers. Cashmere sweaters. Long wool coats. Pointed heels. Simple gold jewelry. Classic watches. Minimal makeup. She never chases trends. She invests in timeless pieces.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

THE FIRST ONE: The very first off-the-books patient she ever treated. Without realizing it, they changed the course of her life. Whether they feel guilty, protective, indebted, or something more is entirely up to plotting. THE REPEAT CUSTOMER: Different injuries. Different nights. Same disappointed look from Isadora. Somehow they always end up back on her table. TAKEN BY ASLAN/JAKE. THE RULE BREAKER: The only patient she ever got to know personally. She learned their name. They learned hers. Against every rule she ever established, they became part of each other's lives. TAKEN BY YVES. THE DETECTIVE: A detective who either knew her father or greatly respected him. They've crossed paths more than once. They suspect she knows far more than she's willing to admit. They're right. THE FAMILY FRIEND: Raised in the same circles. Holiday parties. Private schools. Years of shared history. One of the few people who remembers Isadora before medicine became her entire identity. TAKEN BY LOTTIE. THE BAD INFLUENCE: The person constantly trying to convince her to have an actual life. Weekend trips. Rooftop bars. She usually says no. Usually. TAKEN BY CLEO. THE EMERGENCY CONTACT: The person listed on every hospital form, alongside her parents. Has a key to her apartment. Knows where the spare scrubs are. Can tell she's lying when she says she's okay. TAKEN BY GIGI. THE EX: The relationship that couldn't survive residency. There was never a dramatic betrayal. Just impossible schedules, missed holidays, canceled plans, and two people who loved each other enough to let the other go. THE OFF LIMITS: Someone she absolutely should not want. A detective. A gang leader. A patient. Someone connected to her family. Whoever they are, pursuing anything would complicate every carefully balanced part of her life. Naturally... They're impossible to ignore. TAKEN BY JAKE THE CONSTANT: The first person she wants to call after every impossible day. No labels. No expectations. Just the one person she instinctively reaches for. TAKEN BY VAL.