Jackie Varma

Jackie Varma, a character in the Open Heart series, is an internal medicine intern at Edenbrook Hospital and one of your love interests. She is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 1.

Appearance
Jackie has brown eyes, dark brown hair which she keeps in a low knot, and medium brown skin. Her casual outfit consists of a white blouse under a three-quarter sleeved gray jacket, and ripped blue jeans. She wears a gold necklace with a small hoop. Her hospital scrubs are blue.

Personality
She takes her job very seriously given that she helps you save Annie's life when she starts flatlining. If you allow her to take all the credit, she tells you that you shouldn't do that in the future and says that no one will give you credit, but yourself. She is competitive and wants to be the best. When you start to surpass her, she becomes cold but later amends her behavior. She becomes angry at Landry on your behalf when the truth is exposed. Jackie has a conscience as demonstrated when she felt bad for working for Panacea Labs just to get money to get by. In Chapter 13, she was willing to give the money that she has from Panacea Labs to help a women who was indebted. In Chapter 14, she is willing to use the money that Panacea Labs gave her to pay on behalf of Your Character who inviting her for sushi, to show that she is unwilling to allow Panacea Labs dictate her life.

Meeting Your Character & Saving a Patient
Jackie and Your Character's paths cross when Your Character walks into the locker room and sees Jackie in her underwear. Jackie makes fun of Your Character's reaction and introduces herself as well as Bryce Lahela, who is also changing. The three doctors share a brief conversation before heading down to orientation.

However, in Chapter 2, Your Character deals with a patient who suddenly passes out. He/she calls a code blue and Jackie runs into the room as none of the nurses are around. Together, the pair are able to save the patient and Jackie tells Your Character that he/she is very lucky.

Money Problems & Uncertainty
In Book 2, Chapter 4, she states that she is late with rent and having trouble paying it. Your Character helps her by getting her to accept a babysitting job. In Chapter 14, Jackie reveals to Your Character that she has money trouble and can't pay her rent and presumably her basic needs, and she had been working with Panacea Labs on the sidelines to make ends meet. However, after a few days, she starts having second thoughts and regrets working with the enemy just for the "easy cash", and even states that the cash that Panacea Labs were paying her was nothing more than "blood money." Your Character has a choice to be shocked, understanding, or somewhat comfort her by saying that "everyone does it". Your Character takes her out to get sushi and ponder what to do to help Mass Kenmore and Edenbrook open due to low funds.

Later in Chapter 14, she grows angry at Declan Nash for using both Mass Kenmore and Edenbrook for profit to improve his image. After Declan Nash leaves, she laughs at him and tells Your Character that she knows how to save both hospitals, when Declan gloatingly stated that "he was going to get promoted."

Book 1

 * Chapter 1: The Doctor Is In
 * Chapter 2: Code Blue
 * Chapter 3: Hanging in the Balance
 * Chapter 4: Dolores
 * Chapter 5: Relief
 * Chapter 6: Housewarming
 * Chapter 7: Patient X
 * Chapter 8: Make-Believe
 * Chapter 9: The Pita
 * Chapter 10: Risk and Reward
 * Chapter 11: Whatever It Takes
 * Chapter 12: Panacea
 * Chapter 13: Admission
 * Chapter 14: Triage
 * Chapter 15: Hearing Impaired
 * Chapter 16: The Curious Case of Dr. Banerji
 * Chapter 17: The Oath

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: Prognosis
 * Chapter 2: The Interns
 * Chapter 3: What's Done Is Done
 * Chapter 4: Blind Spot
 * Chapter 5: Influence
 * Chapter 6: Buying Time
 * Chapter 7: Wake-Up Call
 * Chapter 8: Fair Game
 * Chapter 10: The Senator
 * Chapter 11: Countdown
 * Chapter 12: Control
 * Chapter 13: Time Bomb
 * Chapter 14: Snowball
 * Chapter 15: Do No Harm
 * Chapter 16: The Kindness of Strangers
 * Chapter 17: Hopeful Hearts
 * Chapter 18: Inevitable
 * Chapter 19: One Last Case
 * Chapter 20: Picking Sides

Book 3

 * Chapter 1: Edenbrook 2.0
 * Chapter 2: More Than Meets The Eye
 * Chapter 4: Power Struggles

Your Character
Jackie is one of your love interests and fellow intern at Edenbrook Hospital. You first meet her in the locker rooms and follow her to orientation. When you have a Code Blue emergency, she helps you but is given full credit by attending physician, Dr. Ramsey. You have the option to hook up with her in Chapter 2 before you are interrupted. At the end of Chapter 2, Sienna suggests the five interns (including you and her) rent a place together to get out of the current hellholes each person is living in.

In Chapter 6, you have the option to be intimate with her for diamonds. In Chapter 7, when her ranking drops lower than yours, she becomes cold and tells you that even though you're not her enemy, you're a distraction to her and an obstacle to her goal of being the best. In Chapter 9, if you decide to go to karaoke with your friends, she admits to liking you and you have the choice to tell her that you like her too or that it needs to stop.

Of all of your possible love interests, Jackie is the one to give you tough love when you feel insecure. She tells you that you're a good doctor, the best intern in the hospital and all the attendings want you on their service. She doesn't understand why you have so much doubt in yourself. Since she is not touchy-feely, she admires that you care so much for your patients. In Chapter 14, she tells you to "pick your battles" and don't give Chief Emery the ammunition to end your career.

Bryce Lahela
When you meet Jackie for the first time, she is in the locker room with Bryce. They appear to know each other, as she calls him "Meathead" and "Scalpel Jockey" and asks why he must remain shirtless.

Other Looks

 * -|Book 1=

Miscellaneous

 * -|Promo=

Trivia

 * She is shown on the cover of Open Heart: Second Year and Open Heart: Third Year.
 * The reason she doesn't want to stay in the apartment she rented is because it's above an all-night salsa club.
 * The name Jackie is of French origin and means "God is gracious". It's the short version of the name Jacqueline, the female variant of the name Jacques.
 * The surname Varma is of Indian and Sanskrit origin, which means "armor" or "protection".
 * In Chapter 9, she mentions that she studied at Harvard for eight years.
 * Standing in the Intern rankings for the Diagnostics Team fellowship:
 * Week 1: 4th (Chapter 6)
 * Week 2: 11th (Chapter 7)
 * On April 10, 2020, Pixelberry tweeted their #QuarantineHouse challenge, placing Jackie in House 1 with King "Liam", Gaius Augustine, Guy Ledford, Marc Antony, and Lily Spencer.