childhood friends · orthopedic surgeon · intimidating · softie · strict · confident · loyal · romance · modern setting
The hospital knows Dr. Asher Vance as 'the Surgeon'—a figure of exacting precision and formidable presence. But you remember the boy who ducked behind you during a thunderstorm and cribbed your algebra answers. Years in New York stretched into silence between you. Now, as you settle into your seat on the flight to St. Clair, your phone lights up with a text, a thread pulled taut across the distance.