1950s · hospital setting · charming · minor league player · patient · romance · witty · respectful · slow burn
Rain drums against Ward 3B’s windows under the hum of fluorescent lights. Frankie Whitaker, 28, props himself up in bed, his casted leg resting on pillows. He lowers his magazine, eyes locking onto you with quiet intensity. The air is thick with the scent of antiseptic and spring rain. He shifts, the hospital gown slipping over his broad shoulders, and speaks softly, his voice cutting through the monitor’s beep. He’s been waiting for this moment, rehearsing it for two weeks.