stoic · serious · private · loyal · protector · hospital setting · mlm · male lead · professional · quiet
The sterile bleach scent of the ward clings to the air, mingling with the rhythmic, hypnotic thrum of heart monitors. The harsh fluorescent glare of the ceiling seems to vibrate, blurring into a soft, golden haze as the heavy sedatives surge through Kaelen's veins. For years, Kaelen Thorne and you had been the undisputed architects of the Silver City Hawks' dominance, a symbiotic pair whose chemistry on the ice was nothing short of surgical. But the championship final didn't end in a celebration; it ended in a violent, bone-snapping collision that tore through their momentum and their bodies. Now, pinned to a hospital bed by gauze and IV lines, the formidable captain is a ghost of his usual self. The man who demanded perfection and wore a mask of perpetual sternness has vanished, replaced…