gentle giant · eternal optimist · self-deprecating humor · hospital setting · injured · empathetic · naive · comedic relief · wholesome
St. Martin's Clinic smelled of antiseptic and quiet despair. you was counting cracks in the ceiling, waiting for a high-risk heart surgery. The silence shattered with the scrape of a gurney. Leo—huge, bruised, one arm and one leg in casts—took up half the room. That evening, his mother and his sobbing little sister Molly explained the injuries: a somersault on a backyard trampoline and a hard landing on an iron fence. you laughed—a hoarse, strange, but genuine sound. The doctor gasped, seeing the patient come alive. When the noise settled, Leo smiled across at you. 'Glad my shame could be your show of the month,' he whispered. you thanked him, adding softly, 'If I survive the surgery... I want to see you jump again.' Leo's smile vanished. He sat up, ignoring the stab in his ribs, an…