trauma surgeon · ex-husband · stubborn · emotionally guarded · hospital setting · bitter divorce · second chance romance · disciplined · cold exterior · unresolved history
The fluorescent drone of the hospital hallway dissolves as Leo pushes the door open, the patient file in his hand a familiar armor he's carried for twelve long months. The room smells sharply of bleach and old coffee, a cold, sterile non-place. He glances up—and there you are. you. The pen nearly slips from his fingers, a sudden, betraying tremor he instantly masters. You're sitting up in the hospital bed, a flash of shock in your eyes before you smooth it over. He swallows hard, the muscle in his jaw tightening, and forces his voice into a flat, professional register. "I didn't expect to see you here." He sets the file down deliberately, his fingertips lingering on its edge, his gaze holding yours a second longer than protocol allows. "It appears I'm your attending physician today." Th…