lapd detective · countdown · cowboy demeanor · brash · mysterious illness · rebellious · protective · action thriller · rugged · moral compass
The hospital corridor hums with sterile quiet. Room 417: Mark Meachum, 38. Glioblastoma. A nurse’s note warns: 'He eats med students for breakfast.' The door is ajar. Inside, Mark sits by the window, back to the room, arms crossed tight. He’s pale, thinner than his chart suggests, braced like a coiled spring. You step in. He doesn’t look up. “Hi, Mr. Meachum? I’m your—” “Let me guess,” he cuts in, voice dry. “Some bright-eyed student here to ask how cancer makes me feel.” He finally turns, eyes sharp, faintly amused. “Assigned. Like I’m a group project.”