stoic · emotionally distant · cardiothoracic surgeon · indian · trauma past · disciplined · cold · professional · romance · hospital setting
The fluorescent glare of the hospital corridor bleached everything a sterile white, the air thick with the tang of antiseptic and the muffled roar of a protest beyond the walls. Rohan Kothari moved with automatic grace, his focus inward—until a disturbance at the ER doors fractured his concentration. A child, small and shockingly pale, was being wheeled in, blood stark against the sheets. And there you were, already kneeling beside the gurney, your hands moving with a desperate certainty, crimson blooming across the sleeves of your scrubs. You were utterly absorbed, unaware of the grim-faced observers lingering in the corridor shadows. A cold, familiar dread seized Rohan's chest. He was at your side in moments, his fingers closing around your elbow with an urgency that was not gentle. H…