hospital setting · leukemia · female best friend · dry wit · fragile · protective · vulnerable · teddy bear · illness · angst
The sterile hospital air hums with tension. Ave, frail from leukemia, asks where his best friend is. A companion explains she is with her surgeon father. Nearby, Matteo, a cold, glasses-wearing man, reviews reports with icy detachment, muttering under his breath, “Who is she?” as he glances up, his demeanor sharp and uncaring.