Ren followed Hana into the supply closet, the small, sterile room providing a brief respite from the chaotic energy of the hospital. Hana away from the door, her back turned to him, her shoulders slumped.

“Nurse Shizumi,” he began softly, his voice carrying through the quiet space. There was a moment of silence before she slowly turned to face him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice sincere. “I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.”

Hana shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. “It’s not you,” she managed to say. “It’s just... everything.”

Ren stepped closer, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder, but he hesitated, unsure of the boundaries between them.

She finally looked up at him after a long while. Her eyes were red, and there was a vulnerability in her expression that tugged at his heartstrings. He did this to her. It was all his fault from the very beginning.

All Hana wanted was to live a quiet and invisible life but all that was gone. She was the object of discussion again.

“The voices...I just want them to stop. Why… won’t they… leave me alone?”

Her hands were devoid of the gloves as she grabbed onto her hair. Pain… anything to ground her to reality as she felt herself float into her subconscious.

Ren’s heart raced as he watched Hana’s breathing become erratic, her eyes wide with panic.

“I...can’t... breathe”.

The sterile air of the supply closet suddenly felt thick and oppressive. Suddenly, she crouched to the ground, murmuring inaudibly to herself. He knew he had to act fast.

“Nurse Shizumi” His voice called out but she didn’t respond to him.

“Shizumi”

Her lack of response was scaring him.

“Hana”, he shouted this time much louder. Her eyes, glassy with unshed tears, flickered to his face. Thank Goodness…

“Hana,” he said softly, his voice steady despite the worry clawing at his insides. “Look at me. Focus on my voice.”

Ren took a slow, exaggerated breath, encouraging her to follow his lead.

“That’s it,” he murmured. “Breathe with me. In... and out.”

Hana struggled to match his rhythm, her chest heaving. Ren cautiously reached out, his hand hovering near her arm, offering support without forcing contact.

“You’re safe here,” he continued, his voice a soothing anchor. “It’s just us. No voices, no judgments. Just breathe.”

Slowly, painfully slowly, Hana’s breathing began to even out. Her fingers trembled as they brushed against Ren’s, seeking comfort. He gently closed his hand around hers, a silent promise of support.

“I’m sorry,” Hana whispered, her voice hoarse.

A tear slipped down Hana’s cheek, and without thinking, Ren reached up to brush it away. The tender gesture seemed to break something inside her, and suddenly she was crying in earnest, her body shaking with silent sobs.

Acting on instinct, Ren pulled her into his arms. He half-expected her to push him away, but instead, she clung to him, burying her face in his chest.

“I’m… i’m… sorry”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“It’s okay,” he murmured into her hair, one hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. Don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Ren felt a pang of guilt. “I never meant for any of this to happen. The rumors, the attention... I should have been more careful. I should have…”

Hana clung tighter to him, the feeling of warmth was new and strange to her. She knew that it wasn’t just Dr. Jenkins. It was... everything. Her past, present, the constant scrutiny. And now, it felt like she was drowning in expectations and whispers.

He needed to fix this, somehow. But for now, all he wanted to do was hold her.

***************

The whispers had started to quiet down over the past few days. She didn’t know what Dr. Jenkins did or said, honestly she was a bit scared to know but as long as the talks were over, she was ready to put it all behind her and return to a sense of normalcy.

If we excuse the fact that she has also been seeing less and less of Dr. Jenkins around.

Hana felt her heart skip a beat as the trio of doctors approached the nurses’ station. Her fingers fumbled with the chart she was holding, suddenly clumsy as she tried to appear busy and nonchalant.

“Good morning, everyone,” Dr. Rowan chirped his usual cheerful self. Dr. Lia offered a polite nod, her eyes sweeping over the station with practiced efficiency.

And then there was Dr. Jenkins.

Hana’s gaze was drawn to him like a magnet, her breath catching in her throat. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and Hana felt a flicker of... something. Reluctance? But as quickly as it came, it vanished. Dr. Jenkins gave her a curt nod, his face an unreadable mask, before turning away to discuss something with Dr. Rowan.

The interaction, or lack thereof, sent a pang through Hana’s chest. She busied herself with reorganizing files, trying to ignore the hollow feeling that was spreading inside her.

‘This is what you wanted, isn’t it?’ she chided herself. ‘No more gossip, no more whispers. Everything back to normal.’

But as she watched Dr. Jenkins from the corner of her eye, his tall frame moving with easy confidence as he conversed with his colleagues, Hana couldn’t shake the feeling that ‘normal’ felt surprisingly empty.

She remembered the warmth of his arms around her in the supply closet, the gentle timbre of his voice as he talked her through her panic attack.

Hana shook her head, trying to dispel the confusing thoughts. This was ridiculous. Dr. Jenkins was... well, Dr. Jenkins. Brilliant, charismatic, worlds apart from her quiet existence. The idea that he might be avoiding her was absurd. And even if he was, wasn’t that for the best? Hadn’t she wanted to fade back into the background?

And yet, as the doctors moved away, Hana found herself fighting the urge to call out to him. Instead, she clutched her chart tighter, her knuckles turning white as she watched him disappear down the corridor.

She had wanted things to go back to normal, but now she was beginning to wonder: what exactly was ‘normal’ anymore? And why did it leave her feeling so... incomplete?

*******************

The trio came to a halt in a quiet corner of the hallway, the tension palpable in the air. Ren’s shoulders were rigid, his jaw clenched as he tried to maintain his composure.

Dr. Rowan’s curiosity got the better of him. “Can I ask?” he began, his voice tentative.

“Don’t,” Ren cut him off sharply, his jaw tightening.

Undeterred, Rowan pressed on. “But...”

Ren turned to Lia, exasperation evident in his voice. “Tell your husband to stop being nosy, or else.”

Lia shot Rowan a warning glance over her coffee cup, silently urging him to tread carefully. But Rowan, never one to heed such warnings, blurted out, “I noticed that you have been avoiding Shizumi. There, I said it.”

Lia sipped her coffee, her eyes darting between the two men, silently observing the brewing confrontation.

Ren’s voice was low, almost a growl. “Mind your business.”

“You are my business,” Rowan countered, his tone softening slightly. “I mean, you knew I was going to ask. You weren’t exactly sly about it. It’s quite obvious that you’re avoiding her.” Turning to Lia, “Am I right, pumpkin?”

Lia cringed at the nickname but remained silent, her coffee cup a shield between her and the conversation.

Ren’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him. He almost ran a hand through his hair. “I’m doing what’s best for her,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “The less I interact with her, the better it is for her.”

Rowan’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, does she know this?”

“She doesn’t need to,” Ren replied, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “I’ve caused her enough trouble as it is.”

Lia finally broke her silence, her voice gentle but firm. “She looked quite hurt back there.”

For a moment, Ren’s carefully constructed facade cracked. A flicker of pain crossed his face, raw and vulnerable. But as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, replaced by a mask of determination.

“It’s not my intention,” he said, his voice strained. “But this is the only way she won’t be dragged into my crazy world.”

The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken emotions. Ren’s eyes betrayed the conflict raging within him - the desire to protect Hana warring with the obvious “fe of distancing himself from her.

Rowan and Lia exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them. They could see the toll this decision was taking on their friend, but they also recognized the stubborn set of his jaw. Ren had made up his mind.