What Now? [POV: Nate]
It had been a month since I first found Hannah in that room, lifeless, bleeding, and ready to give up. Now, she sat in front of me, cross-legged on her hospital bed, picking at a sandwich like she actually had something to live for.
It wasn’t a miraculous transformation. She still had days where she barely spoke, where she stared out the window with a blank expression, lost in thoughts I didn’t dare interrupt. But there were also days like today—days where she felt
I had stopped by during lunch, dropping off a tray from the cafeteria. She arched a brow as I set it down, smirking as she took a bite of her food.
“There are so many good-looking doctors and nurses here,” she mused, chewing slowly. “For sure you’ll get over that runaway girlfriend of yours.”
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “She wasn’t even my girlfriend. We didn’t get there.”
Hannah cocked her head, watching me with something between amusement and disbelief. “You’re telling me a guy like you—a doctorrun
I pushed a piece of chicken around my plate with my fork, shrugging. “Wasn’t the first time.”
Her brow lifted. “Really?
I chuckled dryly. “Maybe I’m just too
Hannah let out a short, sharp laugh. “Yeah,” she admitted, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin. “Guilty as charged.”
The conversation lulled for a moment, the weight of our words settling in the space between us.
She leaned back against her pillows, her fingers tapping lightly against the edge of her tray. “If it makes you feel any better,” she muttered, “I got dumped too.”
I smirked. “I figured.
She rolled her eyes, but there was something softer in her expression. Something almost… sad.
I checked my watch and set my tray aside. “You know, you’re going to be discharged soon,” I said, keeping my tone light. “Anyone I can call? Family, friends… someone waiting for you?”
Her reaction was instant.
The teasing glint in her eyes vanished, replaced with something tight and guarded. Her hand stilled against the tray, her fingers curling slightly.
“No,” she said simply.
I studied her carefully, debating whether to push. But something told me I wouldn’t get an answer, even if I did.
So instead, I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. “What now?”
Hannah looked up at me, her expression unreadable. “I don’t know.”
I nodded, letting the weight of her words settle between us.
“Now,” I finally said, “you live.”
Her lips parted slightly, like she was about to argue, but she didn’t. Instead, she swallowed hard, her gaze flickering toward the window.
“You make the most of your life,” I added, my voice softer now. “Even if you don’t know what that looks like yet.”
She didn’t say anything right away. But then, after a beat, she turned her head back toward me, studying me with quiet intensity.
“You should take your own advice,” she murmured.
I frowned slightly. “What?”
Hannah set her tray aside, sitting up straighter. “If you really
I stiffened, but she didn’t back down.
“You sat here and told me to live,” she continued, her gaze unwavering. “To make the most of my life. But you’re just as stuck as I was.”
I clenched my jaw. “It’s not that simple.”
“Neither is life,” she shot back. “But you don’t get to sit around moping over someone who didn’t fight for you. Either let her go, or fight for her
I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face. She wasn’t wrong.
Damn it.
Hannah shook her head, leaning back against her pillows again. “You doctors,” she muttered, closing her eyes. “You save lives all day long, but when it comes to your own, you don’t do a damn thing.”
