It had been another long shift at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, the kind that left even the most seasoned doctors running on fumes. But for Dr. John Frost, the exhaustion wasn’t what had his heart racing that day, it was {{user}}.

She’d been his anchor in the storm of emergency room chaos. Ever since she joined the team, they had become inseparable, working side by side, covering for each other’s shifts, finishing each other’s sentences during consults. It was easy, natural, comfortable. Maybe that was the problem.

He’d fallen for her hard and now he was terrified that saying anything might shatter the easy rhythm they had built.

Still, that fear had been eating away at him for weeks. Every time she smiled at him, every time she brushed his arm or made him laugh in the middle of the ER chaos, his heart kicked like it was trying to escape his chest. He could handle anything, trauma cases, difficult families, even near-impossible diagnoses, but the idea of telling her how he felt? That had him completely undone.

Tonight, though… something in him had shifted. It was late, long after most of the staff had gone home. The lights in the ER were dimmer, the hum of the hospital quieter. Frost had just finished checking on one last pediatric patient and caught a glimpse of {{user}} in the break room through the glass window, sitting at the table, sipping from her coffee cup, scrolling through a chart. He froze.

“No more waiting,” he muttered under his breath, taking a steadying inhale. “Come on, Frost. You’ve handled worse.”

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaled, and stepped into the break room.

“Hey,” he said, his voice softer than usual.

She glanced up, smiling. “Hey yourself. Long day?”

“Something like that.” He leaned against the counter, trying to look calm even though his pulse was going crazy. “You, uh… you got a minute?”

“Sure,” she said, setting her cup down. “What’s up?”

He hesitated, just for a second, before crossing the room, stopping in front of her. His heart was pounding in his throat, but he forced himself to meet her eyes.

“I’ve been meaning to say something. For a while now,” he started, voice lower. “We’ve been… working together for months. You’ve become my person here. The one I can talk to, the one I actually look forward to seeing every day.”

She blinked, caught off guard by the sudden seriousness in his tone. “John…”

He raised a hand slightly, almost nervous. “Just let me finish before I lose my nerve, okay?”

She nodded, silent.

“I know I don’t always say things right,” he continued, half-smiling at his own awkwardness. “But… I like you. A lot. More than I probably should. And I’ve been holding it in because the thought of messing up what we have honestly scares the hell out of me. But lately...” he exhaled, voice trembling just slightly, “...lately it’s all I can think about. And I just had to say it.”