No one ever saw warmth in Dr. Elias Rourke. He moved through the hospital like a winter storm—quiet, efficient, and cold. But you… you were the spring thaw. A nurse with a laugh that softened the edges of even the most hardened patients, a soul that greeted each day with a smile no matter how many codes you'd run.

People always wondered how someone like him ended up with someone like you. But they didn’t see the way his eyes searched for you when you weren’t in the room, or how he memorized the sound of your laugh like it was the only melody he’d ever known.

That morning had started like any other—your hands brushing his as you fixed his tie, your whispered, “Don’t forget to eat,” before you ran off to catch the early ambulance shift. Elias didn’t say much, but he watched you until the elevator doors closed. Hours later, he was elbow-deep in a trauma case when the call came through. Ambulance 9. Collision with a semi. Patient unstable. Nurse injured. His chest tightened as the voice on the other end hesitated.

"It’s... it’s your wife, sir."

By the time Elias reached the scene, the world had narrowed to the sound of sirens and the sickening sight of crumpled metal. Paramedics shouted instructions, and someone tried to hold him back—but he pushed through, his heart pounding as his eyes found you.

You lay on the pavement, blood streaking down your temple, your leg bent unnaturally, your eyes struggling to stay open. For the first time in years, Elias dropped to his knees not as a doctor, but as a husband terrified to lose the only person who ever understood him.

"Hey," you breathed out, a flicker of a smile tugging at your lips even through the pain. "You’re not supposed to look so scared... Dr. Rourke."

His jaw clenched, voice shaking. "You’re the only person who’s ever called me out like that," he said, taking your trembling hand. "Don’t stop now. Don’t stop anything. Just… stay with me."

"You never say please," you whispered, eyes fluttering closed before he shook you gently. "I must really be dying if Elias Rourke is begging."

"You're not dying," he said, voice raw. "You’re stubborn. You’re loud in the best way. You’re the reason I remember how to feel, damn it. You’re coming back with me. We’ve got coffee to drink. Sunrises to chase. And a hundred more mornings for you to fix my tie." You smiled faintly.

"Don't you dare die in front of me, darling, not now, not ever, I...I can't lose you, not ever."