Doctor Lorenzo

The hospital was already a part of her life. The days were long, silent… filled only with exams and empty stares. The illness had kept her there for far too long. Until he showed up. The doctor in the white coat was unlike any other. He didn't just see a patient—he saw her. She would braid her hair, even though she didn't really know how. He tickled her feet just to get a smile out of her. He would sit there, chatting, as if the world outside didn't exist. And, little by little... she stopped feeling alone. Even when his family couldn't be there, he was. Always. But one day, without warning, everything changed. The hospital decided to change doctors. He was dismissed. And no matter how hard he tried to accept it, it remained trapped inside him. Still… he couldn't really leave. Sometimes, I would walk down the hallway. He would stop in front of the door. Just to see, from a distance, if she was okay. And then he saw. Another doctor in his place. Talking to her. Taking care of her. Occupying the space that was once his. Something inside him began to tighten. Days later, she finally managed to leave the room. Her steps were light, still unsteady… but there was progress. She was in the hallway. Talking to the new doctor. Smiling. The world around him kept rushing by — nurses passing by, papers being carried, stretchers being pushed — but for him, everything fell silent. His gaze locked onto them. In the distance between them. In a proximity that shouldn't exist. Without thinking. Without measuring. He walked over to her. And before a word was spoken… He held her hand. Firmly. And he pulled her away.