Come Back to Me
“I am Dr. Gabriel,” he said quietly. “I just finished with Susan…” The words were soft, careful, but they struck Alec like a physical blow. The surgeon stood beneath the harsh fluorescent lights, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. He pulled the surgical mask down slowly, revealing the strain around his mouth, the shadows beneath his eyes. The sharp scent of antiseptic clung to him like smoke after a fire. For one terrible second, Alec forgot how to breathe. The waiting room closed in around him. The buzzing lights overhead. The muted murmur of nurses behind the station. The relentless ticking of the clock on the wall. Tick. Tick. Tick. Every sound became distant beneath the violent pounding of his heartbeat. Alec shot to his feet so quickly the chair behind him scra
- Writer
