Inside the Heartwood Medical Center building, the atmosphere in the ER was tense. A white ambulance suddenly sped in, siren blaring, signaling an emergency. The medical team ran outside, prepared to face a critical situation.

Michelle, an inpatient who was taking a stroll to get some fresh air, immediately turned her attention when she heard the commotion outside.

"Leo, it seems there's an emergency patient," Michelle said as she gazed outside the hospital building through the glass wall. She briefly glanced at her brother, who was also standing beside her, both looking out.

"It seems so," Leo replied.

Witnessing the tense atmosphere, Michelle felt her heartbeat quicken. She knew what it felt like to fight for life, and every time she heard an ambulance siren, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of empathy.

Suddenly, the outside became more crowded. Michelle grew more curious, pulling her brother's arm.

Leo looked at Michelle, visibly worried. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I want to go downstairs," Michelle replied, pointing toward the ER building.

"For what?" Leo asked, curious.

"To see the hustle of the medical staff? Come on, Leo! I want to get some fresh air in the garden next to the ER."

As her brother kept insisting, Leo finally nodded and agreed to Michelle's request. He promptly took over the IV pole, matching it with Michelle's steps. They descended the slope until they finally reached the ground floor of the outpatient building opposite the ER.

In front of the ER door, a man in a white coat had just finished attending to the incoming patient. He quickly directed the arriving medical personnel to take the patient to the treatment room, receiving a sheet with a preliminary diagnosis from one of the paramedics.

Just as the man turned around, his gaze unexpectedly met Michelle's as she chatted with her brother. And upon seeing her smile, something familiar surfaced in his mind, though he couldn't quite place it.

Unconsciously, Nico, the man in the white coat, stepped closer, intending to approach Michelle. Their eyes briefly met, but Nico quickly looked away, trying to control the strange sense of familiarity he felt.

"Dr. Nico!" a woman's voice called from within the ER, snapping Nico out of his thoughts. He had to return to his post, but before leaving completely, Nico glanced at Michelle one more time, trying to recall the person she reminded him of.

"Why do I feel a strange familiarity with her gaze?" Nico muttered softly to himself.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Michelle invited Leo to sit on a bench in the garden near the outpatient building. She continued watching the busy medical staff in the ER through the glass wall, then focused on a male doctor who was starting to give emergency aid to a cardiac arrest patient.

"Leo, I suddenly remember someone," she said out of the blue.

Leo turned and looked at his younger sister, then asked, "Who?"

"Pierre. Do you remember? The annoying kid who always teased me because I was sickly. And because of him, I begged to move from the city to the countryside to get away from him," she explained.

Leo was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Why did you suddenly remember that kid, Michelle?"

Michelle gave a faint smile before closing her eyes and hugging herself. "It's nothing; I just remembered him suddenly. The crease on his forehead looks exactly like that doctor's," she replied, gesturing towards Nico.

Not fully convinced, Leo shifted his position, then observed Michelle's expression. "Do you miss him?"

Michelle immediately opened her eyes, snorting. "Don't be silly, Leo! I still hate him to this day. Miss him? Ha! As if!"

Leo gave a crooked smile. "Don't say things like that. Isn't there a thin line between hate and love?"

***

Knock, knock, knock!

A knock at the door of her hospital room caught Michelle's attention as she was deeply focused on her drawing tablet. She looked toward the source of the sound and saw a group of medical staff entering her room together, heading to her bedside.

This time, the cardiologist who usually attended to her didn't come alone. He brought along another doctor, the same one she had seen earlier that day handling an emergency patient in the ER.

"Good afternoon, Michelle," greeted one of the doctors who usually came to check on her.

Michelle smiled, then replied, "Good afternoon, Dr. Gavin. Good afternoon, Nurse."

"How are you feeling today?" Gavin asked, helping Michelle place her drawing tablet on the nightstand.

"I'm feeling quite well," she answered.

"I heard from Nurse Patricia that you had some shortness of breath earlier. Is that true?"

The woman, still wearing a nasal cannula, nodded with a slight smile. "A little. But I'm really fine. Dr. Gavin can see for himself," she said, spreading her arms to show the cardiologist her condition.

"What exactly did you do, Michelle?" Gavin asked again as he helped her lie back down and began examining her.

"Just took a short walk. I wasn't alone; Leo was with me," she replied.

After finishing his check with the stethoscope, Gavin adjusted the slightly skewed nasal cannula, then stood upright. "Allow me to introduce Dr. Nico here, who is now collaborating with me as a Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon. He will be conducting regular examinations on your heart condition from now on," Gavin explained.

Michelle looked closely at the man in the white coat named Nico, then gave a slight nod. Honestly, seeing his face up close kept bringing back memories of a boy from her past whose antics left such a lasting impression on her mind.

She quickly shifted her gaze back to Gavin, blinking her eyes. "Why not with Dr. Frans anymore?"

"Dr. Frans has been reassigned to the Heartwood Medical Center in Singapore due to a shortage of specialists there," Gavin explained.

Michelle nodded in understanding, then looked at Nico. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Nico. My name is Michelle, a patient with congenital heart muscle disorder. Please take good care of me."

Hearing this, Nico fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, he recalled his childhood friend from a small village. A little girl who also had a congenital heart muscle disorder, just like Michelle.

'Bubbles, I hope you're still strong and holding on as bravely as my patient here.' Nico thought to himself.

***