The days slipped into a steady rhythm, the kind that felt familiar yet entirely different. Hunter and Angel had fallen back into the demands of hospital life—long shifts, endless patient rounds, and the quiet exhaustion that settled into their bones after each grueling day.
At KHS, they were colleagues. Professionals.
But beyond the hospital walls, in the quiet moments they stole for themselves, they were something more.
They were like a husband and wife—tied together by an unspoken bond, by years of love, pain, and fate’s cruel twists. They moved through life as if nothing had shattered them, as if the time apart had never happened.
But deep down, they both knew the truth.
They were still finding their way back to each other.
Distant Yet Close
Hunter spent most of his hours in the emergency and surgical departments, performing life-saving operations that left him drained but fulfilled. Meanwhile, Angel was in the pediatrics wing, a world away from where he worked.
The hospital was vast, their schedules misaligned.
It was rare to see each other during the day, but on the few occasions their paths crossed—whether in a rushed hallway exchange or a chance meeting in the cafeteria—it was always the same.
A lingering glance. A fleeting smile. A touch that lasted just a little too long.
Hunter would brush his fingers against hers as he passed by. Angel would tilt her head slightly, letting her gaze linger on him for a second longer than necessary.
No one noticed.
No one knew.
And that was how it had to be.
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Despite the distance during the day, the night always brought them back together.
It had become their routine—meeting outside the hospital once their shifts ended, pretending, if only for a moment, that nothing had ever changed.
Hunter leaned against his car, arms crossed over his chest, waiting.
Angel walked out of the hospital entrance, stretching her arms above her head, letting out a soft groan. She caught sight of him and smirked.
“Didn’t I tell you to go home first?” she teased, stopping beside him.
Hunter shrugged. “And miss seeing you? No chance.”
Angel rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her amusement.
They were different now.
Before, their nights had been carefree, filled with stolen kisses and whispered promises. Now, there was a quiet understanding between them—an unspoken agreement that neither would push too hard or too fast.
Not yet.
“Where to tonight?” she asked, nudging him lightly.
Hunter tilted his head in thought. “My place? Unless you want to go to yours.”
Angel bit her lip, considering. “Yours. Your bed is better.”
Hunter chuckled. “You just like my pillows.”
Angel grinned. “Maybe.”
And just like that, they drove off into the night, finding comfort in each other’s presence.
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On their rare days off, they made it a habit to leave the city.
They didn’t talk about why—it was just something they both needed.
Sometimes, they found themselves on empty beaches, walking along the shore with the cold wind whipping through their hair. Other times, they rented a car and drove until the city lights disappeared, until they were surrounded by nothing but open roads and the quiet hum of the radio.
There was something about being away from it all that made it easier to breathe.
To forget.
To just be.
One afternoon, they sat side by side on the hood of Hunter’s car, watching the waves crash against the rocks below.
Angel leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing. “Sometimes, I wish we could just stay like this forever.”
Hunter glanced down at her, his arm tightening around her waist. “We can, you know. If you want.”
Angel closed her eyes. She wanted to believe that. She really did.
But life was never that simple.
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New Life Orphanage:
There was one place they always returned to—New Life Orphanage.
For Hunter, it was the home he had grown up in, the place where he had learned resilience.
For Angel, it was a place she had always felt drawn to, a reminder of the love she wished she had received as a child.
The children always greeted them with excitement, their laughter filling the air as they ran toward them.
“Doctor Angel! Doctor Hunter!”
“You’re back!”
“Are you staying long this time?”
Angel knelt down, letting the youngest ones cling to her. “Not long, but we’ll visit again soon.”
Hunter stood beside her, watching with quiet fondness.
Being here reminded him of who he used to be.
And who he still was.
As they walked through the orphanage grounds, Angel suddenly reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers. It was a simple gesture, but one that sent warmth spreading through his chest.
“Have you ever thought about adopting one of them?” she asked softly.
Hunter glanced at her, surprised. “You have?”
Angel shrugged. “Maybe one day.”
Hunter smiled, squeezing her hand. “Maybe one day.”
They weren’t the same as before.
They had been through too much, lost too much.
But they had found their way back to each other in the little moments—the way Angel curled up beside him on lazy afternoons, the way Hunter absentmindedly traced patterns on her wrist when they sat together, the way they moved through life as if nothing had ever torn them apart.
They weren’t husband and wife.
But they were more than just lovers.
They were something in between.
Something deeper.
Something that had never truly broken, even after all this time.
And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.
For now.