"You are a resident?" Elizabeth was stunned by the young man sitting across her. He looked awfully familiar. Those green eyes, she'd seen them before. But—where? "Are doctors not supposed to be old?" The woman spoke inconspicuously as if she was divulging classified Pentagon secrets.

Seth laughed. "I studied medicine in the UK, doctors there graduate younger compared to the US. Besides, my generation is a lot smarter than yours." He teased making his mother's lips curve upwards.

"You know, I have a son." Elizabeth said warmly. Her hazel eyes were glimmering with something Seth could've sworn was love on any day of his life. "You remind me so much of him. He's fourteen now." Her smile was delicate not until it was replaced with something else entirely, probably pain? Emotional pain.

"What's your son's name?" Seth asked.

"You actually share the same name with him and your eyes..." Elizabeth drifted on her statement. She had a deep thinking expression on. "It's crazy right?"

"No, it's not," Seth appeared amused. "Not crazy at all. People share the same names all the time."

Elizabeth thought about it. "You're right," then she flashed her pearls. "When other kids were sticking crayons inside their noses at nine years old, my baby was busy making a Time Bomb inside the basement of our home."

Seth's face warmed at that highly mortifying memory. It was not exactly a time bomb—it was supposed to be a time machine. At that age Seth was convinced he'd invent a time machine, however most of the science behind his project was hogwash. Electric wires of different voltages ended up touching resulting in a neighborhood blackout.

Let's just say LAPD was not very impressed after finding out the source of San Fernando Valley blackout but Elizabeth clearly was.

Seth cleared his throat. "A time bomb? That sounds a little—extreme. At least for a nine year old."

Elizabeth shook her head grinning like a proud mother she was. "There's nothing called extreme in Seth's vocabulary. That boy is way too smart for his own good." When her lashes fluttered, a lone tear cascaded down her cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tear up like that."

"It's okay to cry sometimes. Makes us human." Seth squeezed her right hand.

Elizabeth thought the gesture was sweet. "You're a nice person." She said in all sincerity.

Seth disagreed, he instantly shook his head. "I wouldn't use those words to describe myself."

"Well, you're so nice to me."

Because you're my mother!

Seth wanted to scream but that'd only make people in the group home panic. Not the most feasible idea. He was supposed to go with the current flow if he wanted to keep an ongoing conversation with his mother.

"Your past mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you." Elizabeth stated calmly.

Seth raised his head gazing deep into his mother's eyes. They were motherly, genial and swirling with heartfelt sentiments that made him melt right there on his seat. He felt like a small child all over again.

"Everyone makes mistakes but that doesn't mean they have to pay for them for the rest of their life. Sometimes good people make bad choices. Not necessarily because they're bad." Elizabeth cupped Seth's cheek lovingly. "Whatever you did, you're not a bad person."

"Thanks mo—I mean Beth."

"It's my pleasure. I always enjoy talking to you."

"I enjoy talking to you too."

Only if she knew Seth was actually her son. Elizabeth was still struggling with her memory which was very common in dissociative amnesia patients. To Seth, his mother being alive and physically fit was his top most priority, everything else didn't matter.

"Have you fixed things with your boyfriend yet?" Elizabeth probed.

"I think we're never getting back together." Seth never bothered clearing up that Leonardo was never his boyfriend. It wouldn't make any sense to her, would it?

There was nothing therapeutic than ranting your mess ups to someone willing to listen all day. His mother was that person and Seth's visits to Moneda were frequenting to almost daily. He had told her everything that had transpired before and after Italy, how much he loves Leonardo and how everything had gone down the toilet in a couple of days.

Elizabeth smiled at her son and told him. "Soldier on and put up a fight for what you love."

Seth sighed dejectedly. "Some things are just not meant to be."

"Then if you can't fight for what you love maybe you should stop crying for what you've lost. Not worth it."

"Leonardo is such a difficult person to deal with. I can't even convince his Italian ass to listen to me for only two minutes."

"I'm sure you can kidnap his Italian ass and force him to listen. It can't be that difficult, right?" Elizabeth said wriggling her brows and both shared a laugh, it felt nice. Too nice.

Weeks apart from Leonardo made Seth feel like a lone cloud hovering in the sky. It was unbearably torturous for him. Seth couldn't continue living in this emotional hellhole which explained the residency transfer letter sitting in Dr. Bravucci's office patiently waiting for his signature.

Seth had thought about his decision extensively. He was going to leave Sullivan Hospital for St Patrick's near Moneda. That way, he'd be closer to his mother and well, far from who shall not be named. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the disgust which was always blatant on the man's face. His shared surgeries with Dr. Bravucci were now his utmost dread. He never knew what to expect but the attending made sure never to speak directly at him. Leonardo was petty like that.

Everyone in the institution could feel the eminent tension radiating between the two doctors. It had escalated way past histrionic and unhealthy which was a good reason for Seth to opt for a residency transfer.

. . .

"Male 25, weak pulse, intubated post cardiac arrest. Patient was found passed out on a sidewalk." An EMT quickly briefed the doctors waiting at the emergency entrance of Sullivan Hospital.

"Any head injuries involved?" Another doctor asked as the patient was being wheeled inside the building.

"Negative." The EMT guy replied. "But you can check just to be sure."

"Thanks, we'll take it from here."

On the other end of the hospital Dr. Bravucci's eyes were fixed on Seth's transfer letter on his desk. He signed the transfer letter and also gave Seth a none biased recommendation. St Patrick's would definitely take the resident. Leonardo felt as if he was whirling inside a dark void, he cursed himself for signing that letter. But Seth also had the right to transfer if he wanted to.

Sighing, the chief of surgery ambled out of his office initiating his post-op rounds. He had an open heart surgery patient recovering in the ICU, a medical research webinar with another hospital in San Diego and a coronary artery bypass grafting later on that afternoon.

So much for planning to dip early for the day.

"Seth has been admitted into the hospital." Dr. Brad blurted as he was speeding down the hallway for his unscheduled emergency surgery. "Something about severe hypoglycemia."

"Wait, what?!" Dr. Bravucci yelled after him. "Where is he?" Leonardo was functioning on autopilot. He literally sprinted to the ER.

"Initiating chest compressions." Leonardo heard a resident calling out as he was forcing his way inside the room crowded with interns. He saw a none responsive Seth lying on a bed and something inside of him shattered into tiny millions of fragments.

Why the hell was Seth coding?

For the first time in forever Leonardo felt completely helpless. He knew those doctors were obviously doing their best but still, it felt like it wasn't enough.

"Patient is not responding! Prepare me the AED!"

"What's going on?" Leonardo failed to keep his emotions at bay. "What happened to him?!" He asked no one in particular.

An intern quickly briefed the chief of surgery who seemed to be terror stricken which was highly unlikely on a normal day. "The patient was brought here severely hypoglycemic and dehydrated then he went into cardiac arrest. Dr. Montgomery initiated chest compressions which he's not responding to, so she's now proceeding with AED. They put him on fluid resuscitation."

"Charge 200 joules!"

"Clear!"

"Charge 200 again!"

Leonardo swallowed a thick bolus in his throat after another all clear. He couldn't bring himself to watch Seth slipping away from the world just like that. At least not like this.

"Seth come on—come on—come on—" his whispered prayers were desperate as he closely observed the ECG monitor. "You can't do this to me baby."

The ECG monitor slowly started picking up sinus rhythm. Definitely a good sign. Leonardo let out a deep sigh which he never knew he was holding in the first place. He proceeded to read Seth's chart for some further information. Dr. Montgomery who was the one attending to Seth had concluded that the resident was severely hypoglycemic and dehydrated which explained the dextrose and normal saline IV.

"Loosen up Dr. Bravucci." Leonardo blinked when he realized the lady doctor was speaking to him. "Just give him a few minutes otherwise he'll be totally fine."

"Yeah." Leonardo muttered making the doctor grin mischievously.

"I always suspected you two were together but I wasn't very sure." She kept her voice low even though the room was now clear of unwanted audience. The interns were gone, leaving just the two of them in exclusion of Seth. "But this was the evidence I needed."

Leonardo's eyes widened but he refused to comment on anything.

"I totally stan gay couples! By the way, you two make a hot couple. Please invite me to your wedding if you ever plan on getting married, I've never been at a gay wedding before!"

Leonardo was now feeling very uncomfortable. She was worse than a broken chatterbox. The doctor even went on to tell Dr. Bravucci that her cousin in Canada was also gay and him and his partner were planning to have babies through adoption as if it concerned Leonardo in any way, form or shape.

"Dr. Montgomery." Leonardo sighed in exasperation. "We need to stay focused." He was subsequently catching a migraine from her chatter.

After realizing what she was doing, the lady doctor's cheeks tainted an adorable shade of pink. "Oh. Sorry! Dr. Mickelson is...uh...stable for now. I should leave you two...no touching...um...bye."

Seth wanted to open his eyes but his eyelids felt like lead. He wanted to laugh at Dr. Montgomery's endless rant but he couldn't. His body simply refused to cooperate.

How could I be so stupid. Seth cussed himself for the umpteenth time.

He knew the risks, he was a doctor for crying out loud and his recklessness had landed him exactly where he was now. Seth had opted to drown himself in work, neglecting basic needs for sustainability such as meals and essential fluids resulting in him passing out on his way back from Moneda where he was visiting his mother sometime that afternoon.

The resident was lucky someone saw him and immediately dialed 911 otherwise it would've been another dark story on Fox News.

"Seth, it's me," That voice—Leonardo. Seth could feel fingers massaging his sculp in gentle spiral motions. He tried blinking but failed, again. "I miss you."

Everything sounded faint, as though he was in a different realm altogether.

"Oh God! Seth Mickelson!" It was Marianne, she darted into the room tailed by Ed who seemed puzzled. She didn't even notice her boss's presence. "You idiot I told you to eat your food! Now look at you all hooked up to these IV bags like a dying cactus!"

Leonardo only stared at Marianne dumbfounded.

"Don't you even dare think of dying. You hear me dickhead?" She poked Seth's forehead for emphasis.

Someone stop this woman please! Seth was internally screaming but no one could actually hear him.

"He's not dying, Dr. Stevens." Leonardo said to Marianne softly making her blink twice. "Seth is only hypoglycemic and dehydrated. He'll be fine."

"He better be." She growled. "I can't afford to lose him. He's mostly annoying but he's still my best friend."

"I know," Leonardo muttered. "I can't afford to lose him either."

Marianne brows furrowed as she felt Seth's body spasming rapidly. "He's having a seizure!" She cried out.

"Page Dr. Montgomery now!" Leonardo said to Ed.

"I'm on it."

"Seth...shit! Is she coming or what?" Leonardo said. "Don't just stand there, put him on a benzodiazepine IV stat." He told a nurse who had just joined them after hearing the commotion.

"What the hell is going on here?" Finally, Dr. Montgomery. "I need all of you to get out. Now."

"I can't leave him!" Leonardo didn't budge. "I can't."

"With all due respect Dr. Bravucci this is Internal Medicine not surgery. I call the shots here. You need to step outside so I can save your boyfriend's life while I still can."

Leonardo glared before forcing himself out of the room. He knew she was just doing her job but it felt unfair. "Dr. Montgomery," he said brokenly. "Please, don't let him slip up."

Dr. Montgomery let out an empathic smile. "I will do my best."

The trio were now outside Seth's room and Leonardo was busy pacing up and down. "Dr. Bravucci please stop." Ed said, gaining the man's attention. "You're making me feel nervous."

"Sorry." Leonardo murmured and resorted to fiddling with his fingers instead.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Out of the blue Marianne asked, peeping through Seth's room window even though she could barely see anything since the windows were opaque for patient privacy.

"Let's all hope for the best, shall we?" Ed told them.