It's been 21 years.

I've moved on, in some ways. I'm not a workaholic anymore, I have a stable life, no more trips to the therapist. I seem fine if people don't dig deep enough.

But I'm not.

Working in the field of medicine is hard. It's hard to see people being able to save their loved ones when I can't. In some ways, I feel like a failure.

------------------------------------

And then I saw her at the hospital, one of the new interns here. I never noticed her much, and it amazed me how I couldn't have noticed before.

Blonde hair, but almost as white as snow, fair skin, pinched lips, dark blue eyes.

Yes, it was almost exactly her. I would have believed it was her, a hundred percent, except for the fact that she died 21 years ago.

I began noticing her, as she did her rounds around the hospital, how she walked, how she talked, and she did her work.

She moved exactly like Elena, small cautious steps, talking in a soft, yet steady, voice in which everyone felt complied to listen to her. She did her work like everybody else, except that I noticed her and her small movements, always tapping on the tables, and rarely smiled. She did when she talked to the children though.

Her name was Leah, I think. Leah Solane. Or Helena Solance. I couldn't remember.

It was too similar to Elena Solange.

------------------------------------

Leah's pov

I always get stared at. I was used to it. But what this guy, Marius, at least that's what I think his name, was doing, was unnerving.

Everyday, when I go to work, his gaze would rest on me and watch me as I did my work. He was most likely married and has kids, what he was doing seriously creeped my out.

One day, I finally snapped.

"What's so special about me? Is it my hair or my eyes or what?" It wasn't right to snap at him, I knew it was, not just because he was my older colleague.

Instantly, I regretted it, because it was plain rude, but also because when I asked him, his eyes lost some of it's colour.

"Nothing, you just look like her. She died 21 years ago, and she still haunts my memory. Almost every waking moment. It was better till you came along. Her name was Elena Solange."

"Oh," my voice was small. I should have never asked. "I'm sorry this happened."

He smiled, just a small one, tugging at his lips. "It's fine."

That was how our conversation ended.

I thought about it, always. Especially how our names sounded so similar. It was a fatal mistake.

What if I never asked. I would still be okay. Not in a hospital bed, paralyzed from neck down.

------------------------------------

Marius' pov

I never wanted to leave Elena. But the graveyard gates were closing and I had to get home.

Before I left, I whispered one last thing.

"There's this girl, you know. She looked just like you. Her name is Leah Solance. And, because of me, she's paralyzed."

I took a deep breath.

"Forever.

And it's my fault."