A sharp bang reverberated through Cassie's small apartment as her forehead fell from the hand meant to be supporting it while she reread a chapter on the specifics of nephrons' role in filtering fluids through the kidneys. She had a test the next day, well actually later that morning, in her anatomy class and wanted to do as well as possible considering she was rounding out her (technical) junior year of medical school and wanted as strong a GPA as possible before entering a year filled with final examinations, interviews, and applications. She yawned while standing to stretch out her back and neck and decided to call it a night. She swiped up her phone, noticing her semi-boyfriend had texted her another apology for not showing up for the third night in a row. Cassie didn't actually mind, as their relationship was built more on convenience than anything else. She knew Jake was just as apathetic about it as she was, but he still tried to seem enthusiastic about their "relationship". Probably in hopes of getting laid, she thought, as she brushed her teeth. Besides, his gambling habit was starting to take over his school work, and he'd probably be kicked out of the program soon which she might feel bad about had he not already expressed his disdain for medicine; he was really only in the program to appease his father. She decided she would break up with him the next time he showed up and shoved thoughts of Jake away before surrendering herself to sleep.

Cassie wiped the sweat from her brow before ducking into a room to catch her breath. Cassie enjoyed most things about medical school. She liked the challenging courses, the competition, the parties to blow off steam (though she tried to avoid too much alcohol, considering drinking it wasn't super legal). She especially enjoyed the mandatory rounds specified in the program that put her in the hospital 20 hours a week. It was the closest she came, at least she felt, to really helping people. What she didn't enjoy was the fact that she had extremely limited privileges when it came to the patients, meaning she and her peers were treated more often as pack mules, transporting an assortment of goods around the hospital for the actual doctors. She'd hauled more blood and urine around this place than she thought truly necessary. That, in combination with the jarring conversation she'd just had with Jake had left her huffing and puffing in a patient's room, needing a break from the outside world. She turned to take in the single room that contained a standard hospital bed with a relatively young man in it. Jim Novak had been admitted about two weeks before for running a concerningly high temperature, seemingly without any cause. Much to her surprise, Dr. Smith, who's rotation Cassie was on most of the time she was here, had asked her to look after him. Cassie had been shocked, explaining to Dr. Smith that she was still only a student, thinking he had mistaken her for one of his interns, which he'd been known to do. He'd merely told her that because Mr. Novak required very little technical care and she'd proven herself a capable babysitter when she'd had to watch his children many times, he felt confident she could "not kill him." Not wanting to question it further and thrilled with the prospect of actually caring for a patient, she'd enthusiastically begun her daily check-ups. She knew that whole situation bordered on illegal, but, for some unknown reason, the usually anal hospital staff were confusingly unconcerned with a medical student taking over the primary care of a patient. Even the nurses rarely entered his room, as his puzzling fever didn't seem to occur with any other symptoms. He wasn't even flushed. However, since it hadn't broken, she felt it in Mr. Novak's best interest to stick around, and he had easily agreed. If she were being honest, him being around was good for her as well, as she now had one-on-one practice with a real patient and access to someone she had started to consider a friend.

By the third day Mr. Novak had been emitted, Cassie had begun taking her lunch and any breaks in his room. They would talk or sometimes just enjoy each other's company in silence. Mr. Novak asked her many questions about herself and her aspirations, but he would also ask strange questions about everyday object or occurrences, things she considered obvious. He'd once questioned her about "the vessel" she carried – her water bottle. She just chalked it up to the fever, though, the majority of the time, he seemed extremely lucid. There was a tickle in the back of her mind that something wasn't quite right, but she brushed it off as paranoia, something her father would have frowned upon. She had some friends in the program, but the competitive nature between her peers was sometimes a little too much, and she was quite a bit younger than most of them, which they seemed to think was some kind of offence. As sad as it may be, she considered Mr. Novak one of her better friends. While moving toward his bed, she reached back to redo her hair tie that was straining against her thick brown hair. He never failed to calm her down; his presence was somehow soothing even though it was obvious he wasn't making a special effort to be.

He was sitting up tall, reading what appeared to be a very old book bound in thick leather. He spotted her as she entered, flashing her a tight-lipped smile, which she had learned was about the equivalent of a grin. She shot him as much of a smile as she could with her brain racing like it was.

"Afternoon, Mr. Novak," she said, immediately grabbing the thermometer on his bedside and moving it across his forehead. This had become routine, so he said nothing. As usual, his temperature of 103.7 did not match his healthy-looking appearance. Cassie mentally sighed, annoyed with herself for not knowing the cause and still distracted by her ex-boyfriend's words.

"Afternoon, Dr. Cassie." He looked at her (with her smaller stature and his perfect posture, they could speak nearly eye-to-eye) with deep blue eyes radiating concern mixed with a strange curiosity before continuing,

"Are you well? You seem distressed…and sweaty." Cassie grimaced slightly. She had tried to get him to stop calling her doctor, considering she wasn't actually one yet, but when she'd brought it up, he had merely said, 'from my understanding, a doctor is someone who takes care of a sick individual and oversees their healing process. So, logically, you are my doctor.' She'd decided not to correct him anymore even though it made her slightly uncomfortable.

She let out a small snort in response to his assessment.

"Yes, sir, just an unexpected encounter with my no longer significant other." It wasn't a complete lie, but she certainly wasn't going to discuss the finer details with a normal human being, not to mention a patient. "So how are you feeling today?"

He closed the book on his lap before answering, ignoring her question.

"Ah yes, that boy, Jack, correct?" Cassie blushed, forgetting she had mentioned Jake to him briefly during a conversation.

"Close enough," she replied.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be better off." She wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she just looked at her shoes while he reached an arm out to awkwardly pat her upper arm. The second his hand made contact with skin not covered by her scrubs, his eyes widened, and his hand wrapped around the limb. Cassie's head snapped up to his unseeing eyes latched onto hers. She tried to step back but couldn't release his grip. Concerned that his fever may have triggered some type of seizure, she began to voice her concern.

"Mr. Novak-," but before she could finish, he tugged her close, brought two fingers to her forehead, and everything went white.