Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Check the time.

Breathe in again.

Breathe out once more.

3803 sighed to herself and fiddled with the handle of her cart as she waited for her escort to appear. Although it had been a habit before she had been kidnapped, 3803 didn't want to be accompanied during her routes nowadays.

Sure, it was comforting in the beginning, but…

Now all 3803 wanted to do was walk at her own pace by herself. It didn't matter that she would get lost on her own (but that was becoming rarer nowadays), it was just the feeling of being babied was getting tiring, no matter how well-meaning her friends' intentions were.

"Are you all right?" 3803 turned and found herself facing her mentee, NT-4201. As always, her eyes looked piercing, the slightest hint of a frown pulling down her usually flat line of lips. "Perhaps you should get some rest."

3803 shook her head adamantly. "O-oh, no! I'm actually quite fine!"

Unfortunately, 4201 looked at her like she was speaking nonsense again. That sentiment wasn't all too far off, though. Despite 3803's insistence, she was still somewhat frazzled and her too quick response was only a glimpse of the tiredness and fear that she had harbored within herself. The macrophages and a few of her close neutrophil friends had warned her about this—of how personally witnessing a death would change something fundamental about you. Even if it was Cancer who had died, 3803 wished he hadn't.

There was so much pain and regret inside of her.

She wanted it gone, but with the way her friends continued to coddle her… It didn't help.

For once, she wanted to be alone.

Channeling whatever courage she could scrounge up, 3803 faced her mentee and hoped that her demeanor would bolster her request.

"Hey, 4201… It's been a while and I've been getting better so… CanIpleasegobymyself?"

4201 glared at her mentor.

At that, 3803 crumpled a little at her mentee's cold and direct nature. She didn't take offense, 4201 was a kind soul underneath a hardened exterior, but it still rankled at her insides.

She was fine!

3803 knew that she was fine!

Cycles had passed from that incident and aside from loading up on glucose and re-memorizing the maps of the circulatory system, 3803 felt that she was strong enough to do her job on her own. Besides, what kind of red blood cell would she be if she had to be constantly babysat by fellow colleagues and friends? Never mind that she had them doing that before her abduction, but that was because of the stalking!

Now…

Now everything was fine and 3803 wanted everyone to be back to normal.

She wanted to be normal.

3803 sighed.

"Please, 4201," 3803 begged.

She looked up at the taller red blood cell with determination worthy of a red blood cell higher than her station. Surely 4201 would acquiesce if 3803 looked like she still had authority over her, right? When that didn't work, 3803 tried the diplomatic approach again.

"Look, if I sense something out of the ordinary, I'll find the nearest immune cell or I'll find a pack of other red blood cells." The redheaded cell stuck out her pinky. "I promise, 4201, I will be careful."

Perhaps it was faith in her mentor.

Perhaps she knew that 3803 could be stubborn whenever she put her mind to it.

Regardless of her motive, 4201 pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded once.

Yet, she still had words for the older erythrocyte.

"Stay out of trouble," 4201 warned.

3803 merely tipped her hat in a salute before scurrying away with her cart.

She could do this.

She was an erythrocyte. A red blood cell.

Of course she could do this.

3803 blazed through the streets, determination coursing through her cytoplasm. After a long time in rehabilitation, longer than she wanted to admit, she was back in the forefront of her job. What was even better was that 3803 was free to choose which route she wanted to travel, at a pace that she liked, and to have time to herself without any interference. Having her friends watch her every move was comforting at first, but after a while, 3803 wanted her space.

It had been cycles since her friends managed to decrease their entourage from three cells watching her. Still, 3803 knew her life would drastically improve if they stopped babying her.

She didn't mind.

Really—she didn't.

However, she couldn't pull other hard working cells away from their jobs. Not only was that inefficient, but it was rather selfish of her to do so. Cancer was gone and while there was still a slim chance that he could come back, 3803 knew that she needed to accustom herself to her old job.

Renewed with that thought, 3803 pulled her cart up to the door of a relatively new apartment complex. As the young red blood cell meandered her way to the door, she noticed a little too late that there was a small crack in the middle of the pavement.

It only took one movement, but that one movement was all it took before 3803 gave a shrill shriek and began to pitch forward.

Instinct guided her as she held out both hands in front to mitigate the fall, but as soon as she did so, a pair of arms wrapped against her torso.

3803 breathed a sigh of relief before finding herself being gently righted to her normal standing position. As 3803 looked up, she found herself looking at a normal cell. Much to her relief, his hair was slicked back (not as unruly as Cancer's) and his eyes were a dull brown that shined with concern and warmth (not like those cold lime green eyes).

"Miss Red Blood Cell, are you all right?" The normal cell asked in worry.

3803 brushed some dirt off her gloves and gave who she assumed was her client a brilliant smile.

Not my greatest entrance, 3803 thought to herself, but it was really great to be back on the job!

"Just a little slip, that's all." She was quick to reassure her client before gesturing towards her cart. "Were you the one who requested a new set of oxygen molecules?"

The normal cell who had helped her cocked a brow before snapping his fingers in realization.

"Oh! There's a newbie on the second floor who desperately needs it!" He pointed at the complex's door. "There's an elevator inside… Would you like some help?"

3803 shook her head. "Don't worry, I've done this job a thousand times before. I'll be fine." She tipped her hat at the normal cell before heading inside. "Thanks again!"

It was a fairly straightforward design—like most cell complexes in the body. After entering the elevator, 3803 took a deep breath and fingered the label that was on her box of oxygen. It hadn't hit her until she pressed the button for the second floor, but she was alone! She was back on her feet, she could still do her job…

Everything was fine.

Had it been so long that she could forget the rush of running down streets, cart in hand, naively determined to do the best she could? The freedom was exhilarating.

Freedom… 3803 bit her lip, trying not to think about her former captor.

Before she could ponder further, the elevator opened with a ding and 3803 hopped out. Now which of the doors belonged to her client?

3803 checked her paperwork and found that she was at the right space. With that, 3803 raised a hand to knock at the door.

For a moment, there was silence and then, 3803 heard movement inside and then the door opened.

"Hello! Here's your deli—"

Suddenly, 3803 stopped speaking, her cytoplasm stopping cold within her cell body. In the haze of such fear, she could barely make out her delivery of oxygen thudding to the ground as she let go. Her hands were shaking, her legs felt weak. Stars and black dots began swarming her vision. Her hearing had long since left her and as she was starting to lose all sense of control and her consciousness, she was only aware of one thing.

A pair of lime green eyes.

Her fingers twitched a bit and that's when it hit her.

Her hands! They weren't brushing against the cold floor of a hovel, this was—

She opened her eyes.

To her amazement and subsequent relief, she found herself lying on a cot. As 3803 took in her surroundings, she noticed that the sheets covering her body were a soft white color, something that was soothing to the eyes. While the atmosphere seemed a touch too sterile for 3803's liking, it was admittedly better than being under Cancer's thumb.

Speaking of Cancer—

"My, Miss Red Blood Cell!" A cheery, maternal voice intoned. Immediately, 3803 looked up to find a kind macrophage pushing past a curtain that 3803 was certain cordoning another part of the room. "I wasn't expecting you to wake up so soon!"

3803 inclined her head politely, but she was still confused. And curious. What had happened?

"Miss Macrophage, may I—"

The kind macrophage made a shushing gesture as she wheeled in a small cart.

"Hush, Miss Red Blood Cell!" Miss Macrophage began helping up 3803 so that she could sit without much assistance other than pillows before setting up a table with food in front of the erythrocyte. "Rest and eat."

3803 made to protest, but once she caught sight of pastries and fruits and other foods, she began to lose her will to fight. Like a small child, 3803 hurriedly grabbed as much of the spread as possible. Pretty soon, 3803 found herself munching all of the food, only stopping when Miss Macrophage chided her and told her to pace herself for fear of metabolizing her glucose too quickly.

Satisfied by her charge's well-being and enthusiasm for the food, the macrophage relaxed and began to speak when 3803 appeared to be almost done with her meal. "You have a visitor, Miss Red Blood Cell. Would you like to see them now?"

3803 froze, her mind going a million micrometers a second as she processed the macrophage's kind inquiry.

"W-who is it?"

At that, Miss Macrophage walked over to the curtain and called out, "Mr. Neutrophil! You better get in here before Miss Red Blood Cell faints!"

3803's hold on a delectable pastry fell onto her lap when her friend stepped inside, almost stumbling into view because of how fast he was going. As it turned out, U-1146's reflexes were quick enough to save him from eternal embarrassment. Meanwhile, the macrophage merely chuckled at his antics before bidding 3803 a gentle goodbye and moving out towards the other side of the infirmary.

"Are you all right?" U-1146 murmured as he sat next to her on one of the chairs next to her hospital bed.

He seemed perfectly at home in the infirmary, 3803 noticed. Not only did his outfit perfectly blend in with the sterile environment of the room, but he seemed almost too calm and relaxed. Whether it was because of familiarity with his surroundings or if he wanted to calm her down by his aura of tranquility, 3803 didn't know. What she did know was that she found herself relaxing into her pillows and smiling at the neutrophil.

"I could be doing better, but I'm doing well."

For some odd reason, 1146 frowned at her, as if suspecting what she said was a lie.

"You know, it's not considered weak to say that you're still suffering from what Cancer has done to you." 1146 paused a moment before adding, "In fact, I think it's healthy to feel what you're feeling, but I need you to tell me what's wrong."

3803 hesitated. "I-I know."

1146 reached out with one of his gloved hands to pat her head. However, once he was only a mere micrometer away from her, 3803 jerked back from his touch. Stunned, 1146 withdrew from his comforting gesture and looked at 3803 with newfound surprise and sadness in his gaze.

3803, mortified by her sudden reaction, huddled deep into herself.

"I d-didn't mean to… I didn't mean—"

This time, when 1146 moved to touch her, he asked for permission. As one of his hands grasped one of hers, 3803 sighed and squeezed, returning his affection while his warmth provided comfort and stability.

He shushed her silent whimpers and interlaced his fingers with hers.

"It's okay, Miss Red Blood Cell. You're here now. He's gone." He brought his head down low to look her deep into the eyes. "He's dead."

3803 shook her head.

"No, I was at my last delivery and—and—"

1146 squeezed 3803's hands gently in an attempt to calm her.

"Contacts."

"Contacts?"

"That particular normal cell wanted to try something new for the day, so he bought himself some contacts."1146 chuckled, but it was a sound layered with bitter irony. "Don't worry, the both of you aren't in trouble and he'll do well to think twice about modifying his appearance in the future."

"And…?"

1146 didn't hesitate. "He's still gone, Miss Red Blood Cell. For now, he isn't coming back."

3803 thought for a moment before relaxing against 1146's side. "Thank you. I just need to remind myself of that, but it's just so hard."

"It doesn't have to be," 1146 whispered. "We're all going to help you."

If 3803 could, she would have jumped off the bed. With the way she was situated and how tired she felt, 3803 opted to sit up straight instead of lie back down. "But I feel so vulnerable! You should be helping other cells, killing pathogens! You shouldn't be tying yourself down to one cell. it's inefficient! It goes against protocol and—"

1146 stopped her as he made his way closer to her before enveloping her in a slow, but gentle embrace.

"Protecting you means protecting the body. And even if it didn't—" 1146 held her closer. "—I'd still choose you any time."

3803 burrowed deeper into his stark white jacket. After all the stress and the manipulation, it was nice to be reassured that she still had purpose, that people still thought of her as a valuable friend.

For the first time since her capture, she closed her eyes and slept with no trouble.

The sight of lime green eyes dissipated into blessed darkness.