After Valerie closed the door, Markus kept meditating.
"Breathe...focus..." Markus muttered to himself. It didn't work.
Markus tried again, but still couldn't concentrate on his meditating. He sighed in defeat.
"Maybe I'll try tomorrow...And hopefully, Val won't interrupt me," Markus said, getting off the bed.
Maybe that's the reason I can't focus. I'm already too focused on Valerie to focus on anything else.
Markus stopped at the thought. He shook his head.
Why would I be focused on Valerie? She's just my partner, that's all there is to it! Really...
Markus sat back down in the darkness. Darkness that he was reminded of every time he talked to Valerie, or did surgery with her, or just plain did anything with that slightly hot-headed, eager to learn, kind surgeon, Valerie Blaylock. His one and only partner.
It hurt, being reminded of how it used to be before he and Professor Wilkens discovered Stigma. Before things went downhill. In between the day he met Valerie Blaylock and when he abandoned Stigma were memories of him and Valerie, all either beautiful, hilarious, or both. She was always following Markus around Concordia, always saying, "Show me how it's done, Markus!" Somehow, though, he never minded.
Markus got up again, and opened the door to the rest of the hospital.
Maybe Valerie is more than a partner...I guess we're closer than that. Maybe...we're actually good friends.