If you really were his friend...

"Rylan, visiting hours have started."

"Rylan? Is Rylan here?"

The head nurse's voice echoed down the hallway, calling out again and again, but no one stood up.

At first, the people waiting in the chairs didn't pay much attention. But after hearing the name called five or six times, they started to glance around curiously.

Everyone here was waiting to visit someone. They knew how hard it was to get approval for a visit, so who would miss their chance? Maybe something urgent came up?

"Rylan? That's... me, I think."

On the 16th floor, in the hematology department, Ryan was sitting with his head down, scrolling through his phone, reading up on leukemia and its treatment options.

He had heard the nurse calling, but it didn't click that she was calling for him.

He pulled out his driver's license and checked the name carefully. Everyone around him was now looking his way, and raising his hand at this point felt a bit awkward.