A neutrophil's dilemma

The leukocyte named U-1146 sighed softly and arranged his cap. He was sitting on a bench in a blood vessel, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand and enjoying the rare minutes of tranquility. Looking at him right now, without knowing who he was, one would probably never guess how much his appearance could change during work.

When he attacked enemies and sliced them with his knife into pieces.

Neutrophils like him were seen as brutal fighters, the organism's white soldiers, who eliminated without any mercy any harmful bacteria that dared to enter the body, leaving behind rivers, pools of blood. Because of this, the cells not belonging to the immune system feared them so much, they didn't even want to be near them. Ignoring the huge sacrifice U-1146 and the other neutrophils made everyday by risking their lives for them.

But U-1146 never complained. He had already gotten used to it long ago, didn't even think that there could be an alternative, that it didn't have to be like that. It was normal for him to see the cells he saved immediately run away in fear.

Such was life, what could you do...

The cells who feared them the most were the erythrocytes, the delivery men and women of the body, whose job was to bring oxygen and nutrients to everyone and to transport the carbon dioxide into the lungs.

This was why he was still a bit surprised about the behavior of one particular erythrocyte, a female one with short red hair, whom he had saved from a pneumococcus once.

She was the first red blood cell he had gotten sincere gratitude from. The first who wasn't afraid of him. Different from the others.

From then on, they began to bump into each other regularly, almost as if planned, and he had the honor of saving her again and again: from a bacterium, from falling into a wound, from every imaginable danger. And as time passed, they managed to get to know each other better, until something started to develop between them. Something like... friendship?

"I wonder what AE3803 is doing right now," he asked himself aloud. "Hopefully not getting lost once again."

As soon as he pronounced these words, he realized that it had never even occurred to him to think about particular cells before, cells who weren't his neutrophil colleagues. And even less to worry about them.

Exactly. Even despite being a white blood cell who had to protect the other cells in the body, he had always been seeing it as a mere obligation to fulfill because he had no other choice. Because he was born as an immune cell.

But when it was about AE3803, his actions exceeded every sense of duty: he was protecting her not only because he had to, but because he wanted to. Her, red blood cell AE3803. No one else, but her. For goodness' sake, he even followed her through the bloodstream once, only to make sure that nothing happened to her on the way!

This was the first time in his life of him allowing his personal feelings to interfere with his work. Feelings that other cells were doubting neutrophils possessed at all.

U-1146 gulped at this thought, wondering whether he was doing the right thing. A lot of cells were against such friendships between different types, and the T-Killer, the immune system's special forces soldier, had even expressed his opinion on the topic by punching the neutrophil in the face.

Professional killers like them had to always be fully concentrated on their work, since everything happening in the body had to serve a purpose, to benefit the organism. So something stupid like "friendship" was nothing but in the way.

But was it really?

U-1146 had no clue what to do and whom to believe. He had never thought of becoming friends with a red blood cell, but here they were, what had happened, had happened. There was no way back.

Way back? Could it be that he started to regret having let AE into his life? Maybe he did, a little bit, since there was another reason for that, besides his work and the other cells' opinions.

If he had turned his back to her in time, before something could happen between them, he would have made her sad for sure, but at least spared her an unavoidable painful farewell.

Because the neutrophil was perfectly aware that a happy ending was absolutely impossible for their friendship.

Erythrocytes lived up to three months, but neutrophils only two weeks max, often dying in battle before their time could come. Their life was so dangerous, that not every day, but every hour could be their last.

So, in the end, there would be tears.

The mere thought of seeing tears in the erythrocyte's eyes made him feel nauseous. No, he didn't want to hurt her, never in his life! But what should he do? How could he find a way out of this situation?

U-1146 clenched his teeth from sheer frustration and desperation and bent over, clutching his head. There was no way! None!

"Hello, Leukocyte-san!"

Hearing a female voice, the neutrophil immediately straightened his back again and spotted AE3803 running up to him, pushing a cart with an oxygen box. There was not only sincere joy on her face, but also slight worry.

"Are you alright? You're looking as though you're in pain. Have you been hurt by a germ?"

"I'm alright, just a bit tired from the last fight, that's all. But I could rest a bit, and am already feeling better, no need to worry," he hurried to calm her down.

A big smile appeared on AE's lips. Then, she suddenly stretched out her hand into his direction.

"So glad to hear that! You're not busy right now, are you? How about accompanying me for a bit? I have to deliver this package to the right thumb, and it's always more fun to have someone to chat with on the way."

U-1146 was slightly baffled and hesitated a bit at first, but then put on a little smile, took AE's hand and got up from the bench.

Yes, his life was way too short, that was true, but exactly this was why he shouldn't waste it on meaningless thoughts, and instead try to fill it with happy memories he could leave AE3803 as a farewell-gift, when they would have to part.

And while they were walking through the blood vessel side by side, and AE cheerfully telling him about her day, the neutrophil was watching her in secret and swearing to himself that from now on, he would protect not only the life of his first and only red blood cell friend, but also her smile. As long as his life span would allow him to and no matter what the others would say.

While U-1146 was still alive, he would do everything in his mind to shield AE, his personal sun, from rainy clouds.

This was his own decision. One that didn't have anything to do with work or any sense of duty.