November 14 2020
The conference table was littered with scans, charts, and coffee cups. AJ stood at the head, laser pointer in hand, her expression serious.
AJ - Parker, Simone, Gabriel
she said, eyes sweeping across her interns.
AJ - This case doesn't fit into neat textbook lines. Atypical presentation, unusual symptoms, and no clear surgical path. I want ideas. Even if they sound impossible.
Parker leaned forward first.
Parker- Could it be an autoimmune overlap? Something like neuro-Sarcoid?
AJ - Good thought, but the markers don't line up
AJ countered.
Aj - Simone?
Simone tapped her pen against her notes.
Simone - What about a misdiagnosed vascular malformation? The seizure onset could support that.
AJ's lips pressed together, thoughtful.
AJ - Better. We'll order a specific imaging protocol.
Her gaze shifted to Gabriel.
AJ - Luiz?
Gabriel cleared his throat, flipping through his notes.
Gabriel- I—I think it might be a rare presentation of limbic encephalitis. The behavioral shifts match, and it would explain the irregular seizure activity.
For the first time in the meeting, AJ's expression softened into something almost approving.
AJ - Interesting. Not impossible.
Gabriel felt a flicker of pride, one he quickly tried to tamp down before it showed on his face. But just as he was about to expand his reasoning, the office door creaked open.
A tiny voice broke through the tension.
Mateo -Mama?
Everyone froze.
A curly-haired toddler barreled into the room, clutching a stuffed giraffe in one hand. His big brown eyes scanned the table until they landed on AJ, and his face lit up like the sun.
Mateo - Mama!
he squealed, wobbling toward her. Behind him, a flustered nurse appeared in the doorway, mortified.
Nurse Jessica- Dr. Brewster, I'm so sorry—he slipped away from daycare. I—
AJ -It's fine
AJ said, her clipped professional tone melting instantly as she bent down. She scooped the little boy into her arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
AJ - Mateo. Qué estás haciendo aquí, carino?
Mateo - Mamá, te extraño
the boy mumbled into her shoulder, giggling when she tickled his side.
The interns sat in stunned silence.
Simone smiled, whispering
Simone - Oh my God, he's adorable.
Parker grinned.
Parker -Mini-Brewster. Didn't know we'd get a cameo today.
But Gabriel... Gabriel felt the ground tilt beneath him.
Not just married.
Not just taken.
She had a *family.*
A husband who brought her lunch.
A son who ran into her arms like she was the center of his whole universe.
AJ looked up at Gabriel, cheeks faintly pink, but composed.
AJ - This is Mateo. He's... not usually part of rounds.
She gave the nurse a reassuring nod.
AJ -It's alright. I'll walk him back once we're done here.
Mateo tugged at her stethoscope, babbling happily. AJ laughed softly—a sound Gabriel had never heard from her in the ward.
And that laugh was the knife in his chest.
Camilla's words replayed in his head like a taunt: *You're doomed.*
Because in that moment, Gabriel Luiz finally understood. This wasn't a passing crush or a professional admiration gone too far.
He wanted something that had never belonged to him.
And now, seeing the proof in AJ's arms, he knew—it never would.
