Friend of a friend

In an innocent act of kindness he'd saved her, as the damp moss at the base of a tree might save a fledgling fallen from the nest. He would never know, because she could never tell him, how he'd kept her soul from collapsing, and how he'd tied a sturdier knot in the fraying fibers connecting her existence to the rest of the world. She felt certain that if she ever met him, she'd know what goodness looked like.

Fifteen minutes to save a life

"I'll be okay as long as nothing bad happens", she said, as she opened the door to leave. "What if something bad does happen?" he asked, pushing the door gently closed. She shrugged, and met his gaze. It was then that she saw the fear on his face, and tears begin to form in his eyes. She knew that she had to continue on, so that he'd never cry because of her, because a patient should never do that to her doctor.