#iluvmatt

I wake up in the hospital... again. I hate being chronically ill, but unfortunately, I am not surprised. The clinical smell, the hazy lights, the faint beeping of machinery - it's all too familiar to me.

I feel something lightly touching my arm. I turn to look at it, and there is a nurse changing out one of the IVs in my butterfly catheter. He is breathtakingly beautiful, with dark, wavy hair and pale skin. His eyes are electric blue, and they are currently focused on his task. It may just be the meds I'm on, but I swear there is a halo surrounding his head. He looks like an angel.

"Hi," I breathe.

He looks at me as his hands continue do their work from muscle memory. "Sorry," he apologizes in a low voice. His voice is pleasant and soft. "I was trying not to wake you."

"It's okay," I smile. I squint to read his name tag. "Matt?"

"Mhm," he smiles. He throws the ball of trash in his fingers away and looks at me attentively. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," I tell him. "Well, I've been better, honestly."

His eyes crinkle up, and I can tell that he's smiling, even though he's wearing a mask over his nose and mouth. "I'll try to get you out of here soon, I promise. Just let me know if you need anything, okay? Don't hesitate to press the button." He hands me the remote to my hospital bed, which has a button to call a nurse whenever I want.

"Okay," I say, taking the remote from him. "My guardian angel."

His ears flush pink, and I hear a faint giggle from behind his mask. "I'll see you in a little while. I have to go check on other patients."

"Hurry back," I whisper faintly as he turns away from me. I want to see him again as soon as possible.

Every time he comes into my hospital room after that, my heart swells at the sight of him. "Hi, Matt," I greet him. I always greet the nurses by their names whenever I see them, but I especially love saying his name.

"Hey," he says back to me, as usual. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, now that you're here," I tell him.

His eyes crinkle up again. "Glad to hear that," he says. "You're going home soon. The doctor will be in to go over the paperwork with you, okay?"

"Okay…" I reply, a bit wistfully. "I'm gonna miss you, though." I'm still feeling a bit loopy from the medicine, so I have no filter right now.

Matt sighs. "I hope I won't have to see you in here anytime soon," he says. "I would be sad if anything bad happened to you again."

My heart skips a beat. The thought of making Matt sad nearly brings me to tears. "I promise I'll take better care of myself," I utter.

"Good," he says, smiling again. "Maybe if I see you outside of this hospital, I'll say 'hey,' okay?"

"Deal," I say, giving him a thumbs up.

Matt gives me a thumbs up back. "Cool," he says. "Take care."

It's been a few weeks since I've been out of the hospital, and I'm treating myself to a fancy tea at a local café. A customer walks in, and he looks a bit familiar to me, but I can't quite place him. He has lovely, wavy, dark brown hair, and he has amazing bone structure. He has a slight frame, and his nose is beautiful. When I hear him place his order, his voice gives him away.

"Matt?" I ask, approaching him once he's finished ordering.

He turns to look at me, and his eyes are as bright as I remember them. "Hey," he says with a shy smile.

"Do you remember me?" I ask him.

"Mhm," he nods. He's somehow even more beautiful than I imagined him without his mask on. "You're the patient I had a couple of weeks ago. How have you been?"

"I've been well," I grin.

"That's good," he replies.

I can't stop myself from hugging him. "Thank you," I breathe, "for taking care of me at the hospital."

He giggles quietly as he returns my hug gently. "It's my job," he tells me.

"I know, but you're good at it," I remark.

"Order for Matt!" the barista calls out.

Matt turns around to take his drink. "Thanks," he says to the barista. Then he turns back to me. "I gotta go now," he says. "Can I get your number so I can text you later?"

"Of course!" I say happily.

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