Felix knew—it was a luxury to dream.
After his cancer relapsed, survival became his only focus. Every night, he went to sleep not knowing if he'd wake to see the sun again. Running? That was just a silly fantasy. It couldn't change anything.
Felix glanced down at his legs, heart racing with the image of himself running again. Just once—if he could sprint again, wildly and without restraint, like his very life was burning away with every step…
He looked up at Lance and found courage in his clear, determined eyes. A flicker of hope quietly ignited in his chest.
Taking a deep breath, Felix seemed to find strength again. Every single day was a test—there was no room for hesitation.
He smiled, his eyes brightening. "Annie. Oh, right! Annie! How could I forget?"
Today, the reason he invited Lance to the hospital wasn't for himself—it was for his best friend, Annie.
Annie was another of Felix's chemo companions. She had leukemia. She'd already gone through over two years of treatment and was declared cancer-free… but anyone familiar with leukemia knew how often it returned.
Annie hadn't been the exception.
She was back at the hospital for a second round of chemo. Worse yet, none of the current treatments were working.
Which could only mean one thing:
Annie's time might be running out.
Like Felix, she'd experienced the hope of healing and the despair of relapse. Their friendship had formed in those trenches of pain and survival.
They used to joke—no one knew who would go first. But no matter what, the other had to show up to the funeral dressed to the nines.
Felix knew Annie liked Lance too. He wanted to do something for her. So he worked up the courage to send the invitation.
And now that Lance was really here, Felix could hardly contain himself.
"Annie's gonna freak out."
He called her name twice before remembering they were still in a hospital and needed to keep quiet. But he couldn't hold back. Clutching his IV stand, he rushed out of the chemo room to lead the way.
"She's probably in her room. Let's go straight there."
But Annie… wasn't there.
Felix froze, caught off guard. He turned to Lance, confused. They both looked at each other, speechless.
Lance shrugged. He had no clue how the hospital worked.
Just then—shuffling noises.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the rest of the kids couldn't contain their curiosity anymore. IV poles in tow, they poured into the hallway, making the place buzz until the nurses had to step in and tell everyone to settle down.
Mahomes and Kelce stood outside the room too, staring inside, confused.
"Can we help with something?" a voice asked from the doorway.
Lance turned. It was the woman he'd seen earlier in the hallway speaking with a doctor.
"Ms. Galas!" Felix called out. "Where's Annie? Lance is here!"
Jena Galas blinked, not fully caught up. "Annie went to the restroom. She's not back yet?"
"Oh—sorry, Lance. I mean, welcome. Really, welcome, but—"
That sounded a little off. Shouldn't it be "welcome to the hospital"?
Jena herself looked unsure how to phrase things. But Lance didn't mind.
It was obvious her eyes were still red, like she'd just been crying. Lance remembered when they passed each other in the hallway—she'd been overwhelmed with emotion, saying something about treatment finally working.
So… maybe there was hope? Maybe Annie's treatment had finally started to show results?
If that were the case, her joy made perfect sense.
"Ms. Galas, the honor's mine. I'm Lance, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. I heard there was a fierce warrior here who's also a Chiefs fan, and I just had to come personally to show my respect."
Jena was a little flustered, looking at Lance's outstretched hand. "Oh—yes. I mean, of course. Lance, I know who you are. Thank you. Thank you."
She fumbled for words, repeating herself over and over, trying to stay composed—
But it was harder than it looked.
Finally, Lance saved her. "Then how about we go find our guest of honor? Maybe… she's actually the one trying to find us?"
Everyone got the idea and scattered from the room, splitting up to search.
"Wait, you two—wait!"
Lance stopped Mahomes and Kelce before they wandered off.
"We don't even know what she looks like. She could be standing right in front of us, and we'd have no clue."
Kelce blinked. "Oh. Good point."
Lance waved them over. "Let's check the nurses' station. Maybe they have a photo."
The nurse showed them Annie's photo on the computer.
All three of them stared, eyes wide in surprise.
She was the one they saw earlier… in the stairwell.
She hadn't looked surprised to see Lance at all. No excitement, no starstruck moment. Not a trace of fan behavior.
And—"Wait, are you sure? She's eleven?" Lance asked carefully.
The nurse nodded knowingly. "Yes. She's lost weight quickly. She looks much younger than her age, but we're trying everything we can."
They exchanged looks. No words. They just turned and headed back to the stairwell—
She was already gone.
No one said anything. They simply split up again and resumed the search.
Lance wandered in circles for a bit before realizing—they were like headless chickens.
He paused. Thought carefully.
That brief moment with the girl earlier… she had a mischievous spark in her eyes. Witty. Clever. Way more mature than her age.
What if… she knew they were coming, and decided to play a game of hide-and-seek?
Lance returned to Annie's hospital room. He opened the door and scanned the space. Still empty.
But this time, he didn't rush out. His eyes slowly swept the room until—
His gaze landed on the TV cabinet.
He walked over. Opened the door.
Two bright, twinkling eyes looked back at him from inside.
A playful smile bloomed.
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