Valentine carefully parked his car in the only available spot near the children’s hospital. As luck would have it, today seemed especially crowded—vehicles filled every parking space. Every day he came here as if it were his job: he handled his business, popped into his favorite café for a cup of coffee, and hurried to see his daughter, wanting to spend whatever time he could with her. She had been in the clinic for several months now.

The doctors still struggled to explain what was happening to the child. Valentine had sought the opinions of top specialists, but they all recited the same tired line: the brain operates independently, controlling everything else. This drove him to exasperation.

“You’re just hiding your powerlessness behind all these pretentious terms!” he snapped one day.

The medics could only shrug, casting their eyes downward.

“It’s a result of immense stress. The brain creates barriers that we cannot control,” one of the doctors attempted to explain.

“I don’t understand anything! My daughter is fading before my eyes, and you’re telling me she can’t be cured?! I have money; I’m willing to give everything! I would give my last for Michelle!”

“Money holds no power here,” the doctor sighed softly.

“What then will help?! Tell me! I will find it, I will buy it!”

“You cannot buy this… Honestly, I’m not even sure how to explain it to you… Something special must happen. Or on the contrary, something must not happen, for the body… the brain… to reset itself.”

“What are you talking about?! Should I consult a witch or something?” Valentine exploded.

The elderly physician looked at him intently.

“You know, if you’re determined, I won’t try to dissuade you. I’ll repeat: standard methods hold no value here. We can only provide peace, positive emotions… and support the body with medication. And one more thing,” he lowered his voice, “I would leave your daughter in the hospital if I were you. She’s been brought in twice by ambulance. You see, when she enters that state, while she’s being brought here, there’s a risk that it could be too late. Here, under constant supervision, that risk is minimized.”

Valentine clutched his head. He was terrified of losing his wife, feeling that it could happen at any moment, and he couldn’t imagine how he would cope without her. Michelle adored her mother, and he… revered both of them. Now he had to put his grief aside and focus on saving his daughter, also named Michelle.

To his surprise, the girl took the prospect of staying in the hospital for an extended period with surprising calm. She gently stroked his cheek and said softly,

“Dad, don’t worry so much. I won’t cry, and you can work without having to sit around with me all the time.”

Valentine was uncertain whether to feel joy or sorrow. His eight-year-old daughter spoke as if she were an adult.

“Hold her! Man!” a sudden shout interrupted. Valentine jumped and looked toward the noise. A girl was running towards the hospital, panting, while a breathless security guard chased after her. It appeared she had stolen something. As she rushed past Valentine’s car, she shot him a terrified glance.

“Goodness… even a roll for a child was too much to spare?” he muttered, stepping out of the car just as the guard approached.

“Stop! What are you shouting about?”

“I’ll deal with you shortly! Get out of the way!”

The guard only just noticed Valentine and his vehicle.

“I need to catch her! She stole!”

“What did she steal?” sighed Valentine.

“A bottle of water and a roll… Who knows what else she might have in her pockets!”

Valentine pulled out a few notes.

“This amount should be more than enough to settle the matter and even celebrate the return of the stolen goods,” he murmured to himself, watching the guard rush off.

After that, Valentine headed to the doctor’s office. While their conversations were typically formal, today the doctor kept him a little longer.

“Valentine, I have a question… Today Michelle asked if she could interact with other children in the ward.”

“And what does that mean?” Valentine replied, tensing up and sitting down.

“In my opinion, it’s a good sign. She’s beginning to show interest in what’s happening outside her room. However, not all my colleagues share this view. Many think that after prolonged isolation, interacting with a large number of children might be too overwhelming for her psyche. I can’t refute this argument, although I don’t entirely agree with it. You need to think about it, talk to Michelle, and make a decision—whether to allow it or not.”

“Understood, you want to shift the responsibility onto me again,” sighed Valentine.

The doctor removed his glasses, cleaned them, and sighed as well.

“Yes, you are right. We sincerely want your daughter to recover, but… we understand that if something goes wrong, you will hold us accountable. There are more than fifteen children on the ward.”

Valentine stood and moved toward the exit, but paused in the doorway.

“Thank you for your honesty. Perhaps you are right. I will talk to my daughter.”

He felt as if the doctor sighed with relief. Before entering the room, Valentine tried to stretch his lips into a smile. He couldn’t walk in to see his daughter looking dark and gloomy. But no matter how hard he tried, his smile felt forced. Now he would see his little girl, who had hardly moved or eaten in days—not because she didn’t want to, but because her body refused to accept food.

The door creaked open, and Michelle turned her head. For a moment, she looked frightened, as if she didn’t recognize her father, but then she smiled.

“Hi, Dad!”

Did he imagine it, or was there a faint blush on her cheeks?

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

A strange feeling washed over Valentine, as if his daughter wanted him to leave. But that was impossible—she hadn’t seen anyone but the nurses and teachers assigned to the VIP rooms. He sat down on a chair by the bed and began to unpack the treats he had brought.

“I popped into the shop… Look at these beautiful apples!”

“Ah, yes, Dad. Thank you,” Michelle quietly replied.

Valentine’s hand froze over the tray. There were plates—freshly brought dinner. But what surprised him even more was that the plates were completely empty.

“Michelle, what’s going on here?”

The girl sighed and said to someone off to the side, “You can come out now; it’s okay. I have a kind dad.”

And suddenly, Valentine saw a girl emerge from behind the curtain—the same one who had run past his car. She watched him timidly while Michelle continued, “Daddy, please don’t send her away! I promise to share my apple with Katie. Where will she go? She has no one, and it’s cold and dark outside, and she was hungry and scared…”

Valentine looked bewilderedly at his daughter. She sat on the bed, biting her lip, with her cheeks flushing. He turned his attention to the girl, who was perhaps a year or two older than Michelle.

“Are you Katie?” he asked.

The girl nodded.

“I’m Valentine, Michelle’s dad.”

Katie nodded again, then asked shyly, “Is your name really Michelle? What a beautiful name!”

His daughter smiled faintly.

“No, I’m Masha. But my mum called me Michelle, and I always answered to that…”

“Oh, right… your mum is no longer around,” sighed Katie. “I don’t have a mum either, but it was so long ago that I can’t remember her at all.”

Valentine watched quietly as the girls found common ground. Katie gingerly settled on the edge of the bed, pulling back the sheet so as not to dirty the bed with her shabby clothing. “She looks rough around the edges,” he thought, instinctively slicing the apple into wedges. He handed slices to Michelle and Katie, who took them, continuing to whisper to each other. Valentine couldn’t help but smile.

“I see you two have plenty to talk about.”

His daughter looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Dad, please let Katie stay! She can lie down on the couch. And we can chat a little longer.”

Valentine contemplated. The girl seemed harmless, but one could never be certain.

“Listen, Katie, there are some of Michelle’s clothes in the wardrobe. Take whatever you need and hurry to the shower! And make sure you come out looking like a human. I’ll tell the doctor that Michelle’s sister has come to stay the night. But you better mind me!”

Michelle clapped her hands joyfully.

“Thank you, Daddy!”

Katie darted to the wardrobe, carefully opened it, and gasped in wonder. She picked out some lightweight trousers and a t-shirt. “I’ll be quick!” she called as she disappeared into the bathroom.

As the door clicked shut behind Katie, Valentine turned to his daughter.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Dad, it was so boring today! I almost cried. I asked to join the other kids, but the doctor said I needed your permission. And then Katie climbed in through the window… can you believe it? The window is so high!”

“Right… Are you sure you want her to stay?”

“Of course! When you’re leaving, can you ask for some sweet, hot tea for us?”

Valentine’s eyebrows raised in surprise. He simply nodded. He had to work on arranging a bed for Katie. He even paid for a VIP room. The doctor shook his head.

“I don’t know… You’ll know best, of course, but just keep this in mind…”

“I heard you. I’ll be back in the morning for breakfast. Michelle asked for sweet hot tea… two cups. Who do I ask?”

The doctor looked at him in surprise.

“Two? For the girl and for yourself?”

“Indeed.”

“I’ll make arrangements… You know, a penny saved is a penny earned.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I won’t say anything just yet. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. Then we can talk.”

Valentine sensed something had shifted with Michelle today. But whether it was good or bad, he couldn’t pinpoint. That night he slept restlessly, waking several times. Eventually, he called the doctor on duty, Michael Peters.

“Sorry for calling so late.”

“Not a problem. Honestly, I was expecting your call sooner. Everything is fine. They chatted until midnight until Alla sent them off. They’re sleeping now. Michelle’s blood pressure is stable, and there are no spikes. She drank her tea all by herself.”

“Thank you, Michael. Peters,” Valentine exhaled, relieved, and quickly fell into an uneasy sleep.

The hospital carried a familiar smell: of porridge and something indefinably childlike. Valentine carefully navigated between small patients scurrying down the corridor. Surprisingly, those on crutches were no slower than those with merely a bandage on their heads.

Finally reaching his daughter’s room, he breathed deeply in relief. Just as he was about to open the door, it swung wide. On the threshold stood Alla, the nurse assigned to Michelle. This kind-hearted young woman always inspired trust. She looked at Valentine, discreetly brushed away a tear, and said softly,

“You’re not just a father… you’re the best father. No one could guess that’s exactly what she needed.”

With that, Alla departed, leaving Valentine stunned as he watched her leave. “I’ll sort this out,” he resolved, freezing in the doorway. The girls hadn’t noticed him. How could they, with all their attention on the TV, where a cartoon mouse was mockingly tormenting a cat?

They were sitting on the bed with their legs curled up, each holding a bowl of porridge. Gulping it down, they erupted into laughter, with porridge occasionally spilling from their bowls. Michelle’s clothes clearly didn’t fit Katie—they would need something else.

Valentine watched closely as Michelle scooped a spoonful of porridge, put it in her mouth—and nothing happened! She calmly swallowed and continued to giggle at the cartoon.

Katie was the first to notice him. She gently nudged her friend with her elbow and nodded towards their father. Michelle turned around. Valentine couldn’t suppress his surprised gasp. Just yesterday her gaze had been vacant, as though she didn’t want to see or hear anything around her. But today, before him sat a lively, joyful girl… albeit exhausted to the limit.

“Daddy!” Michelle exclaimed joyfully.

He stepped silently to the bed and hugged his daughter tightly, then Katie. Yes, at that moment, he was ready to do anything for this stranger girl. But then Katie suddenly began to sniffle. Valentine became concerned.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you? Did I squeeze too tightly?”

Katie shook her head, while Michelle firmly grasped her hand and looked sternly at her father.

“Dad, don’t hurt her anymore!” she insisted.

Valentine quickly nodded. Katie wiped her tears and quietly said, “It’s not because of that… No one has hugged me in such a long time.”

A week later, Valentine brought his daughter home. All this time, Katie had been by her side. Michelle noticeably regained her strength, began to race down the corridors with the other children, and chattered animatedly. While the doctors, astonished by her “phenomenal” recovery, carried out her full examination, Valentine focused on Katie.

Katie’s mother had disappeared when she was barely two years old. No one knew where she had gone, but everyone believed she was no longer alive. She had not lived an innocent life. After her disappearance, Katie stayed with her grandmother, but she passed away six months ago. The girl was sent to a children’s home, where she had a confrontation with one of the nurses. The nurse raised her hand against the child, and Katie ran away. That was her sad story.

When Valentine arrived to pick up Michelle, Katie was already packing her meager belongings. She stood, hugged her friend tightly, and then timidly looked at Valentine.

“Thank you… I’ll be going now…”

“And where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

Their eyes met.

“Back to the children’s home, I suppose. It’s quite cold outside now.”

Valentine paused contemplatively.

“Was it a waste of time setting up a room next to Michelle? Do you… not want to become her sister?” he cautiously suggested.

Michelle was the first to scream with delight and leaped into her father’s arms. Following her, Katie, sniffing, hugged him as well. As they left the hospital, all the nurses gathered to see them off, crying. But Valentine only saw Alla and her kind, understanding gaze.

Six months later, he could hardly imagine his life without Katie. Just like the sisters—Michelle and Katie—without each other.