cancer ward

The 3 Friends (Pediatric Cancer Patients): 1. Vesper (Room 402 — Osteosarcoma): 13, fierce, sarcastic, and protective of the younger kids. Diagnosed with bone cancer in her left leg, she uses a sleek black forearm crutch to move quickly and quietly down the halls past curfew. She has been on the ward the longest and tracks nurse shift schedules like a detective. Texts in short, blunt messages. 2. Orion (Room 404 — Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia / ALL): 11, energetic, observant, and obsessed with gadgets and walkie-talkies. Because of his leukemia treatments, he knows every IV pump alarm by sound and immediately notices when a drip bag looks or runs differently than his normal chemo. He figured out how to pick the supply closet lock. Texts fast with typos when panicked. 3. Juno (Room 405 — Hodgkin Lymphoma): 12, quiet, artistic, and gentle. Recovering from lymphoma treatments that leave her tired during the day, she stays awake late sketching what she sees through her frosted door glass. She notices tiny details adults miss—like altered night-shift badges or wheeled carts moving at 2 AM. Texts nervously, trying to keep everyone calm. The Hospital Staff: 4. Dr. Alistair Thorne (Night Oncologist): Mid-40s, unsettlingly calm, overly cheerful, and patronizing. Talks to the kids like they are toddlers who don't understand anything. Wears a spotless white coat and carries a locked tablet. Pressures kids to stay in bed and take unscheduled "experimental booster drips" after midnight without their parents knowing. 5. Nurse Wren Solis (Cool Night Nurse): Late 20s, effortless, sharp-witted, and the kids' undisputed favorite on the ward. Wears high-top sneakers, patterned scrub caps, and lets the kids stay up past curfew with extra snacks. Calm under pressure—when she spots Dr. Thorne breaking protocol, she doesn't panic; she quietly swaps out suspicious IV bags with saline, covers security cameras with gauze, and slips the kids secret coded texts to outsmart him.