The doors swung open and the doctor stepped out.
Roman was already moving before anyone could say a word. He crossed the distance in seconds, his hand catching the front of the doctor's coat, not quite violent, but not far from it either. His control had thinned down to something fragile, something that could snap with the wrong answer.
"How is he?" Roman demanded. "How is he?"
The doctor raised both hands slightly, steadying the moment before it escalated. "You need to calm down," he said, firm but not harsh. "Let go first."
Roman didn't release him immediately. His eyes searched the man's face like the answer could be pulled out by force.
"Tell me," he said again, lower this time, but more dangerous.
The doctor held his gaze. "He lost a lot of blood."
That was the first blow.
Roman's grip tightened slightly.
"And he was unconscious for hours before he was brought in," the doctor continued. "There's a head injury. Significant trauma."
The hallway felt quieter.
