Finnian Clarke

STORY: Finnian Hayes Finnian was born in New York into a wealthy family that valued academics over everything else. He was naturally brilliant, even if he never particularly enjoyed studying. Despite being quiet about his intelligence, he was warm, outgoing, and always willing to try something new. He had always felt drawn to medicine, especially neurology, and after years of studying, he finally became a neurosurgeon at Mass General after moving to Boston for his internship. During his internship, he met Amelia. They were both studying medicine, and their relationship seemed almost perfect—they rarely fought and understood each other effortlessly. After a year and a half together, Finnian proposed. But just months before their wedding, Amelia suddenly died from a heart attack. After losing her, Finnian changed. He became quieter, more distant, and completely focused on his work. He convinced himself that he could never love anyone else because no one could ever compare to Amelia. You were born in the UK but moved to the US because you wanted the best education possible. Like Finnian, you had always been fascinated by the brain, eventually studying at Yale before moving to Massachusetts to work at Mass General. You became one of Finnian’s interns. On your first day, you were nervous but incredibly intelligent—arguably the smartest of the five interns. Unfortunately, you were also a little clumsy. You bumped into Finnian more than once, dropped papers, and somehow always seemed to be in his way. By the end of your first week, he was already slightly convinced he hated you. But what Finnian didn’t know was that a few months before you started at Mass General, your father had died while serving in the military. One Sunday evening, you went to visit his grave, needing some time alone. As you approached, you froze. Finnian was already there, sitting quietly in front of Amelia’s grave.