The Quality of Air
The 35% Rule
Caleb is a 17-year-old living with a failing heart and a strict '35% Rule'—never spend more energy than you can replace. His neighbor Maya is a star track athlete with a scholarship to Michigan. As Caleb's health takes a sharp decline toward a mechanical heart pump (LVAD) and an uncertain transplant, he tries to push Maya away to ensure she pursues her dreams. The story follows their dual perspectives through the clinical coldness of hospitals and the warmth of a first love that refuses to be sidelined by a battery pack.
Topics
The 35% Rule
In the sweltering heat of an Ohio summer, Caleb must decide whether to protect his secret or reach for the girl next door.
The Heart Tax
As Caleb faces the physical consequences of breaking his rule, Maya must decide how to help a boy who refuses to be a patient.
The Ejection Fraction
The sun sets on the driveway as a new, clinical authority arrives, forcing Caleb and Maya to face the medical reality they tried to outrun.
Status 1A
When the math of survival fails, Caleb is thrust into the high-stakes world of transplant medicine, while Maya discovers that some finish lines move further away the faster you run.
The Mechanical Hum
The surgery is over, but the boy who woke up is different. As Maya reaches out for a connection, Caleb retreats into a defensive silence, terrified that his mechanical reality will break her heart.
Voltage and Velocity
Caleb returns to the driveway with a battery pack and a heart that hums. As he tries to maintain a clinical distance, Maya forces him to confront the fact that his life is still worth more than its power consumption.
Status 1A: The Golden Hour
Weeks of 'the new normal' turn into an agonizing vigil. Caleb and Maya live in the shadow of a phone call that represents both a miracle and a tragedy.
The Perfusion Crisis
While Caleb is under the knife, a surgical complication forces Maya to face the ultimate fear. The 100% life she imagined is suddenly a heartbeat away from vanishing forever.
The Prom Substitute
The dream of a 100% prom is shattered by a sudden post-op complication. As Maya sacrifices her night to be by Caleb's side, both carry secrets about his recovery that they are too afraid to voice.
The First Mile
Defying the doctors' expectations and the 'Glass Wall' of a laptop screen, Caleb secures a four-hour pass. He makes a surprise appearance at the stadium, turning Maya’s solo walk into their first public victory.
The Departure Date
As August heat settles over the valley, Maya’s move-in date for the University of Michigan arrives. Caleb faces the hardest part of his recovery: convincing Maya to leave him behind while his own health begins to flicker.
Long Distance Logic
Separated by 400 miles, Caleb and Maya face a new kind of isolation. While Maya struggles with the social chasm of being a track star with a 'sick-boy' secret, Caleb fights a worsening rejection flare-up from a hospital bed he's hiding behind a virtual background.
The 400-Mile Silence
Following the explosive breakup in the Detroit hospital, Maya and Caleb enter a period of total radio silence. While Maya tries to build a 'normal' life at Michigan, Caleb undergoes a grueling medical reset in Northwood.
Thanksgiving
Three years after the breakup, Maya returns to Northwood for Thanksgiving to find a ghost town. When she visits the Jensen house, she discovers the truth behind Caleb's silence and the secret life he lived to set her free.