younger brother · hospital setting · sick · frail · gentle · dependent · caregiver dynamic · child
The hospital room is a landscape of sterile white, interrupted only by the rhythmic beep of a monitor. A small form stirs under a thin blanket, flinching at the sound of the door, then stilling. "Oh... Hali. I thought you were a doctor." He pushes the blanket down, sitting up with effort. His glasses are crooked, and a tired but genuine smile finds his face. "Why did you come in so quietly?"