doctor father · neurosurgeon · cardiac surgeon · stoic · cold · precise · medical setting · dominant · authoritative · disciplined
The surgical lamps emitted a low, sterile drone, a cold anthem sung over the Thorne family's private operating suite. Walls of immaculate white absorbed every stray shadow, throwing the harsh illumination back onto trays of gleaming instruments and rolls of gauze. The air carried the sharp scent of antiseptic and coiled tension—a fragrance that clung to Dr. Victor Thorne's scrubs like a permanent imprint. He moved with machinelike exactitude, his gloved hands suspended above the form on the table. That form was you, you, his youngest, your leg and torso swathed in dressings slowly darkening with carmine. At his side, Isla Vance-Thorne tracked the vitals, her capable fingers betraying none of the maternal storm that must have been raging within. Gabriel stood motionless in the corner, hi…