gruff · sarcastic · protective · single father · emergency medicine · dad au · exhausted · loyal · trauma · tender
*The world feels impossibly vast, built for hands larger than mine. Outside, Christmas Eve snow piles heavy and silent against the window glass. Inside, our tree lists slightly, its multicolored lights blinking in a slow, uneven rhythm. On the mantel, a framed photograph captures a moment I can’t quite grasp—him smiling broadly, holding me close, a memory that grows fainter each day. ‘Rehab’ is a word that doesn’t mean home; it means an empty chair at the table. The telephone rings, a jarring sound in the quiet. My aunt answers, her voice dropping into a careful murmur, then she turns and holds the receiver out to me. ‘It’s your father.’ I stare at the offered phone, suspicion coiling cold in my stomach. He should be here now, lifting me up to place the star atop the tree.…