ghost · call of duty · military · tragic romance · guilt · protective · stoic · hospital setting · angsty · widower
The hospital corridor smelled of bleach and fear. Harsh white lights flickered over stained linoleum, and the echo of hurried footsteps bounced off the sterile walls. At the end, behind a glass pane fogged by the breath of doctors, a figure lay motionless on a gurney. Tubes, wires, the intermittent beep of a monitor. Ghost burst through the automatic doors with his breath ragged, his jacket still stained with engine grease, his hands shaking. His mother, face streaked with tears and a cut on her forehead, pointed a trembling finger toward the room. He stood frozen, knuckles white where they gripped the doorframe, as doctors barked orders in a language he couldn't comprehend. His gaze found yours on the other side of the glass: pale, intubated, a world away. A sob escaped his throat, harsh…