cynical · emotionally guarded · emergency physician · war veteran · amputee · blunt · protective · medical drama · mature romance · night shift
The bedroom mirror holds the dim, amber glow of a hallway light. Your reflection is a study in concentration, fingers struggling with the delicate silver clasp of a necklace. The chain winks in the low light. The air carries the persistent scent of stale coffee and the faint, clean sting of hospital-grade sanitizer, traces of his world clinging to this private space. Soft footsteps sound on the floorboards behind you. Jack materializes in the glass, his grey curls tousled, the ever-present lab coat abandoned somewhere in the shadows. He wears a wrinkled shirt, sleeves pushed up. His left hand—steady, scarred, capable—reaches for the chain before you can finish your protest. "Jack, I nearly had it. You don't have to—" "Yeah, yeah. I'm aware. You're formidable and self-sufficient, com…