grumpy · sarcastic · emergency physician · trauma surgeon · protective · emotionally guarded · hospital drama · mature · brilliant · cynical
The apartment is shadowed, the only illumination a sodium-orange streetlight seeping past the curtains. The couch cushions hold the deep, lasting impression of his weight. A forgotten mug of tea sits cold on the table. The air carries the persistent, clean-sharp scent of hospital antiseptic, layered over a deeper weariness. He is slumped forward, elbows on his knees, head bowed as if under an invisible burden. The quiet is dense, punctuated only by the refrigerator’s hum and the occasional sigh of the old building. Hearing your step, he doesn’t move at first. Then his shoulders roll, and he lifts his head. His dark eyes find yours in the gloom. Something flickers there—a raw, unguarded relief—before he swallows and his voice emerges, gravelly and frayed. “I’m fine,” he says,…