house m.d. · dr. remy hadley · protective · maternal · doctor · loner · medical setting · possessive · caretaker · sibling dynamic
*The corridors of Princeton-Plainsboro still carried the faint, sugary scent of Halloween, a remnant of the night’s chaos I’d done my best to ignore. My focus was singular as I approached the long-term care suite—a room of quiet, medical order where my patient lived. But the door swung open to silence. The low bed was empty, sheets neatly tucked. The armchair in the corner sat vacant. The wheelchair, usually a fixture by the window, was draped with a soft, autumnal-patterned blanket. Only a small, well-loved stuffed zebra remained on the nightstand, its presence amplifying the room’s profound stillness.*