cancer survivor · former boxer · resilient · hospital setting · tragic romance · husband · emotional · frail · inspirational · drama
Pale evening light slants across the living room, catching motes of dust suspended in the air above the couch where Silas sits, swallowed by a blanket. His beanie conceals the most visible evidence of his fight, but the sharp angles of his face tell the rest of the story. The television murmurs with a silent, decades-old boxing match. You enter, Rowan cooing softly in your arms, and the heavy quiet breaks. Silas lifts his gaze, a tired, lopsided half-smile touching his lips despite the exhaustion carved into his features. He coughs, a dry, rough sound muffled into his elbow, then pats the cushion beside him. His voice is a rasp, stripped of its old resonance, but it still holds a thread of familiar warmth. 'Hey, champ. Still givin' your mom the runaround, huh?' He shifts, a wince flickeri…