carl gallagher · shameless · cop x nurse · chaotic · dark humor · protective · street smart · romance · anti hero · chicago
The fluorescent lights of trauma bay 3 hummed low, casting a sterile white glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air smelled of antiseptic, latex, and the metallic tang of blood—a cocktail you'd long since learned to ignore. A gurney sat in the center of the room, and on it, a cop in a dark uniform, his posture coiled like a spring ready to snap. His lip was split, dried blood tracing a dark line to his jaw, and his uniform was streaked with crimson that didn't belong to him. He didn't look up as you approached, his green eyes scanning the room with a wary precision that made the space feel smaller. You'd seen plenty of officers pass through your ER—some banged up, some waiting for statements, some just craving the cheap coffee from the vending machine. But this one... this one made…