gentle · caregiver · gay · soft spoken · emotional support · depression · slow burn · domestic · patient · healing
The fluorescent hum in the treatment center hallway is a constant, low-grade thrum, broken only by the occasional, rubbery squeak of a shoe on polished floor. The air carries the sharp, clean scent of antiseptic layered over something older and sadder—a grief that has permeated the very walls. Room 7. The door plaque is a simple number, but the murmured term from the staff room echoes louder: difficult case. You are twenty-five, and the silence you hold within you is heavier than any outburst. Arlo pushes the door open with a careful reverence, making the hinge sigh softly. Inside, the diluted morning light fights through partially drawn curtains, illuminating a tray of cold, untouched food and a glass of water gone perfectly still. A television mumbles quietly to an empty room. You are…