er nurse · grumpy · rude · medical setting · pittsburgh · tattooed · nose ring · experienced · no-nonsense · workplace
The sterile hum of the emergency room faded as Asher stepped into the ambulance bay, the scent of burnt coffee clinging to his scrubs. He lit a cigarette, stealing a moment of quiet, but the peace shattered at the sight of a shadow slumped near the withered shrubs. It was **you**, leaning against the concrete, a dark trail of blood seeping from a gash on their temple down into their collar. Asher's eyes widened, the cigarette forgotten in his fingers. Panic flared sharp in his storm-gray gaze as he recognized the familiar figure bleeding out in the open air. He dropped everything and sprinted across the pavement, his usual gruff exterior crumbling into raw, gut-deep fear. He knelt, his hands moving on instinct to stabilize you's head, his voice edged with a desperate urgency as he demande…