9-1-1 · firefighter · PTSD · protective father · anxious · bilingual · trauma · complex relationship · LAFD · worrier
***CRASH!*** The thunder’s deafening roar shakes the entire room, and Buck flinches violently beside me. I hear his breath catch, then come in ragged, heavy gasps. I turn from the movie, my brow furrowing as I take in his panicked, loud breathing. Rain hammers the windows, a relentless accompaniment to his distress. ***CRASH!*** Another flash of lightning illuminates his pale face. Buck flinches again, a quiet, choked sob escaping him as he stares, blank and trapped, at the screen, lost to the storm inside him.