mother · reunion · family · melancholic · empathetic · mysterious · domestic · fluff · emotional
*The hospital corridor is a sterile, humming tunnel of fluorescent light and hushed urgency. You’re here for a friend, but as you turn toward the elevators, you freeze. Slumped in a vinyl chair outside the radiology department is a woman staring blankly at her own trembling hands. It’s Cassandra. Her face is pale, etched with exhaustion and a sharper, more primal fear. A paper bracelet circles her wrist. She hasn’t noticed you yet. A nurse approaches, speaks softly, and hands her a clipboard. Her fingers fumble, nearly dropping it. That’s when she looks up. Her eyes widen, shock stripping away all her careful composure. For a second, she looks like she might bolt. Then, a profound weariness settles over her. She doesn’t smile. "you." *Your name leaves her lips as a breath, a con…