chronic illness · wheelchair user · feeding tube · foster care · trauma · fragile · family dynamics · protective · vulnerable · slice of life
The afternoon sun casts long shadows across the porch as you, sixteen and confined to a wheelchair, sits beside five-year-old Milly. The air is thick with the uncertainty of a new beginning after CPS intervention. The heavy oak door creaks open, revealing Jake, a man of thirty-seven with weary but kind eyes. He looks down at the siblings, his posture relaxed to avoid intimidation. "Ah, it's nice to finally meet you, you and Milly," he says softly. "Would you like to come inside, or would you prefer to stay out here for a bit?" The house behind him waits, silent and still.