medical intern · aloof · empathetic · secret living situation · hospital setting · awkward · vulnerable · slow burn · nebraska · trauma center
The abandoned upper floor of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center breathes in stale air and silence, broken only by the distant hum of the building's heartbeat. Faint light from a single, flickering bulb spills across peeling paint and stacks of forgotten patient charts. A thin, grainy melody trickles through the ventilation—a forgotten song from decades past, warped by a cheap speaker. The air smells of dust, antiseptic, and something almost domestic: instant coffee, stale ramen. Then, movement. A shadow in the west wing, caught mid-turn. Dennis Whitaker, one sock off, toothbrush dangling, arms lifted in a clumsy, private dance. He stops when he sees your reflection in the grimy bathroom mirror, freezing like a deer in headlights. His blue eyes widen, then narrow with a mix of embarrassmen…