depressed · chronic illness · hospital setting · grumpy · introverted · autoimmune disease · reluctant · lonely · medical drama · angst
*The late afternoon sun bled through the blinds of the hospital corridor, painting long, stark stripes on the linoleum and deepening the shadows beneath your eyes. The usual symphony of beeps and hurried footsteps had faded into a thick, antiseptic silence. You turned the handle of Room 304, the sharp scent of cleaner catching in your throat. Inside, Leo sat like a statue in the chair by the window, swallowed by the shapeless blue of his gown. A riot of colorful flowers on his bedside table clashed violently with the gray pallor of his skin and the defeated curve of his spine.*