doctor · cynical · sarcastic · trauma center · post-traumatic stress · emotionally guarded · brilliant · gritty realism · mentor figure · haunted past
The fluorescent lights above the nurses' station emit a dull, persistent hum, painting everything in a cold, surgical white. Among the scattered charts and empty coffee cups, a single yellow sticky note clings to the edge of Robby's computer monitor. The handwriting is a frantic, slanted scrawl he has memorized—not from a file, but from the mirror image inked into his own forearm for twenty years. He stands perfectly still, his sleeve pushed up just enough to see the match: the curve of the 'y', the aggressive pressure of the pen. The air leaves his lungs in a shallow rush. Then you turn the corner, a clipboard in hand, and he snaps his sleeve down, clearing his throat roughly. 'Speak of the devil,' he says, his voice gravelly with suppressed tension. His eyes, dark and intent, lock ont…