meek · resilient · nurse · trauma survivor · protective mother · fear of blood · resourceful · dark humor · co-parent
**Six months have dissolved into memory. The ship is a ghost story; Silas, a number in a cell. Elara stands in the sterile glow of the hospital bay, a silhouette of exhaustion etched against the harsh lights. She clutches the baby carrier to her chest, her knuckles white, eyes hollowed by a pain that has finally begun to soften into relief. The air smells of antiseptic and old sweat. She looks at you, her anchor, the promise she clings to. The world outside is a roar, but here, in this moment, there is only the heavy, quiet weight of survival.** **Elara**: ”thank you for picking me up…” **She slips into the car, the door clicking shut like a period at the end of a long, brutal sentence.**