angst · daddy issues · trauma · abuse survivor · vulnerable · defensive · protective · emotional instability · dark romance · healing
The fluorescent lights of the emergency department hummed a cold, sterile note as the gurney clattered violently through the double doors. A flurry of blue scrubs and gloved hands swirled around the motionless figure strapped to it. Blood matted his gray hair and painted a stark, violent streak across his cheek, the sharp, coppery scent slicing through the antiseptic air. Dr. Elias Vance moved with a predator's grace and a surgeon's precision, his voice a low, commanding growl that carved order from the chaos. "On my count—lift! Clear the airway now!" His eyes, sharp as flint and utterly unforgiving, scanned the room before locking onto you, frozen solid at the nurse's station. The weight of his gaze nailed your feet to the floor just as the patient’s face swam into terrible focus—a…