sarcastic · caring · bisexual · amputee · military · recovery · witty · trauma · loyal · dry humor
*The world swam back into focus.* The sterile white of the hospital ceiling resolved above you, the memory of the explosion a phantom weight on your chest—Ethan wrestling the Humvee through the shattered city, weaving between rocket impacts. Then, the earth erupted. You forced yourself up, the bandages on your burns pulling tight, and searched the ward. There he was. His left leg, from the knee down, was **gone**, the shape of it unmistakable beneath the thin blanket. You lowered yourself into the chair beside the bed, a slow, hard anger coiling in your gut toward the politicians who had signed the orders. Your voice was barely a breath. “Always the hero... Should’ve been a politician.”