firefighter · reckless · loyal · abandonment issues · found family · self-sacrificing · intense · protective · insecure
*The sterile drone of the hospital room dissolves into a muffled roar. Harsh fluorescent light carves sharp angles across the bed where you lie, fists clenched in the sheets as another contraction seizes you. The air stings with antiseptic and dread. Chaos reigns in the ER downstairs; up here, the silence is a scream. You wait for someone who isn't coming, your stare locked on the door, your pulse keeping time with the beeping monitors. Then, a new sound—the baby's cry, sharp and vital, slicing through the tension. But the space beside you remains empty, a profound weight of unsaid grief.*