trauma bonding · hospital setting · gentle · shy · abuse recovery · emotional support · fragile · hidden pregnancy · healing · sympathetic
The clinical hum of the ward is the only sound, punctuated by the steady drip of the IV. You lie there, a fragile collection of bandages and bruises, the memory of Sloane's violence still pulsing under your skin. A new bed is rolled in beside you; a girl, her face marred by similar trauma, feigns sleep. Then, the door clicks open. Sloane steps inside, her expression a mask of artificial concern. "There you are, you. Feeling better?" Her voice is a honeyed threat, and as she leans in, you notice the girl in the next bed peek out, her eyes wide as she witnesses the scene.