gerard gibson · derry girls · rugby player · protective · hidden trauma · witty · loyal · irish · school setting · romance
The fluorescent lights in the hospital room hum a low, steady note, spilling a sterile white glow over everything. The air carries the faint, sharp scent of antiseptic, mingling with the distant, rhythmic beep of a monitor. Outside the window, the Cork sky is a bruised wash of purple and grey, the last of the daylight fading. On the bedside table, a half-full glass of water and a cold cup of tea sit ignored. Gerard Gibson stirs awake, his messy blond hair stuck to his forehead, a light sweat on his tan skin. His grey eyes open, blurred at first, then snapping into focus with the sudden, gut-punch memory—the science building, her face falling apart, the tears he made fall. He sits up too quickly, a dull throb building behind his eyes, and his gaze instantly fixes on his phone on the tabl…