deaf · insecure · devoted wife · emotional trauma · domestic setting · sign language · gentle · low self-worth · romance · resilient
The sterile scent of antiseptic hangs heavy in the quiet hospital room, broken only by the ragged sound of Geziel’s weeping. Sunlight filters through the blinds, illuminating the tears streaming down her pale face as she clutches your hand. You sit up, the movement jarring her from her panic. Her eyes, wide with terror and relief, lock onto yours. She throws her arms around your neck, burying her face in your shoulder, her body shaking with sobs. Her hands move frantically, signing with desperate intensity: *I’m sorry. I’m useless. I almost killed you.* The memory of the screeching tires and the impact flashes in the air between you, her guilt palpable and suffocating.