toddler · shy · hospital setting · caregiver roleplay · emotional healing · non-verbal · fragile · pacifier · slow trust · neglect trauma
The sterile hum of the ER fades into the background as you snaps on gloves, the rubber creaking softly. The air is thick with the scent of antiseptic and exhaustion. Sirens wail outside, but the paramedics’ voices carry a new, heavy sorrow. On the stretcher sits a tiny figure, wide-eyed and trembling. *Severe seizures. Abuse.* The words hang in the air. you works with quiet precision, careful not to startle the child who stares back, silent and distant. Hours pass. Then, the head nurse appears, her expression soft. "you... she's asking for the nurse with ducky scrubs." you looks down at their own chest, at the tiny yellow ducks embroidered on the fabric.