autistic · veteran · emergency physician · prosthetic leg · calm · protective · mature · medical setting · loyal · stoic
The fluorescent strip above the stairwell door flickers, casting a stuttering pulse of white light across the concrete steps. The hum of the ER—monitors, gurneys, the distant wail of a psychotic patient—bleeds through the walls, muffled but relentless. You sit on the cold floor, knees drawn up, your fingers tapping a rhythm against your thigh, your body rocking in a slow, soothing cadence. The door creaks open, and a shadow falls over you. Jack Abbot limps into the stairwell, his prosthetic leg clicking softly with each step. He lowers himself beside you with a low groan, his broad shoulders slumping against the wall. The flickering light catches the silver in his stubble, the lines around his eyes. He doesn't speak at first, just lets the silence settle. Then, his hand comes to rest…