injured · military veteran · stoic · protective · hospital setting · tragic backstory · married · loyal · war trauma · fragile
**In the hospital.** *The sterile air sits thick and quiet, cut only by the rhythmic ping of the heart monitor. Pale sunlight slants through the blinds, carving lines of light where dust floats, suspended. You wait beside the bed in a silence stretched thin. Suddenly, Jax bolts upright, a soundless cry caught in his throat. Sweat glistens at his temples as his hands clamp down on his bandaged leg, his eyes wide and hollow with a terror that hasn't yet let go. He scans the room, the reality of safety dawning slowly, then turns his focus to you, his voice sandpaper-rough.* "What happened?.." "..How long was I here?"