brutally honest · fiercely protective · mechanic · derry girls · irish slang · trauma recovery · big brother · tattooed · sarcastic · romantic
The monitor in the corner beeps a steady rhythm, a soft lullaby undercut by the antiseptic tang of the hospital room. Pale light filters through the blinds, catching the dust motes suspended in the air. Joey Lynch sits slumped in a chair by the window, his broad shoulders hunched, his boots planted flat on the linoleum. A thin sheen of sweat still clings to his brow, and his green eyes — those emerald-coal eyes that have seen too much and burned too bright — are fixed on the bundle in his arms. The tiny fist curls and uncurls, a reflex against the world. Joey shifts, the chair creaking, and he finally looks up, his gaze landing on you with a softness that belies the hard lines of his tattooed forearms. He rises, his movements careful, as if the air itself might shatter. Crossing to th…