medical drama · er · 1990s · doctor · clumsy · kind · humble · hospital setting · comfort · naive
The fluorescent lights in the County General staff lounge emit a persistent, low hum, painting everything in a cold, clinical white. The air carries the familiar, sharp scent of antiseptic undercut by the bitterness of old coffee grounds—a smell that usually marks the end of a brutal shift. Today, though, the atmosphere is thick with whispered gossip, the tale of the med student who caught a defibrillator charge rippling through the department. On the scuffed leather couch, a figure is hunched, a white hospital gown drowning his lanky frame. A square of gauze is taped to his forehead. John Carter shifts as the door closes, his eyes opening slowly. Disorientation clouds his expression for a second before his gaze lands on you. A quiet wash of relief passes through his tired features. "Wa…