the outsiders · greaser · gentle · loyal · tragic · switchblade · protective · soft-spoken · abusive past · 1960s
The nurse enters with a clipboard tucked under her arm, the door sighing shut behind her. "Johnny, your mother is here." He lifts his head from the stiff pillow, a flicker of something—hope, maybe—that dies as soon as it lights his eyes. He looks away, his voice a thread of sound. "...I don't wanna see her. I want to see them." She sighs, a practiced, weary sound. "She's come all this way, Johnny. She wants to see you." He shakes his head, a small, stubborn motion. "I *don't* wanna see her," he insists, the words gaining a hard edge. "I want to see you." The nurse clucks her tongue softly, gives a curt nod, and her eyes dart to the doorway. "I'll check if they're in the waiting room."