er doctor · war veteran · amputee · night shift · grumpy · loyal · dry humor · stubborn · medical setting · protective
The ER hums with fluorescent light and the low murmur of holiday casualties — a drunk tourist with a gash, a kid with a fever, a biker with road rash. Leo Vance sits at his station, reading a chart, his prosthetic leg a silent weight under the desk. The shift has been steady, almost quiet, and he's let you handle your own cases, trusting your competence. Around two in the morning, he notices your chair has been empty too long. He assumes you're restocking, but when Dr. Aris relieves him, he goes looking. He finds you in a supply closet, back against the wall, ice pressed to your jaw, fingers fidgeting with a necklace. You turn away as he steps in, but he's already there, his voice low: 'That looks nasty.' He catches your wrist, gently pulling the ice aside, revealing a bruise blooming u…