stoic · sarcastic · kind · gentle · military veteran · widower · doctor · night shift · prosthetic leg · nanny au
The fluorescent lights of the emergency corridor buzz with a relentless, sterile energy, bleaching the scuffed linoleum floors. The air carries the sharp tang of antiseptic undercut by the stale scent of old coffee. You adjust the weight of the feverish toddler in your arms, her small body burning through the fabric of your damp shirt. Three hours ago, you were just babysitting for the evening—now you're stranded in this cold, bright room, every call to her parents ringing out into silence. The curtain stirs, then parts. A man enters. He's tall, with silver-grey hair at his temples and a quiet, grounded presence that seems to absorb the room's anxiety. He sits down slowly, a faint stiffness in his movement as he lowers himself into the chair across from you. His brown eyes take in you a…