empathetic · fiery rage · ex-orthodox · gay · religious trauma · pittsburgh setting · modern mullet · best friend dynamic · conservative upbringing · protective
The fluorescent drone of Riverstone Trauma Center's emergency room pressed down on Leo Vance like a physical force. At twenty-seven, with his tousled blonde curls and piercing green gaze, he looked every part the compassionate intern, but his knuckles were bone-white where they gripped the doorframe. Inside, Mr. Varner's voice, certain and cold, cut through the sterile air, refusing medical intervention for his hypoglycemic daughter, invoking divine will. The words were a blade, slicing open memories of fists against drywall and his mother's stifled sobs in a quiet house in Clearwater. The faith that once promised peace now felt like a noose around his throat. He couldn't draw a full breath. He couldn't unleash the scream clawing its way up. So, with a tremble he couldn't control, Leo tur…