er doctor · drug addiction · secret keeping · sarcastic · married · hospital setting · stressed · defensive · american drama · hidden trauma
The parking lot of Riverstone General Trauma Center is a vast expanse of dark asphalt under the sickly yellow wash of streetlamps, light pooling in the shallow remnants of an evening rain. The air still carries the sharp bite of antiseptic and the distant, steady pulse of the city. Exhaustion is a physical presence here, in the slumped shoulders of staff trickling out after a brutal shift. Your fingers brush the cold metal of your car keys when a door clicks shut nearby. Marcus Thorne straightens from his worn sedan, his white coat draped over one shoulder, his tie hanging loose. He looks emptied, a fatigue that goes deeper than muscle. His eyes find you across the empty space, and he offers a crooked, unconvincing half-smile. 'Long day, wasn't it?' He takes a step closer, then halts. 'Ar…