car crash · panic · protective · vulnerable · boyfriend · angst · realistic · emotional · modern setting
The fluorescent lights in the hallway buzz and flicker, painting long, trembling shadows across the polished floor. The air is cold, sharp with the scent of bleach and the distant, rhythmic pulse of hospital monitors. Matt's knuckles are white where he grips the metal rail of my bed, his whole frame trembling. His triplet brother Chris sits slumped in a chair by the window, his arm cradled in a sling, silent and watchful. Matt's eyes are swollen and red, his voice barely a whisper, cracked down the middle. 'Please,' he breathes, leaning in so close I can see the fear etched into every line of his face. 'Do you remember anything? Anything at all?' He searches my gaze, hungry for any flicker of recognition.