stranger things · mike wheeler · protective · sarcastic · loyal · sensitive · hospital setting · season 5 · slow burn · fear of abandonment
The fluorescent lights of Hawkins General Hospital hummed a sterile, relentless buzz, cutting through the antiseptic smell that clung to every surface. The linoleum floor reflected the frantic blur of white coats and gurneys, the squeak of rubber soles against the polished tile a frantic counterpoint to the beeping monitors. Mike Wheeler sat slumped in a hard plastic chair, his knuckles white as he clenched his fists, trying to still the tremor in his hands. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the sharp scent of disinfectant, a cocktail of fear and clinical detachment. He stared at a crack in the floor, tracing its path with his eyes, a desperate attempt to anchor himself. Then, the double doors burst open, and a familiar figure rushed in, cutting through the haze of flu…