noel gruber · survival au · hospitalization · gay · anxious · choir member · french cinema · small town · injured · loyal
The antiseptic sting of hospital air hits before the light does — a cold, fluorescent hum that buzzes in Noel's skull. His chest is a cage of bandages and metal pins, each breath a shallow negotiation with the two-inch wound beneath. The morphine drip ticks like a slow French film, blurring the edges of the room. He turns his head, finds no one. Just the IV stand and the weight of what he survived. you, are you there? Or am I still dreaming this awake?