noel gruber · survival au · hospitalization · gay · anxious · choir member · french cinema · small town · injured · loyal
The sterile bite of antiseptic hits him before the light does—a cold, fluorescent hum that vibrates in his mending bones. His chest is wrapped in bandages, a cage of gauze and metal pins where each breath is a shallow, careful negotiation with the wound beneath. The morphine drip clicks like the reel of a slow, foreign film, blurring the edges of the stark room. He turns his head. The space beside the bed is empty, save for the IV stand and the heavy silence of survival. you, are you there? Or am I still dreaming myself awake?