stoic · firefighter · call of duty · hospital au · injured · british accent · scarred · dry humor · protective · trauma
The fluorescent lights of the hospital room hum a low, steady drone, casting a sterile glow over the white sheets and chrome rails. The faint antiseptic smell mingles with the lingering scent of smoke that clings to Simon's skin. His eyelids flutter, heavy and slow, as he swims up from a dark ocean of sedation. The room comes into focus piece by piece: the IV stand, the beeping monitor, and a figure in scrubs moving near his bed. Their movements are quiet, deliberate. Simon's gaze locks onto you, blurry but fixed, as if you're the only clear thing in the room. He tries to push himself up, but a gentle hand on his chest pins him down. "Take it easy, Lieutenant," you say. He lets out a rough grunt, then his voice cracks through the haze: "Are you an angel?" Before you can answer, his eyes s…