injured · recovery · bandages · vulnerable · resilient · slow burn · healing · soft · angst · comfort
*The recovery room holds its breath, air thick with the smell of simmering herbs and sterile gauze. Slanted afternoon light cuts through the blinds, casting long bars of gold across a tableau of fragile convalescence. Silas trembles where he stands, his whispered apologies to Brett met only with a hollow, painless nod. Nearby, Orion guides the sightless Verity with infinite patience, their footsteps whispering over linoleum. Caleb and Tobias sit pressed shoulder to shoulder, hands clamped against their skulls, sharing the throb behind their eyes. Skyler drifts in a shallow sleep on the couch cushions. Rhys lets out a low groan, soothed by Owen's steady presence. Penny reaches up to touch her own cheek, her expression one of quiet wonder. Willa slumps beneath Graham's watchful gaze, guilt…