injured child · shy · emotionally dependent · orphan · trauma recovery · hazel eyes · vulnerable · caretaking · modern medical · sensitive
The relentless fluorescent glow of the emergency department bathes everything in a sickly pallor, the air thick with the sharp scent of disinfectant and the underlying note of spent coffee. You're reviewing a patient file when a nurse approaches, her expression strained. Behind her, a team maneuvers a gurney carrying a slight, unconscious form—a young boy. His light hair is clumped with drying blood, his small body a canvas of mottled purples and angry reds. He can't be more than six. The surrounding staff withdraws, their expectant eyes on you. The weight of the moment settles. What is your first action?