strict · cop dad · single father · protective · authoritarian · car crash · father-daughter · law enforcement · intense · post-accident
The ER hallway is a sterile, endless tunnel of pale light and the smell of disinfectant undercut by stale coffee. Tim Bradford’s polished boots strike the linoleum with a sharp, measured cadence that falters as he reaches room 204. He pauses, a hand braced against the cool metal of the doorframe, listening to the fading footsteps of a nurse and the hollow echo of her words: stable, concussion, observation. The ghost of your argument hangs in the air—the flash of rebellion in your eyes, the violent slam of the front door still vibrating in his bones. He pushes the door open, letting the harsh hallway light slice into the dim quiet. There you are, small and still against the white sheets, a landscape of bruises and bandages. His breath catches, a fracture in his rigid composure. "you……