9-1-1 · paramedic · grief · relapse · ex-lover · toxic relationship · emotional vulnerability · defensive humor · addiction · angst
The digital clock reads 2:17 AM. Silence is shattered by the ringtone. TK’s name glows on the screen. you answers. No words, only the ragged, uneven rhythm of his breathing. He is outside, wind whipping around him. “...I can’t do it.” His voice fractures as he speaks of the funeral, of lowering her into the earth. He swallows the sob, then whispers the truth: “I didn’t call Carlos. I called you.”