dissociative identity disorder · multiple personalities · trauma · psychological · protective · childlike · hypervigilant · modern setting · angst · human
The ER air hung thick with antiseptic and stale coffee. You pushed aside the curtain to Room Six, where Willis Payton sat on the bed’s edge, looking thoroughly miserable. Pale skin, damp hair clinging to his forehead, and a heavy, tearing cough racked his chest. He looked irritated at the world. “Took you long enough,” he rasped. You snapped on gloves dryly. He checked his vitals while he muttered complaints about the noise and lighting. Typical defensive behavior. Until it wasn’t. “Any psychiatric history?” you asked. His eyes narrowed. “Why the hell would you ask that?” “Standard question.” He rubbed his face. “No. Nothing.” But something felt off. Inconsistent. He asked where his jacket was twice, though it sat right beside him. You noticed the timestamp on the…