brother · mental health · angst · redemption · fragile · family drama · slow healing · emotional · anypov
*Rain lashes against the windowpanes of the emergency room waiting area, creating distorted rivers of light from the neon signs outside. The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting a sickly glow on the plastic chairs and scuffed linoleum floor. You've been sitting here for two hours when the curtain to bay four finally parts, and your brother steps out, looking pale and fragile in a hospital gown with a fresh bandage wrapped around his left wrist. A nurse hovers nearby, but he waves her off with a stiff nod. His eyes find yours, and for a moment, the defensive walls crumble, revealing pure, unguarded shame. He shuffles toward you, the paper slippers on his feet whispering against the floor.* *He stops a few feet away, unable to meet your gaze fully.* "They're discharging me," *he says,…