[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/HvdBawo.png[/img][/center]
[hr][color=#DC143C]Time: 10 minutes before the meeting
Location: SDN; Dr. Bradley's Office[/color][hr]
[center][youtube] https://youtu.be/I_Tqu1LABGk?si=LL3Kp02PUQCtNdfQ [/youtube][/center]

[color=silver]The office smelled like mint tea and antiseptic wipes. Dr. Bradley always kept it that way. Calming, she called it. Apparently, it was “grounding”. Liam sat in the chair across from her desk, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, pretending the warmth of the room did something to ease his nervous stomach.

She was talking. He knew she was talking. Her voice always carried that soft, professional kindness, the sort of tone people used with frightened animals. She was nice, and…Liam felt that she may actually care, but still, all of this felt so formal. So impersonal.

[color=#F9FF8C]"Liam, before you start with the Z-Team, I just want to check in. How are you feeling today?"[/color]

His fingers scraped at a scratch in the wooden edge of her desk. Someone must’ve dug their nails into it before him. He pressed his thumb into it, harder and harder as the seconds passed by.

[color=#F9FF8C]“…How are you feeling today?”[/color] The words echoed and the first flash hit him.

Lorelai lying in his arms, head in his lap, eyes open but not seeing him anymore. He remembered how light she felt, how wrong that was. She had always been warm. Always. [b]Fucking always.[/b]

[color=#F9FF8C]"Liam?"[/color] Dr. Bradley tilted her head, trying to meet his eyes. [color=#F9FF8C]"Can you describe your mood for me? Are you anxious, or more hopeful?"[/color]

His thumb kept rubbing that scratch. Deeper now.

[color=#F9FF8C]“…hopeful?”[/color] The second flash swallowed him. His hands under a running faucet, shaking so badly he could barely hold them still. Her blood was pinking the water, swirling down a metal drain that wouldn’t stop gurgling. His reflection above it was blank…empty. His fingers were red for days. Getting all of her blood out from under his fingernails took what felt like an eternity.

[color=#F9FF8C]"Are you getting enough sleep?"[/color] she asked gently. [color=#F9FF8C]"These transitions can be overwhelming. It’s important you let us know how you’re coping."[/color]

[color=#F9FF8C]“…coping.”[/color] He let out a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding.

Another flash slammed through him.
Standing alone at her grave after everyone else had left. The flowers were too bright. The mound of dirt between him and her casket felt impossible. He remembered the way his knees almost buckled when the wind moved across the stone. He waited for something…. Anything. A sign, a word, a feeling other than emptiness. Just anything. It never came that day.

[color=#F9FF8C]"Liam?"[/color] Dr. Bradley’s voice softened. [color=#F9FF8C]"You seem distracted. Are you with me?"[/color]

He blinked, forced his hands still. Pulled them into his lap so she wouldn’t see the tremor.
[color=#4682B4]"Sorry. Yeah. I’m here."[/color]

[color=#F9FF8C]"Is everything alright?"[/color]

He could tell her the truth. The truth that he felt like he was walking into this new job with half a soul. That his chest still tightened whenever he saw the initials L.B. together on forms because he didn’t know which one of them it meant anymore. He could tell her that he had planned to take his own life last night, but couldn’t because he knew Lorelia would have hated him for it. Or, maybe that’s just what he told himself to cover up that he was too much of a coward to pull the trigger. He could even tell her that he had started seeing his twin sister at times, despite her being dead. He knew they were hallucinations, knew that he was probably going mad, but he pretended it was real. He pretended just so, for a fucking moment, he could be next to her again.
But he didn’t.

Instead, he looked up, white-blue eyes tired but steady.
[color=#4682B4]"I’m just nervous,"[/color] he said quietly. [color=#4682B4]"And… excited. I mean… it’s a chance. It’s something new. I’m grateful."[/color]

Dr. Bradley blinked. It wasn’t the answer she expected.
[color=#F9FF8C]"Excited?"[/color] she repeated, and for a moment he could tell she wasn’t sure if she believed him. [color=#F9FF8C]"Well. That’s good to hear. I’m glad you’re feeling hopeful."[/color]

He nodded, but didn’t say more on the matter.

She rose from her chair and offered him a small, warm smile.
[color=#F9FF8C]"You’re meeting the others today. First impressions matter, Liam. Try to stay open. And… good luck. Truly."[/color]

[color=#4682B4]"Yeah. Thank you."[/color]

He stood, tugged at the hem of his shirt, and walked out of the office into the quiet hallway. The door clicked shut behind him, soft but final.

The path to the conference room felt longer than it should have. With each step, his pulse climbed. By the time he reached the frosted glass door, he could hear voices on the other side.

Liam reached for the doorknob.
He paused there, his hand hovering an inch away for what felt like forever.
For a moment he almost turned around… almost walked straight back out of the building.

He looked back behind him, and there she was. His sister, or her ghost at least. She was motioning for him to go inside. In that moment, he hated her. He hated SDN for taking him from her. But mostly, he just hated himself for surviving it all.

Liam curled his fingers around the metal, took a breath that didn’t steady him as much as he hoped it would, and walked inside to meet the others.[/color]