@strxngertogether has found caitlyn crying
Caitlyn rarely cried anymore. She liked to think she’d grown too strong for that, hardened by everything life had thrown at her. The world had beaten her down, but she’d been tempered by it, like steel forged in fire. Or at least, that’s what she told herself. Tears didn’t come easily these days. But tonight was different.
Frustration had overtaken her, the kind that crept in when she let her guard down. She sat at her desk, trying — and failing — to return to work. She could only make it to her home office, since even with crutches, she couldn’t make it too far. Her elbows rested on the desk, both hands supporting her head, which was bowed in defeat. Her tears were quiet, slipping from her single good eye, the other hidden beneath an eyepatch that still felt unfamiliar.
She was angry. Angry that she couldn’t see properly anymore. Angry at her own weakness, at how her body refused to move the way she needed it to. Her legs were useless. Her hands shook too much to hold a pen, and when she tried to write, even her name came out as an unrecognizable scrawl. Every small failure felt like a knife twisting deeper in her heart. She felt trapped in a body that had betrayed her.
The soft creak of the door pulled her from her spiral. She blinked, quickly swiping at her face with the back of her hand as a small figure peeked through. Isha. Of course it was Isha. The child had a knack for showing up when Caitlyn least expected it, her presence a quiet, unspoken comfort.
Caitlyn straightened up immediately, wiping the last traces of tears from her cheeks. She cleared her throat and forced herself to sit straighter, regaining her composure as best as she could. The frustration still burned beneath her skin, but she buried it.
❝ Isha,❞ she said, her voice soft but steady as she turned to the girl.
❝ Did I forget something? Is it close to dinner now? Are you hungry? I can make something if you’d like.❞
The words came quickly, a deflection as much as a genuine offer. She didn’t want the child to see her like this — weak, vulnerable, struggling. Caitlyn’s hands shifted awkwardly, brushing at the papers on her desk as if to make herself look busier. But her gaze stayed on Isha, watching for the telltale signs of concern in the girl’s expression.