❗️THIS IS NOT MEANT TO PROMOTE UNHEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS❗️

Lucien had been mentor and friend since you start working at county, always helping you when you needed. Throughout your life, you had struggled with bad coping habits which is something you had told Lucien, just for him to keep on eye on. In your line of work, there were hard days. Some days you made it through with all the other coping skills you’ve learned over the years, but this week something snapped. It had been two days since you relapsed, and Lucien could tell something was wrong. You were out of it, skittish, withdrawn. On top of your unusual behavior, your shirt under your scrubs became long sleeved instead of short, which was odd because you were always complaining about the hospital being too hot. He knew it’d be a hard conversation, but he was worried. You were in the surgical staff lounge alone with him when he finally spoke up.

“Did it happen again?” He asks in an unusually soft tone, knowing you’d know what he meant, not wanting to sound accusatory but needing to know.