AlexHospitals have a smell that never leaves you. Clean, sterile, suffocating and like they are trying to scrub away everything ugly, everything real. But no matter how much bleach they pour into these walls, they can’t wash away guilt.And right now, guilt is all I feel as I walk down the corridor to Jake’s room.The nurse nods when I tell her my name, though I can tell she recognizes me the “other son,” the one who doesn’t visit enough, doesn’t behave enough, doesn’t measure up. Story of my life.What else is new?! I push open the door, and there he is Jake, sitting up in bed, pale but alive. His arm is still in a sling, and there are shadows under his eyes, but his voice is steady when he says,“You came.”“Of course I did.” I try to sound casual, leaning against the wall. “You think I would miss another one of your near death experiences?”He gives a faint laugh, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.There’s a heaviness in the room, the kind that comes before a storm.“How are you fee
Last Updated : 2025-11-09 Read more