The sun hadn’t fully risen when I woke. Its pale fingers slipped through the blinds, painting stripes of gold across the floor. My body felt light, almost weightless, and for a fleeting moment I forgot the past months, the fractures, the pain, the long, grueling therapy sessions. I blinked, stretched, and realized that the memory of Kahlia was already there, lingering like a sweet ache behind my eyes.I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, testing my balance. No wobbles. No pain. Just steady, measured strength, strength she had painstakingly restored. Kahlia, the doctor who had refused to let me surrender to weakness, had given me more than the ability to walk again. She had given me life, a life rebuilt piece by piece, and I loved her for it. Not just because she healed my body, but because she had breathed hope into my very soul.The shower was warm, the water sluicing down over me like a gentle cleansing. I closed my eyes and let the steam blur the edges of the world.
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