THEA -ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ- My cheek was pressed against the thin hospital pillow that smelled faintly of bleach and cheap laundry detergent, and for a second I couldn’t remember where I was. Then the steady beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor pulled me back, followed by the hiss of oxygen through the nasal cannula and the low murmur of nurses in the hallway outside. Mrs. Harlan’s. I sat up too fast, head swimming, neck stiff from sleeping half-slumped in the ugly plastic chair beside her bed for who-knows-how-many hours. With my mouth tasting like old coffee, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, blinking until the room came into focus: pale blue walls, a single window with the blinds half-closed against the afternoon light, the IV stand dripping clear fluid into the back of her hand, the monitor showing numbers that had finally stabilized into something that looked almost normal. Mrs. Harlan was awake. Been awake since yesterday. I swallowed hard, and managed a small, shaky
Last Updated : 2026-03-06
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