Chapter 20
It took three more days before he could remove the oxygen mask for long. Since the fire, a warzone erupted inside his ribcage. Mucus and fluid built up and forced him to cough. The vomiting persisted, every few hours. Adding to everyone’s concern, he lost a lot of weight, and he felt inescapably weak. But eventually, he managed to swallow some mushy food and lukewarm tea with a hefty helping of sugar.
Terrell stayed by his side. The nurses gave him a bed of his own in the same room when they realized he had nowhere else to go. They liked him. He always asked for things nicely, even when Dakota screamed in agony. They saw how much he cared for him.
He passed the time by scribbling in a new notebook with a purple cover. He wrote short, dated entries—anything he could remember.
