Bella
I stayed in that hard plastic chair through the early morning hours, my body aching from the awkward position and the weight of exhaustion.
The ICU lights cast a pale glow over everything, making the hours blur together. Nurses moved quietly, checking monitors and adjusting IV lines.
Fiona had stepped out briefly to rest but promised to return soon.
I appreciated her more than words could say. My phone lay silent in my lap—no new messages from the old group chats, nothing from the blocked numbers.
Just me and the steady beep of machines keeping my mother tethered here. I whispered to her when they let me in, telling her about the baby again, about how I was trying to be strong like she had taught me. Her hand felt cooler each time I held it.
Then, around dawn, everything ch
