The hospital corridor stretched ahead like a grey river of light and shadow. Outside, rain fell on sheets, drumming against the glass with a sound that seemed to echo inside Alliah’s own chest — relentless, unending. The storm mirrored the storm within her family. Jamiro, Apple, Joshua, and even Alliah herself were caught in a current they could not control, heading toward a shore none of them wished to see.
Jamiro had been awake most of the night. His restless pacing along the sterile hallway was broken only by glances toward the ICU doors. Every few minutes, he would step aside, answering a call or a whisper from Apple or Joshua. But mostly, he stayed silent, holding her hand in his mind even though she was not beside him yet.
When the doctor arrived that morning, he walked in quietly,
