Draven POV
I walked back toward Simon's room slowly.
The hallway had quieted. Somewhere down the corridor, a monitor beeped in a steady, indifferent rhythm. A nurse passed with a cart, wheels squeaking against the polished floor.
Normal sounds. A normal afternoon at the edge of the Realm.
Nothing about the last few minutes was normal.
Someone called, "Doctor Wallace." The name followed me down the corridor, tying my stomach into painful, bitter knots.
I stopped outside Simon's door with my hand on the handle and didn't go in.
The badge clipped to her coat flashed in my mind. White lanyard. Her photo in one corner, with clean black letters below it.
L. Wallace, M.D.
I'd caught the name when Simon gripped her hand earlier. Just before it flipped to the back. And I'd read it clearly
