Kat:
I never expected to see Shay like this—so small and still, swallowed by the hospital bed and tangled in tubes. The machine at her bedside beeped steadily, reminding me she was alive, though it felt like her spirit wasn’t in the room. Every time I let my gaze wander to her shaved head, the thick bandage from her emergency surgery, my heart squeezed tighter. It’s been days, and there’s still no change.
Shay was always the type to greet each morning with boundless energy, even when life dragged her down. She’d bounce through the bar, her laughter weaving through the music, giving me side hugs while rolling her eyes at some drunken patron. Now her laughter was replaced by the quiet hiss of a ventilator. It felt unfair. No, it was unfair. She deserved so much better.
I pull the chair cl
