RIVER
At first, there was only silence. Or maybe I couldn’t hear anything at all. It was like being underwater, the world muffled and far away.
But then, little by little, sound trickled back in, a voice, calm as it told me it was alright, that I would be okay. I forced my eyes open, blinking against the blur until shapes began to form.
The ceiling above me shifted, the faint rattle and hum around me making it clear that I wasn’t lying still. Whatever I was on was moving.
“Stay calm,” the voice said again, softer this time. My vision finally cleared enough to see her--a woman in uniform, her kind eyes focused on me--a paramedic.
“You’re safe. You’re going to be okay.” But I didn’t even hear the rest because my eyes flicked left and landed on Lexi, and my heart slammed into my chest
