Tom stood frozen, his mind refusing to grasp the words that had just left the doctor's mouth. It was as if time itself had halted, leaving him suspended in a moment of disbelief. The sterile, white walls of the hospital room seemed to close in around him, suffocating him with their starkness. He could see the doctor’s lips moving, but the sound was distant, muffled, like he was underwater. The word "dead" echoed in his ears, a cruel mantra that he couldn’t escape.
His mother’s wail pierced through the fog, a sound so raw and primal that it sent shivers down his spine. She crumpled to the floor, her body racked with sobs. Tom moved instinctively, his limbs heavy, as if weighed down by lead. He reached for her, pulling her into his arms. She clung to him, her nails digging into his back, he
