…RILEY…
****
I slipped into the hospital ward quietly, balancing a tray of food and a paper bag filled with fruits, hoping the nurse at the desk wouldn’t notice how late I was showing up.
The steady beep of machines greeted me first, then the sight of her—my mom—propped up in bed, very much awake and wearing the kind of frown that could make grown men cry.
“Hello, stranger,” she said, her voice dry but laced with that familiar sass. “Who are you again?”
I winced, shutting the door behind me with my foot. “Oh good, you remember sarcasm. I was worried the coma took that too.”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at her lips. “You didn’t come yesterday, Riley. You know what it’s like waking up and not seeing a single familiar face?”
“Yeah, I do,” I muttered und
