Ring
388 Words
Chapter 9
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đ Chapter 9 â The ring
The hospital room was quiet again.
The soft beep of the heart monitor kept its rhythmâsteady, like a lullaby.
Gina lay still, eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
She hadnât said much since Leah left.
The nurse had offered more pain medication, but Gina declined.
She didnât want to sleep. Not yet.
Because every time her eyes closed, the water came back.
The fall.
The silence.
The hands that pulled her from the dark.
She didnât remember being lifted.
Didnât remember breathing again.
All she remembered was himâ
A shape in the water.
A presence.
Powerful. Cold.
Beautiful and terrifying, like death in human form.
The angel of death, she had thought.
But no angel leaves you alive.
A soft knock came at the door.
âCome in,â she murmured.
The nurse stepped inside, carrying a plastic bag filled with her belongings.
âThey found this near the bridge,â she said kindly, placing it on the table beside her. âYou might want to look through it later.â
Gina gave a weak nod, eyes distant.
She remembered nowâshe had been fired the day before.
Everything felt like it belonged to someone elseâs life.
As the nurse turned to go, she hesitated.
âOhâand this,â she added, walking back to the bed.
She placed something cold and small in Ginaâs hand.
âYou were clutching it when they brought you in. We almost missed it.â
Gina looked down.
A silver ring.
Simple. Old. Almost... ancient.
Delicate vines twisted around the band like it had grown from the earth itself.
It shimmered faintly in the hospital lightâlike it had soaked up the moon.
Her breath caught.
She didnât own anything like this.
She turned it over, brushing her thumb across its strange engravings.
Something pulsed in her chest.
Not pain. Not fear.
Recognition.
âIs it yours?â the nurse asked.
âI... I donât know,â Gina whispered.
The nurse gave her a soft smile, then quietly exited, leaving her alone again.
Gina stared at the ring in her hand.
It didnât feel like jewelry.
It felt... alive.
Important.
It must have belonged to her savior.
She would hold on to itâ
And cherish it.
- Writer
