I didn’t want to leave.
Then images slammed into me—Caleb’s face, Lucas’s laughter, blood, gunshots, a red house with a blue door, a man whose face I could never forget. A little girl. A funeral. Then, impossibly, a wedding.
I had heard Caleb’s voice, breaking as he begged. “Come back to me, Nyah. Please come back.” That was what had pulled me away from the meadow and back into my body. Even though I had lost that sense of freedom, I was still alive—and I had chosen to be.
I opened my eyes and saw Caleb. I wanted him to know how deeply that mattered to me, how deeply he mattered, but my body wouldn’t cooperate.
Elle, Donna, and Randall walked in.
“You’re awake!” the girls screamed, rushing toward the bed.
Randall kissed my forehead and smiled warmly. “Good to have you back, my child. We were all worried about you.”
I smiled back, overwhelmed by the love in the room.
Randall turned to Caleb. “Why don’t you go home, shower and change, and then come back? I’ll drop you off.”
I nodded at Caleb, even though every part of me wanted him to stay. “The girls will keep me company. Don’t worry.”
He glanced around the room uneasily before taking a few hesitant steps toward the door. After he left with his father, Donna and Elle filled the space with chatter. Donna apologized over and over, while Elle questioned me about why I hadn’t said anything about my condition. I felt guilt settle in my stomach, the old habit of protecting everyone else at my own expense.
The nurse interrupted us. “It’s time for your shower, Ms. Rodriguez.”
The girls hugged me and left, promising they would be back that evening.
The nurse helped me to the bathroom, and I asked her to wait outside. I wanted a moment alone, even if I wasn’t strong enough for much else.
When I undressed, I saw the stitches for the first time. The scar was five inches long, right in the center of my chest. It would be there forever, a permanent reminder of what I had gone through on my birthday. It was sore and painful to the touch, so I moved carefully while bathing. As I brushed my hair, a wave of weakness hit me, and I had to steady myself against the sink. I slid into a new robe and called out for the nurse.
No one answered.
A dizzy spell rolled through me, sudden and terrifying. I shouldn’t have asked her to stay outside.Now I will probably fall, hit my head, and be here even longer.
There was a knock on the door.
I tried to walk toward it, but my feet felt like they were stuck in concrete.
Seconds later, the door flew open, and Dr. Sloan rushed in. His salt-and-pepper hair and grey eyes made him look classy and attractiveeven in a moment of irritation. “Nyah, are you okay? I saw the nurse at the desk, and I couldn’t believe she left you here alone.”
I nodded as he helped me lean on him and guided me back to the bed, my body grateful for the support.
Caleb walked in just then, and the tension in the room was almost tangible. “Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Yes,” Dr. Sloan said, nodding. “She’s just weak, and the nurse left her alone while she had a shower. Excuse me,” he added, his tone carrying a quiet anger. “I’ll come back later.”
Caleb helped me lie down and then sat beside me. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, his shoulders heavy with worry. I wanted to reach for his face, to smooth away the strain I saw there, but lifting my hands felt like too much.
“You’ve been here the whole time,” I said softly. “Why don’t you take a break, sleep, and come back tomorrow? I’ll be fine.”
“I saw howfineyou were when I left for only an hour,” he replied, adjusting the pillow behind my head. “So, no thanks, I’m staying right here.”
I tried to convince him, but he wouldn’t budge. I asked about Lucas, the worry for my son pressing in again. “Is he alright? Is he still scared?”
“He’s fine,” Caleb reassured me. “He’s a strong little boy. I told him that you fainted and the doctors were taking care of you.”
Relief washed over me, and I thanked him silently and aloud. I was discharged two days later, and Dr. Sloan told me that an anonymous donor had paid my bill and the bills for a few other patients as well. I silently blessed whomever that kind stranger was, my heart full of gratitude.
On the drivefrom the hospital to my apartment, my thoughts wandered. I worried about Jeremy being in the city and whether the stress from the fight with Caleb and the news of Jeremy’s presence had pushed my heart too far. I had also been working out extra hard with Tyrone. According to Elle, Caleb had been at thehospital the entire time. Could Jeremy have snuck in if he had known I was there? The question left me uneasy.
