Point

the first thing

und me is white. White pressing in from all sides until it feels like it might get inside my head. I blinked

cuts thr

e

ano

Steady

big for the rest of my body. There is a dull, heavy weight behind my eyes that makes it

rs barel

nd looked down at my arm. A clear tube goes into my hand and is taped there. The skin there

he pain in my thro

voice sounded thin and weak, l

t a single strand of her hair is loose; it's all pulled back tightly. She

in a soft voice

word is soft and spaced out, as

, but the sentence falls apa

the hospital." "You

the chest, like a stone falling into

s back in parts. A lot of ligh

nod. "Yes."

ough. My chest goes up and down like it's trying to get out of my bod

hand but stops short of touching me, leaving

a

, it sounded nic

n't see

heets were pulled tightly around me. There are machines close by that are quiet but watching, and t

the woman asks in a soft voice

my mouth

ng ha

d anything. It feels like being in a room with no chairs, where you can't

't know," I

y got softer. A quick but real sha

an go slowly. You don't have t

all of a sudden, the room seemed bigg

There is a window there. Outside, the night is dark and heavy a

chair next

s someo

gu

ite because his hands are so tightly locked together. It looks like he is hol

s pulling i

now

o

I do

A warm feeling spreads through my chest, low and soft. My fingers curled again,

n sense

longs

top looki

That's Adrian," she says in a low voice. "

ri

it is looking for a place to land. It doesn't s

"I don't.." The senten

oint, the

tired and worn out. There are dark lines under his eyes. His hair is messy a

ing when he

r makes a loud noise as it scrapes ag

awake,"

in a way that is warm and fam

fore I can

ht away, as if he has ru

quickly. "I didn't

rther away. His hands are shaking a little and han

cover more of myself. I hold t

know me?

om is

rs, or maybe my ears are just louder no

s jaw gets tigh

he says

slowly and fir

sharp and he

prise. He turns his head away for a sec

words again. Just like everyone e

ht

means

up my back,

" I ask. "Why w

takes a breath and picks his words caref

s in a quiet voic

wn. "

the question is weighing h

makes my st

e you s

afraid

o race again, qui

and the words come out shar

away. She tells him gently

s head too quick

n again. He keeps looki

o the door. His fingers a

outside." "If you need a

't an

oses with a

nd seem

It smells like nothing I've ever smelled before-clean and sharp.

for th

the

t sounds like mi

broken sound o

n's

aki