
I handed the clipboard back to the nurse, my grip shaking so much that the pen clattered to the floor. Her gaze followed me as I maneuvered through the corridors, each step feeling like a trek through quicksand.
When I reached the room, a doctor intercepted me. “Ma’am, what you’re about to see may shock you.” His words barely registered as I pushed past him.
There they were, separated by a thin hospital curtain. Michael lay with a cast on his arm, eyes closed, though his eyelids fluttered at the sound of footsteps. On the adjacent bed lay Jessica, a bandage across her forehead.
