By the end of the week, Mira had visited five times. I tried to tell her to stop every single day, and every single time, she refused.
Joan teased her once—"You know, Doctor, if you keep coming here, people might think you actually like us" and Mira nearly dropped her medical bag.
Elara had to elbow Joan to make her stop laughing.
But beneath the teasing, there was comfort. Their voices, their warmth, their ridiculous jokes they made the days pass faster. Sometimes Elara would sit by my bed and hum, and Joan would braid my hair just to undo it again.
For the first time in a long while, I felt what it was like to be surrounded by people who weren't trying to use me or hurt me.
Still, the shadow of him lingered. Even when he wasn't there, I could feel him like a faint hum at the back of my mind, just waiting.
