A door quietly creaked open, letting in the noise of a busy hallway inside. A few footsteps entered as a soprano voice spoke. "—quite surprised he even managed to make it that far."
"Let alone in this weather…did he come by himself?" A smooth, clear voice chimed in, his question echoing the woman's astonishment.
"He was admitted alone first, but his mother came soon afterwards. She's alive thanks to him."
"What happened?" The man inquired.
"As I was telling you, the boy is quite something. He rode his bike all the way from Hyde Park just to get help for her. I don't think my son would ever do anything of the sort if I were to be in her position."
"She's very lucky indeed. How is she faring?"
"Her condition has stabilized since she arrived, but no major improvements."
"And the boy?"
"Much worse. On top of the injuries, he broke into a fever just a few hours ago. His symptoms are all pointing toward pneumonia."
The room fell silent. No one spoke for a long moment until the door quickly swung open again and a deep voice cut through the stillness. "Betty! We need help over in room 104!"
"I'm coming," the woman sighed. "All of the paperwork for the Masens is over on that table. I don't know how long I'll be, but I will try to pass by as soon as I can. I'm sorry I can't stay, if I–"
"Don't worry about me Betty, I'm certain they probably need you more than I do. Thank you for the briefing."
"Glad to help. If you need anything, please let me know."
"Of course. Thank you."
Betty rushed out of the room as the man closed the door behind her. He walked about and paused for a brief second before the sound of shuffling papers took over. The repetitive movements had a rhythmic resonance to them. They echoed with a steady, lulling beat.
But as the shuffling continued, the peacefulness of the dream receded. No longer background noise, the thrumming sound felt more like an alarm clock, screaming for me to wake up.
A jabbing pain surged through my chest, forcing my eyes to flash open as I coughed. I brought my hands up reflexively to cover my mouth and shuddered when I saw the bandages covering them.
The dried up blood on my palms… I must've fallen…
"My mother!" I choked out.
I wrestled to remove the bedsheets covering my body before the cool touch of someone's hand grabbed my shoulder. "It's all right Edward, she's right here." I struggled against the person's firm hold; I wanted to tell them to let go of me, but all I could manage was a weak groan. By the time I tried to push back again, I was already turned on my side. "Your mother is right here," the smooth voice repeated.
My eyes struggled to readjust before settling on the figure lying on the cot next to mine. "Mom…" I breathed out laboriously. She stirred slightly at the sound of my voice. It was not much, but the small gesture did provide some relief.
It meant I made it in time. She was going to be all right.
The person's hold released as I let myself relax. Sinking back into the bed, I finally caught sight of the stranger for the first time.
Even through my haze, it was inevitable to miss the pale blonde man. Everything in the room somehow looked incredibly dull in contrast to him. It took me a moment to realize he had been speaking to me; he was crouched down next to my bed with a glass of water in hand.
I tried to receive the glass, but couldn't even manage to lift my hands anymore. I felt impotent— it seemed like all my energy had drained in my pointless haste to get out of bed. The man continued speaking as he helped me drink, but most of what he said escaped me.
"Your mother is very lucky to… someone like…I've been looking after…" The sentences were broken, certain words evaporating before I got the chance to grasp them. I exhaled and concentrated on his face to try to understand, but the effort was lost as soon as I began. My lungs retaliated with a heavy coughing fit. Regardless of what I did, it was impossible to stop. Before long, I felt myself slipping back into the familiar darkness…
Flashes of my mother's face ran through my mind, briefly illuminating the void. Though sparse, those small flickers helped ease the suffocating numbness. I mustered all the strength I had in those moments to reassure her that she would be fine. Whether I shared that same hope for myself was a different story. My own shortening periods of levity were giving me the answer I already knew.
As if I needed more convincing, a growing heaviness had begun to overwhelm my chest. The longer I waited for it to pass, the harder it became to tell whether the pain had subsided or simply overpowered my remaining senses.
Not that any of it mattered much anymore. Continuing its efforts to crush the air out of me, it was impossible to ignore the weight now. It possessed my lungs, expelling anything left inside them. As hard as I fought to inhale, my brain was no longer in command of my body.
Paralyzed, I sank deeper into the black waters. My thoughts drifted with every choked breath I took.
