Friday Afternoon: Memorial Hospital
The hospital room felt different now. The same sterile white walls, the same soft beeping of Nina's monitors, but something in Linda had fundamentally shifted over the past day and night.
She sat in the chair by the window, though her eyes weren't on the afternoon sky beyond the glass.
They were fixed on the door, watching, waiting, hoping for a familiar silhouette to fill the frame.
When footsteps echoed in the hallway, her pulse quickened involuntarily.
The door opened to reveal Mike, Sarah, Danny, and Lila entering together, their voices carrying the easy camaraderie of young people who'd spent the morning together.
But Linda's eyes scanned past all of them, searching for the one face that would make her heart race.
When she realized Alex wasn't among them, disappointment crashed over her like a cold wave.
He didn't come today either, she thought, her chest tightening. It's been two days. Why? Is he avoiding me?
