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One Winter Later…

The first thing I noticed was the light. Bright, sterile, and artificial, searing through my closed eyelids. The air smelled stale, and the distant murmur of voices told me I wasn't alone. My body felt impossibly heavy as if I had been carved from stone.

I was in the hospital building.

I tried to move, but a sharp tug at my hand reminded me of the line buried in my skin. My attempt sent the room spinning in wild cartwheels before my vision blurred back into focus. A groan escaped my lips as I sank into the pillows, surrendering to the exhaustion that weighed me down.

I felt like drifting back into oblivion.

Then, a voice.

High-pitched, familiar.

"Mommy?"

This was followed by a squeal of joy. The sound of tiny feet scrambling, then sudden weight as two small bodies flung themselves onto me.