The waiting area chairs had started to feel like concrete blocks under me. My back ached, my legs were numb from sitting too long in the same spot. My eyes kept getting heavy, eyelids drooping against my will. The hospital sounds, beeps from machines down the hall, muffled voices, the occasional squeak of shoes on the floor were fading into a dull hum. I rubbed my face hard, trying to stay awake, but sleep was pulling at me anyway.

*Clack.* The door to Aeri’s room swung open.

My head snapped up. I shot to my feet so fast the chair scraped back against the tiles.

A nurse stepped out. She looked young, wearing light blue scrubs, clipboard in one hand. She looked tired but calm.

"Mister Ezra?" she said, scanning the waiting area until her eyes landed on me.

"Yes?" I answered, already stepping closer, heart hammering again.

"You can go inside now. The doctor is calling for you." She nodded toward the open door, gesturing with her free hand.

"How’s Aeri?" The words flew out of me before I could stop them. My voice sounded rough, desperate.

She gave me a small, gentle smile. "Don’t worry. The doctor will explain everything. Go on in—she’s right there."

"Ahh... yeah, sorry. Thanks." I nodded quickly too quickly and hurried past her.

*Clack.* I pulled the door shut behind me. The sound felt final, like the rest of the world was now locked outside.

The room was dimmer than the hallway. Soft yellow light from the bedside lamp. Machines hummed quietly. The steady *beep... beep... beep* of the heart monitor filled the space with slow, regular, but every beep felt like it was counting something important.

Aeri lay on the narrow hospital bed. Eyes closed. Face pale under the thin blanket pulled up to her chest. An IV line ran into the back of her hand, clear fluid dripping slowly from a bag hanging on a metal stand. The ECG wires trailed across her chest, little sticky pads on her skin. She looked so small, so still.

A doctor stood near the foot of the bed middle-aged, short dark hair starting to gray at the sides, stethoscope looped around his neck like always. He was writing something on a chart but looked up when I walked in.

"Hello, Mister Ezra," he said, setting the chart down and stepping forward. He held out his hand.

I shook it quickly. His grip was firm, steady. Mine felt shaky.

"Hey. Hello." I swallowed hard. "How’s Aeri?"

I didn’t wait for small talk. My eyes kept flicking to her searching for any sign she might open her eyes, move, anything.

The doctor glanced at her too, then back at me.

The doctor stopped writing on his chart. He let out a long, slow breath, eyes dropping to the floor like the words he had to say were too heavy to look at me while he said them.

"Yeah... about her..." he started, voice quieter now.

"Yeah?" I leaned in closer, searching his face. My heart was already pounding harder, waiting for whatever bomb he was about to drop.

He lifted his gaze again, steady but careful. "We found a high amount of drugs in her body."

My brain short-circuited for a second. "Huh? What!?"

I stared at him, eyes popping wide. The room suddenly felt smaller, the beeping monitor louder. "What did you just say, doctor?"

He didn’t back down. "I don’t know the details, so I have to ask you directly. Is your mother... does she use drugs? Is she addicted to anything?"

"No! What the fuck!?" My voice cracked and shot up way too loud, echoing off the pale walls. I caught myself and lowered it a little, but the shock was still screaming inside me. "She hardly even drinks unless we’re out together or celebrating something. There’s no way. No fucking way she’s on drugs."

The doctor nodded slowly, like he’d heard reactions like mine before.

"I see. But the blood tests don’t lie. There’s a heavy amount in her system right now. That’s why her body and mind are so unstable like she’s crashing hard from it."

"What!?" The word came out choked. Tears burned behind my eyes, hot and sudden. I blinked fast, trying to push them back, but one slipped down my cheek anyway.

"She’ll be okay," he said right away, raising a hand like he was trying to stop the panic before it took over. "Don’t worry too much. We’re treating her with fluids, monitoring, everything she needs. Once she rests long enough and her body flushes out all the toxins, she should come around. That usually takes 18 to 20 hours for most cases like this."

I swallowed hard, throat clicking. "I see..."

He stepped a little closer, voice dropping even more serious. "But still, this type of drug isn’t healthy at all. Not even close. It can do real damage if it happens again. Heart rhythm problems, kidney strain, memory issues that stick around... serious stuff. You need to make sure she doesn’t touch it again."

He reached out and gave my shoulder a firm, quick tap, the kind doctors do when they want you to know they’re on your side. "Talk to her when she wakes up. Get her real help if she needs it. Okay?"

I couldn’t speak right away. Just stared at Aeri’s still face eyes shut, lips pale, the IV line taped to her hand. The steady *beep... beep... beep* from the heart monitor was the only thing keeping the silence from swallowing the room whole.

"Yeah," I finally rasped out, voice rough and thick. "Okay."

The doctor gave me one last small nod, tucked the chart under his arm, and walked to the door. "I’ll be back in about an hour to check her again. If anything changes or if you need anything just hit the call button by the bed."

The door clicked shut behind him, soft but final. The room stayed quiet except for the drip of the IV and the soft rhythm of the beeps.