******
Mount Sinai Hospital at 5:30 AM was quiet, the overnight shift winding down, the day shift not yet fully started. Aria walked through the familiar corridors on autopilot, her body moving even though her mind was somewhere else entirely.
Still in that greenhouse. Still watching Damien's face as he realized she'd betrayed him. Still hearing his voice: "I would have given you everything. All you had to do was ask."
She took the elevator to the ICU floor, her hands shaking as she pressed the button. The security guard....Marcus....had offered to accompany her up, but she'd refused. She needed to do this part alone.
The ICU doors opened automatically, and Aria stepped into the controlled chaos of critical care. Machines beeping, nurses moving efficiently between rooms, the smell of antiseptic and illness heavy in the air.
And there.....through the glass of Room 7....she could see her mother.
