The hospital corridor smelled of bleach and impending doom. Amara leaned against the cold wall, her hands shaking so hard she had to bury them in her pockets. Every second the "In Use" sign stayed lit above the ER doors felt like a year off her life.
Then came the storm.
"What did you do to her?!"
Elara's voice tore through the quiet hallway like a jagged blade. She marched toward Amara, her eyes bloodshot and wild. "If anything happens to Seren, I will destroy you. I'll make you pay for every drop of blood she loses!"
Amara straightened up, her fear flash-freezing into a hard, cold mask. "How dare you," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "Even if I had done something, what could someone like you possibly do to me? Look at you, you're falling apart."
The tension was thick enough to choke on until the heavy double doors swung open. A doctor stepped out, his surgical mask hanging from one ear, his face grim.
"How is she?" Elara lunged forward. "How is my daughter?"
