Busy day.

The ward was buzzing by mid-morning; monitors beeping in uneven rhythm, call bells chiming from three different rooms, nurses weaving between carts and clipboards like they had memorized the floor plan in their sleep.

I was finally starting to feel like I belonged in the chaos: I knew which drawer had the extra IV labels, which patient in 14 always asked for extra pillows, how to dodge Dr. Otto's grumbling about paperwork without taking it personally. Dew was on shift with me today, moving between rooms with that easy energy he always carried, and every time our paths crossed he would glance over, catch my eye, and flash...