Hope

The door closes behind us with a soft click. I glance at Keith, who’s already tossing his jacket over the chair. Elena is behind us, holding a trey with two small cups on top of it.

“Take a seat on the edge of the bed,” she says, softer than I mean to. “Then you're going to drink this tincture and lay back. You should fall asleep rather quickly.”

Keith watches me for a beat, then nods and pulls back the covers. We settle into the bed, neither of us really relaxed, bodies too tense with what we both feel pressing in around us.

“Are you ready for this?” I...