Apricity

Part 18

Suhani's fingers clawed against the stark white sheets of her hospital bed as she laid in dread, feeling as though the walls were shrinking around her. The relentless beeping of the monitors provided a shrill background noise that was only broken by the angry thunder of the storm outside, battering its fists against her prison window. Her desperate gaze darted from the IV drip to the glass, as if seeking some form of escape.

The nurse entered the room, holding a clipboard and speaking quietly. "Ms. Malhotra," she murmured, "Dr. Kapoor told me you're having an issue with getting restful sleep. We can provide medication to assist if you'd like."

Suhani's grip on her bedsheets tightened, her knuckles turning a ghostly white. Torn between the safety of staying awake and the comfort of surrendering to sleep, she hesitated, as if caught in a battle with herself. Eventually, her voice barely above a whisper, she spoke the words that seemed impossible for her lips to form: "Thank you, but I think I can manage." Her heart ached, knowing the conflict that would continue to arise while deciding whether it was better to stay awake or let go.

"Alright," the nurse replied gently, making a note before leaving the room.

Suhani watched her go, a deep longing and envy burning in her chest. There, she was not the high-powered CEO of Star Pharmaceuticals; instead, the place brought out the most painful parts of her past that relentlessly haunted her. Even within these whitewashed walls, the crushing weight of her trauma overwhelms her until all she could do was tremble in fear.

The thought of letting someone in tantalised her, a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness that threatened to consume her. Her heart begged for release from her prison of pain, yet she couldn't help but remember the shadows that once lurked behind her. The fear of being hurt again was too much, and she knew that any chance of healing would mean taking a risk - one she wasn't sure she can take.

Struggling to contain the torrent of emotions roiling within her, Suhani clamped down on her fists until her knuckles whitened. She had responsibilities; lives depend on her and she couldn't allow herself to succumb to despair. Pushing aside the sullen fog that had enveloped her, Suhani willed herself upright and reached for a glass of water. Trembling fingers grasped the cool surface as she gulped down the liquid, a momentary relief from the chaotic frenzy in her mind.

Suhani's eyes scanned the stifling walls of the hospital room. Her chest heaved with emotion as she desperately searched for a moment of reprieve, some way to escape the invisible chains that bind her. But no matter where she turned, the oppressive feeling remained. Hours stretch on, blending together into an eternity until finally, the rain comes like a reminder of everything she had lost. The pain in Suhani's heart intensified as her mind was flooded with memories of days past; a tangle of broken dreams and shattered hopes that refused to be forgotten. Despair seeped through her every pore, weighing down her spirit until she was nothing more than a hollow shell, resigned to suffer in that never-ending limbo between healing and hopelessness.

Droplets of salty tears brim along her lashes as she stared out into the open horizon, her lips forming a silent plea for an answer that never comes. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she shudders as she ponders the tortuous landscape of recovery - an interminable cycle of expectancy and terror, resilience and frailty. Exhausted but unwavering in her courage, she wrapped herself in the embrace of hope and acceptance, determined to fight the demons lurking in the depths of her past until her heart was finally healed.

The darkness of night creeped in and dragged its claws across the hospital room like a menacing shadow, crawling up Suhani's legs until she couldn't feel them beneath her. Her heart thundered against her ribcage, timing with every quickening breath and trembling hand. Panic swirled around Suhani like a chilling mist engulfing her as she felt an icy sense of dread. An all-encompassing fear took over, squeezing her throat until she gasped for air and whispered a desperate plea into the empty night: "Please, not now, not here."