Ending

Chapter 14 - A New Woman and a New Life

"You're in good health."

The doctor scribbled something on his clipboard, and out of reflex, I leaned over his shoulder in a futile attempt to read it, only to remember—again—I couldn't. The realization stung, the limitations of my life so glaring now in this new environment.

I sighed, my gaze drifting to my hands resting in my lap as the doctor droned on about things I didn't fully understand. His words were a blur, something about recovery and next steps, nothing that seemed to matter until he said,

"The man who informed us of you being in the forest has come to see you. I believe you know him—Ben Camden?"

My head snapped up, meeting his eyes as he unknowingly answered a question I didn't realize I had. Ben had told them where I was. He was there, not by chance, but because he had been waiting for me.

Tears stung the corners of my eyes as the weight of this sank in. I quickly looked away, nodding to the doctor, praying he wouldn't comment on my sudden, fragile emotional state.

My heart pounded faster, the familiar beat growing sharper as the doctor left to fetch Ben. My stomach tightened into a knot, a deep sense of unease creeping up as I waited. There was something different about the thought of seeing him now.

Before the fire—before the woods—relying on anyone but myself had always felt foreign and uncomfortable. Now, I found myself at the mercy of strangers, with nowhere to hide. Even though I was beginning to feel a sense of ease around Ben, he remained, in so many ways, a stranger.

For the first time since I'd arrived here, a tear slipped down my cheek, unbidden. Just one. I couldn't let myself break down. Not now. If I let go—if I allowed the dam to burst—I wouldn't be able to stop. My composure and the slivers of dignity I clung to were the only things keeping me from crumbling.

I felt my insides twisting, the pain of holding it all in making me tremble. A sob threatened to break free, but I bit it back, shutting my eyes and pressing my lips together. 

Hopeless despair nudged at the edges of my resolve, but I pushed through, forcing myself to feel... nothing. A dull, cold numbness that I'd become far too familiar with.

That last bit of numbness always lingered, like a ghost, clinging to the edges of every thought. But I focused on my breathing, willing myself to suppress the tears that threatened to spill.

The window to my right was my only reprieve in these last few days. The white walls around me were suffocating, a sterile prison, but through that window, I saw life—a world still spinning beyond the cage I found myself in.

I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes trying to imagine the sound of birds singing outside reminding me of my not-so-distant past. The trees swaying in the breeze stirred something inside me, a memory of safety that had long since been lost.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and my eyes were open and instantly drawn to a splash of yellow. Bright flowers, vibrant against the pale room, caught my attention immediately. Then I saw the man holding them.

Ben.

His face was soft, his expression a mixture of concern and warmth as he stepped cautiously toward me.

"Hey, miss, how are you holding up?"

His gentle voice dispelled the fear that had gripped me moments before. The knot in my stomach began to unravel, my anxiety easing.

At that moment, I realized—I had nothing to fear from Ben.

I don't know what possessed me to act so strangely, but the word slipped out before I could stop it.