O2

9

"How are you feeling?" Mrs. Brooks sat on the hospital bed beside Nym, brushing back her hair. The room felt far less empty than it had when she woke up.

Nym looked up at her. "I'm alright," she said quietly, but she didn't feel much like talking. She'd already written whatever she'd had to say down in her journal. Scribbled it out across a few pages, then torn out the ones that were just emotional ranting.

None of the nurses had asked questions, they'd just come in and out, checking on her from time to time. Nym paid them little attention. She'd given little attention to anyone since they'd left the lobby. Neither her nor Kirsi had said a word on the walk back to Nym's room, and that same silence still filled the air.

"Alright, well, tell us if anything changes. We're here for you," Mrs. Brooks said softly, her fingers still threading gently through Nym's hair.

Nym nodded a little and looked over at Kirsi, who was curled up in a chair, leaning against her father. Nym could see both of Kirsi's parents were somber if not a little disturbed by the what they'd seen, but they were keeping themselves collected.

Nym looked away as she heard Kirsi starting to cry again. Curling onto her side, Nym tugged the thin blanket up to her chin again. She wanted to hide under the blanket and not come out. This felt exactly like the night Cormac died, only now it was hundreds of people. 

Mrs. Brooks rubbed over her back some and Nym sighed a bit, focusing on the motion. It reminded her of her own parents. She remembered all the nights when she ended up sick and her mother would sit there, holding her and rubbing her back until she fell asleep.

She missed them. She missed the normality and the day to day life; the good days, even the bad days. Those days were gone now. Life spiraled in a tailspin, the ground rushing closer with every second.

Biting her lip, Nym felt tears well up in her eyes. She pressed her face into the pillow and tried not to cry.

"Miss Seaver, I have your dinner," said a nurses voice after a moment. "When you're done there a few people here to talk to you, alright? Although...if you're not up to it I can tell them to come back later."

Nym lifted her head an inch and saw the nurse walk over to set down a tray of food before pausing for an answer.

"No, it's alright," Nym said softly and managed a thin smile. She rubbed her eyes a little. Had it really been that long? It felt like only a few hours ago her and Kirsi had been eating breakfast.

I've probably been out for most of the day, she thought and reached for the food.

"Got it, sweetheart?" asked Mrs. Brooks.

"Yeah." Nym picked up the tray and shifted so she could set it in her lap. She grabbed the fork, realizing she was actually starving. Her stomach twisted as she surveyed the food, her mind turning to all the bodies. Here she sat, well taken care of, and they lay dead.

Her appetite left her, but she forced herself to stab a piece of what looked like chicken off the plate and fork it into her mouth. It felt like it turned to sludge and she barely swallowed it back before grabbing the water to wash the texture out of her mouth.

Setting the fork back down after that, she stared at her food. "I'll eat in a bit," she said, pushing the tray back onto the side table. She needed to get out of this room, away from the blanket of grief. Looking up she waved to the nurse a bit. "I can go ahead and talk to them now."

She didn't know if she was really up to this, but she'd rather get it over and done. 

"Of course, I'll go get them. They'd wish to speak with all of you, but in private." She smiled, then left the room.