William

As we entered the room, Hazel laid pale on the bed, hooked up to a symphony of machines that beeped relentlessly. Her birthday, the day I'd poured my heart into making perfect, had morphed into a terrifying fight for survival. I held her fragile hand in mine. A few minutes later it twitched, jolting me from the little slumber that had crept up on me. I looked around but no one was around.

“Please hold me again,” I whispered.

As if on cue, her hand twitched again but this time she ...