The mattress took my weight before my head hit the pillow.

Four months of broken nights, hospital corridor lights, and sudden fever spikes evaporated into a deep, dreamless void.

When my eyes opened, the bedside clock read twelve forty-five.

The house was completely quiet, save for the faint hum of the heating vent in the floorboard.

I sat up on the edge of the mattress and waited for my heart to race, but the familiar panic did not come.

My arms felt heavy, my mind clear for the first time since November.