The mattress caught my weight before my head even hit the pillow.

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

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

The house was completely quiet except for the faint hum of the heating vent in the floor.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and waited for my heart to start racing, but the familiar panic didn’t come.

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