The room had leaned to be still
Machines hummed softly, their rhythm so constant it had began to feel like a part of Daniel like breathing itself. The blinds were half dawn, letting in a pale afternoon light that painted the wall in dull gold. Nothing had changed for days.
Until it did.
Mrs Carter sat beside the bed, her hand folded tightly in her lap. She had memorize every sound in this room: the faint click of the IV drip, the steady pulse of the heart monitor, the distant footsteps in the corridor. Doctors call it stability. Nurses called it progress.
She called it waiting.
Daniel lay motionless, his face too calm for someone who had almost died. The bruising had faded slightly, but the stillness remained_ heavy, unforgiving. She reached out brushing her fingers against his hand, cool but not lifeless.
" Daniel, she whispered, more out of habit than hope. " I'm here."
The monitor skipped.
Just once.
Mrs Carter froze.
Her eyes snapped to the screen. The line steadied again, smooth and even. She exhaled shakily, telling herself she was imagining things. She had been doing that a lot lately_ seeing signs where they were none.
Then Daniel fingers twitched.
It's was small. Almost nothing. A fair movement, like a reflex. Mrs Carter's breath caught painfully in her throat.
" Daniel, " she said, her voice trembling.
His hand moved again.
This time, there was no denying it.
Mrs Carter stood abruptly, her chair scarping softly against the floor as she pressed a call button. " Nurse," she said urgently. " please, i think something's happening."
The door open at once. Then another nurse followed. A doctor. A calm voice filled the room as equipment was checked and lights were shone into into Daniel's eyes.
"He's responding," the doctor said carefully. " it could still be involuntary, but_ "
Daniel frowned.
The expression was faint but unmistakable, as if he was trying to push his way up from deep water. The heart monitor quickened, it's steady rhythm turning uneven.
Mrs Carter covered her mouth, tears flooding her eyes. " he can hear us," she said hoarsely. It wasn't a question. It's was a mother's certainty.
" Daniel, " the doctor said, leaning closer. " if you can hear me, try to focus.
Daniel's lips parted.
No sound came out, but his breathing grew uneven, sharp , as though something inside him had snapped awake.
Then his hand clenched suddenly.
The monitor spiked.
" call neurology, " the doctor order. " Now."
The room filled with movement_ controlled, efficient, urgent. Yet through it all, Daniel remained the center of everything.
His eyelids fluttered.
Mrs Carter leaned closer, her heart pounding violently. " Daniel it's me," she said softly." You're safe. You're in the hospital."
His eyes stayed closed.
His lips moved again.
She bent closer, her ear near his mouth, afraid to miss a single breath.
At first, she thought it was nothing.
Then she heard it.
A name.
Barely there.
....Mary....
Mrs Carter pull back sharply.
The doctor look at her, " did he say something?"
She nodded slowly, her throat tigh." He said a name."
Daniel's breathing grew erratic, his brow tightened_ not in pain, but in fear. His fingers curled into the bedsheet, gripping as if holding onto something unseen.
"Daniel" the doctor said firmly. " you're safe.
You're not alone."
Daniel shook his head weakly.
" No" he whispered.
The single word landed heavily in the room.
Mrs Carter heart dropped." What do you mean Daniel?"
His lips moved again, the words fragmented, forced, as if remembering hurt more than forgetting.
" ..... accident wasn't...right...they_ "
The monitor spike sharply.
" that's enough," the doctor said at once. " he's overstimulated. Prepare a mild sedactive."
" please," Mrs Carter pleaded." He trying to tell us something."
Daniel's eyes flew open.
For the first time since the accident, he looked at her.
There was no confusion in his gaze.
Only fear.
" they didn't want me to see it," he whispered
Then his eyes lost focus.
Alarms blared as nurses rushed forward, medication administered swiftly. Orders were given. Then the room returned to movement, to urgency, to control.
Within moments, Daniel slip back into unconsciousness.
The silence that followed was different.
Heavier.
Mrs Carter stood froze beside bed, her legs weak, her mind racing, her son had woken. He had spoken. And whatever he had remembered terrified him.
Slowly, she reached to her bag and pull out her phone.
There was only one person she could call.
Her thumb hovered over Mary's name.
Then she pressed it.