SOPHIE
The hospital lights came into view far too quickly and yet not fast enough, harsh, white, and utterly unforgiving. They bled through the ambulance windows, slicing into the dark and stabbing straight into my eyes, forcing me to squint as a knot of dread tightened brutally in my chest. My heart slammed against my ribs, each beat louder than the last. The vehicle hadn't even come to a full stop before the back doors were flung open, cold air rushing in with frantic urgency.
They rushed her out the instant the ambulance halted, hands moving fast, voices clipped and urgent. Panic surged through me.
"Tessa!" I called, my voice breaking as I stumbled after the stretcher. "Tessa, I'm here!"
My hand reached out instinctively, fingers brushing the edge of the sheet covering her before someone stepped directly into my path. A nurse held out an arm, firm and unmoving.
"You need to wait here," she said, her tone practiced, calm, too calm for the storm raging inside me.
