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He moves closer to my face, skimming his fingers down my cheek.He’s real.

The touch warms my skin.

“I knew you wouldn’t leave me, princess.” He leans forward, kissing my forehead softly.

I go to speak, but I can’t. I start choking as my throat constricts. My body thrashes as I try to breathe.

Alarms blare in my ears, and the room is flooded with blurry figures dressed in blue. I feel heavy hands on my body. Pressing me down to keep me still.

“It’s okay, Evelyn, you are in the hospital. You have a breathing tube. Relax. Try not to speak.”

My eyes are watery as the burn in my throat intensifies.

“The nurse will be in to evaluate you shortly, and we can remove the tube.”

“She is clearly okay. You’re fucking choking her!”

The familiar voice overtakes the space, overpowering the alarms ringing.

“I’ll take it out myself if you don’t.” The chilling words freeze the room, and suddenly everything is cold.

The woman looks down at me, my vision starting to clear up.

“Do you know your name?”

I try to nod, but my head is heavy, so it’s a subtle movement.

“Do you know where you are?”

I know I’m in a hospital. I nod.

“Can you squeeze my hand and give me a thumbs up?”

I do both weakly, but I manage.

“Can you wiggle your toes?”

I wiggle them beneath the sheet.

“Take a deep breath for me.”

I inhale and start coughing around the tube. My throat feels like it is clamping down on the tube, trying to expel the foreign object.

She turns and nods to the man who entered the room. He approached the bedside and he grabs my shoulder, anchoring me in place.

“We will remove your tube now. Stay calm and try to relax.”

I nod subtly.

“One… two… three.”

They pull, and I convulse underneath his hands. My throat feels as if I have swallowed glass. My eyes burn with fresh tears. I gag, and then I taste it— air. It swarms into my lungs, rattling them. My chest rises and falls.

They shine a light in my eyes and examine me as I breathe.

It hurts. Everything hurts. I’m alive.

I reach my weak arms to my face and feel my clammy skin. I’m real. I didn’t die.