C27 Where the Heart Lingers.

The incessant beep of the heart monitor was the first thing I noticed. It pierced the thick fog in my mind, pulling me from the abyss. I blinked, slowly opening my eyes, only to shut them again at the bright, harsh white light above me. I couldn’t tell if it was real or a trick of my mind, but it was relentless, like the sterile smell of disinfectant that hung in the air—clean