Chapter 53: "Still Here"
Zariah didn't sleep that night, not really.
She lay still, staring at the ceiling, while Jasmine dozed in the chair beside her — one hand loosely holding hers, the other curled into her hoodie pocket. The hospital lights outside glowed faintly through the blinds, casting long shadows across the floor.
She wanted to say something. Anything. But what could she say?
"I'm sorry."
"I'm scared."
"I almost didn't make it."
None of it felt enough.
At some point, her breathing must have changed, because Jasmine stirred. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "You okay?"
Zariah didn't answer right away. Then finally, "No."
Jasmine nodded once. "That's okay."
The silence sat between them, heavy but honest. Zariah stared at the IV in her arm, the monitor wires taped to her skin. "I didn't think you'd come back."
"I didn't think I could stay away."
Zariah turned her head toward her. "Even after everything?"
Jasmine swallowed. "Z, I'm scared all the time. Every time you go quiet. Every time you disappear. But being scared doesn't mean I stop loving you."
Zariah blinked back tears. "You shouldn't have to deal with this."
"I want to," Jasmine said. Her voice was firm now. "I'm not here because I have to be. I'm here because you matter. Even when you don't believe it."
Zariah looked down at their hands — hers cold and bandaged, Jasmine's warm and steady. "I don't know how to keep going."
"Then let me help you figure it out. One step at a time."
A long breath escaped Zariah's lungs. For the first time in what felt like weeks, she didn't feel completely alone.
It didn't mean the darkness was gone.
It didn't mean she was okay.
But it meant something.
Maybe tomorrow she'd try eating again. Maybe she'd talk to the therapist without lying. Maybe she'd let herself cry in front of Jasmine, even if she hated it.
Maybe.
For tonight, though, she just squeezed Jasmine's hand a little tighter and whispered, "Thank you… for still being here."
Jasmine smiled — tired, but real.
"Always."