48 The Meadow being made in silk. More people squeeze behind the curtain, causing it to wave back and forth in surrender. A flag that ought to be white is, instead, a breathtaking shade of blue. The medical staff jockey for position and the rest of us lie still. I listen to the series of beeps that serve as the warning of the coming charge. Clear! Thousands of volts flood the grid and a body becomes electric. Valves oscillate as the engine of a man’s heart is jump-started with a rudimentary shock. Sizzle, thump, thump. The man’s body rises and slams into the bed. The monitor emits an ear-splitting tone before stabilizing its tempo. There is silence and a beat. Air tornadoes down a tube. The forced aeration is followed by a set of ragged gasps. The resulting surge sounds both glacial and accidental. Sighs of relief precede the parting of the curtain as personnel return to their other charges. But the man in bed number six seems to have other plans; intent on leaving tonight he codes once more, tripping the alarms. Above the avalanche of sound Nancy shrieks, “Michaaaaaaaaaaaael!” drawing out the last syllable. In that moment, I see a shadow pause through the curtains next to my bed. The drone of the old woman’s voice causes Death to turn his head and shiver. 20:43 | 78/54mmHg | ♥ 107 bpm | 38.4 °C | SpO2 87% We double-checked with the kitchen staff. I didn’t have that much. The mask on my face forces air past inflamed tissue while a metallic bite makes me flinch. Fuck, she’s missed the vein. A bruise forms at the port of entry as I look away from the mandala stain forming on the starched white sheet below my arm. Kappa Kappa Gamma issues an apology and removes the rubber band, swiftly moving to the other side where she ties a pretty bow at the base of my bicep. Snip! She slaps the new checkpoint with heavy-handed intention. “Much better,”
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