“Shelly?” I turned my head to the sound of the voice, and then I saw them—my dad, standing tall and strong, with my mom by his side. They wore identical smiles; their gazes were locked onto mine, and the dam broke.
“Dad, mom? Is this real?”
“My baby.” My mom opened her arms for me, and I wasted no time running into her arms.
Yes, she was real.
The familiar scent that always clung to her clothes filled my nose, and I dug my nose deeper into her neck, inhaling her scent.
“Dad.” I cried out as I ran to his arm, and his warmth enveloped me like a thick blanket.
“Shelly, how have you been, sweetie?” My father whispered as he stroked my hair gently. “Please stop crying. It breaks my heart to see you in so much pain. We will always be here for you, and I know you will be fine.”
“Dad?” His voice grew fainter as he talked, and when I looked at him, he was fading away, along with my mother.
“Mom? Dad?” I screamed, running towards them, but the more I ran, the more they faded. However, I refused to give up, and I continued running, unable to let them go.
“We will always be with you.” Their faint whisper echoed across the room, and in an instant, they were all gone.
“Noooooo!” I cried out in despair, and I woke up in my bed.
I slowly opened my eyes, taking in my immediate surroundings, but the familiar comfort of my bed was nowhere to be found. Instead, I was hit with the metallic stench of blood, its overpowering aroma filling my nostrils and making my stomach churn.
I gagged, my body recoiling from the overwhelming scent, and just then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the room, until Dr. Theo's worried face came into view, his forehead etched with deep lines of concern.
“Shelly?”
“I know, I know.” I sighed, interrupting him before he would go off, but who was I kidding?
He would never keep quiet on things like that.
“Shelly, you don’t have to kill yourself any faster before the sickness kills you. That was a foolish thing you did, walking all the way here in the heavy rain.” His words lashed on my skin like strokes of cane. “You were lucky I came to check up on you, and I had to rush you to the clinic. Please don’t do this to yourself.” His voice broke as he finished talking, and I knew he was only concerned about me.