## Hazel's POV
Hospitals were supposed to make you feel better. Instead, I felt worse with each passing day. The antiseptic smell and the constant beeping of monitors only amplified my misery.
"I'm discharging myself," I announced to the shocked nurse checking my vitals.
She frowned. "Ms. Shaw, the doctor hasn't cleared you yet. Your pneumonia—"
"Is improving." I pulled the IV needle from my arm, wincing at the sharp pain. "I need to get back to work."
Twenty minutes later, I walked out of the hospital against medical advice. The sunshine felt foreign on my skin after days spent under fluorescent lights. I took a deep breath, ignoring the slight rattle in my lungs.
My phone buzzed with messages from Vera.
*Where are you?*
*The hospital called me.*
*Hazel, answer me RIGHT NOW.*
I texted back: *Going to the office. Need normalcy.*
Her response was immediate: *Are you INSANE?*
