Dionne
The darkness in my tiny room felt suffocating when I woke. No windows meant no natural light, no way to tell if dawn had actually broken or if I'd woken too early in my panic.
I couldn't risk being late.
My body protested as I pushed myself upright, every muscle felt stiff and it ached slightly. The thin blanket had done little to ward off the cold that seeped through the stone walls, and I'd spent most of the night shivering, unable to find any position that didn't make something hurt.
But physical discomfort was nothing compared to the hollow ache in my chest when I thought about my baby. Had she cried herself to sleep? Did she understand why I wasn't there? The questions had circled through my mind all night, keeping me from any real rest.
