We arrived at the hospital in a blur that felt both too fast and not fast enough, the world outside reduced to flashing red lights and distorted noise that pressed against my ears until everything felt sharp, overwhelming, and wrong.
The moment the ambulance doors burst open, Elena was taken from me without hesitation, her body slipping from my grasp into the hands of strangers who moved with practiced urgency, their voices overlapping in clipped instructions I couldn't fully process.
I tried to follow them instinctively, my legs moving before my mind could catch up, my fingers still half-curled as if I could reach for her again if I just tried hard enough, but a firm hand stopped me before I could get any closer.
The nurse's grip was steady, unyielding, her tone professional but final as she told me I couldn't go in, that I had to stay back, that there was nothing I could do.
And just like that, she was gone.
