Nothing happened during the first full rest.
I waited for the cold beat beneath the breastbone. The measuring plate remained beside my wrist, and the attendant kept watching the time. My elbow ached. The dressing itched.
The wave didn't come.
I kept the right hand open on the blanket. The little finger felt the cloth beneath it, including the rough seam I had lost track of when the numbness began. I told the attendant that instead of moving the fingers again to test it.
He marked the time and asked whether there was any pressure farther inward. I waited before saying no. An answer given quickly would not make the observation period finish quickly.
The clock moved through another minute. I could hear someone opening a supply drawer beyond the curtain. Nothing inside my arm answered the sound or the movement when I turned my head. For once, the waiting gave them information I hadn't made harder to collect.
