My ears ached as I heard the phones ring. _I can’t bear to hear it. _My thoughts clouded my mind. Everything in my mind was telling me not to accept this last goodbye. My thoughts screamed so loudly that I couldn’t hear the monitor anymore.

The hand interlocked with mine remained ice cold. The realization hit me when I understood that even my warmth couldnt reach the hand of the one who passed. My fists clenched as the tears swelled in my eyes. The smell of this hospital expressed sadness on its own, and the dripping of the IV was halted.

“Please,” I whispered, “don’t go..” My voice began to break.

As my mind came back into focus, I realized the monitor’s beeping had hit a flatline, and other doctors were already in here. I was so lost in the thought that I hadn’t even noticed the hand slowly caressing my back. But even as it was meant to soothe me, I have never felt more hollow.