Rain lashed against the windows of the hospital room, mirroring the turmoil brewing within Elias. He stared at his reflection, the pale skin and sunken eyes a stranger to him. Another blood test. Another inconclusive result. They’d been poking and prodding for months, and still, the diagnosis remained a frustrating enigma. He dragged a hand through his already messy hair, the familiar gesture doing little to quell the knot of despair in his stomach. A cough rattled through him, a dry, persistent thing that seemed to be a constant companion these days.
A nurse, all brisk efficiency, entered. "Mr. Thorne?" she asked, her voice offering a semblance of cheer that felt wholly out of place. "We have a visitor for you." Elias didn't look up, the idea of company exhausting.
A woman walked in, her silhouette framed by the harsh fluorescent light of the hallway. She looked hesitant, clutching a worn leather-bound book to her chest. "Are you Elias?" she asked softly, her voice barely a whisper. He nodded, unable to summon the energy for a verbal response. She hesitated, then took a step closer, her eyes meeting his. "They… they said you have it too." The book slipped from her grasp and landed with a dull thud on the sterile floor.