Recovery was supposed to feel like relief. Instead, Amara felt like a stranger in her own body
She shuffled slowly down the hospital corridor, guided by Nurse Kemi’s steady arm. The halls smelled faintly of disinfectant and boiled rice from the cafeteria. Every step was shaky but possible — a miracle in itself.
Nurse kemi
Good girl,*She said with her usual cheer*.One week ago you couldn’t walk to the bathroom without nearly fainting. Now look at you.
Amara managed a small smile. She wanted to be grateful, but her body wasn’t behaving like hers anymore.
That morning, she had startled herself by humming a melody she didn’t recognize while brushing her teeth.
Not a song she’d ever heard before — at least, not in her own life.
Later, Tomi had burst into her hospital room, plopping onto the bed with his usual whirlwind energy.
Tomi Bello
Guess what?*He grinned, holding up a little paper bag. I smuggled in meat pies. Don’t tell your doctor.
Amara wrinkled her nose at the buttery smell. Normally, she would have devoured them.
But instead her stomach twisted, and the only thing she could think of was coffee. Strong, dark, bitter coffee.
Tomi Bello
You hate coffee,He reminded her when she asked for some* It makes you gag.
Amara Bello
I… I don’t think I hate it anymore, *she whispered, surprising herself*.
Now, walking slowly down the corridor, she felt it again — a pull. Like a whisper under her skin. She paused near the visitors’ lounge, drawn by the faint sound of music from a portable radio.
It was the song she’d been humming.
She froze. Her chest tightened around the borrowed rhythm of her heart. She had never heard that song before, and yet she knew the next chord before it played.
Nurse Kemi noticed her pale face.
Nurse kemi
You okay?
Amara forced a smile.
Amara Bello
Yes. Just… tired.
But when she pressed her hand against her chest, the new heart beat firmly, insistently, as if reminding her: This is only the beginning.
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