Hiraeth

Hiraeth — deep longing for a person or thing which is absent or lost; yearning; nostalgia; 

Miyah's POV

As the days blurred into one another, I found myself retreating further into the confines of my room, cocooned in a blanket of despair. Ward rounds became a distant memory, replaced by endless hours spent brooding in bed, lost in the labyrinth of my own thoughts.

Chelle and Joy watched with mounting concern as I withdrew into myself, their gentle attempts to reach out met with stubborn silence. "Miyah, you can't stay cooped up in here forever," Chelle urged, her voice laced with worry. "We're worried about you."

I shrugged off their concerns, burying myself deeper under the covers in a futile attempt to block out the world. But Chelle and Joy were persistent, refusing to let me wallow in self-pity. "You need to talk about what's bothering you," Joy insisted, her eyes pleading with me to open up.

But the words caught in my throat, choked by the weight of my own emotions. How could I begin to articulate the tangled mess of feelings that swirled inside me? The pain of betrayal, the ache of loneliness, the suffocating sense of despair—they threatened to consume me whole.

It wasn't until Chelle and Joy staged an intervention of sorts, cornering me in our shared living space, that I finally relented. "Miya, we're not going to let you shut us out," Chelle declared, her tone firm yet compassionate. "You need to talk to us."

And so, with their constant prodding, I found myself breaking down, unraveling and pouring out the depths of my heartache and insecurities. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I bared my soul to my friends, the weight of my burdens finally lifted, if only for a moment.

Chelle and Joy enveloped me in a comforting embrace, their presence a soothing balm to my wounded spirit. "You're not alone, Miyah," Joy whispered, her voice soft and reassuring. "We're here for you, no matter what."

As Chelle and Joy enveloped me in their comforting embrace, a sense of warmth and solidarity washed over me, momentarily easing the burden of my pain. But amidst the tears and whispered words of reassurance, Chelle's voice trembled with a different kind of emotion, one tinged with excitement and nervousness.

"Miyah, there's something I need to tell you," Chelle began hesitantly, her fingers fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shirt. "Stan proposed to me today. I said yes."

Her words hung in the air, a moment of stunned silence passing between us as the weight of her revelation settled in. In any other circumstance, I would have been overjoyed for my friends, thrilled at the prospect of their future together. But in that moment, overshadowed by my own pain and turmoil, it felt like a bittersweet reminder of what I had lost.

Chelle's face fell, her eyes filled with regret as she realized the timing of her announcement. "I'm sorry, Miyah. I know this probably isn't the best time to share this news," she apologized, her voice tinged with remorse.

But to her surprise, I found myself offering a small, albeit genuine, smile. "Don't be sorry, Chelle," I reassured her, my heart swelling with happiness for my friends. "I'm truly happy for you and Stan. You deserve all the love and happiness in the world."

In that moment, amidst the pain and uncertainty, I found solace in the knowledge that love still existed in the world, shining brightly in the bond between Chelle and Stan.