She would need to be careful about how much of her own thinking she revealed and when.
The hour concluded. The nurse returned, checked her vitals with the brisk efficiency of someone closing out a patient file, pronounced everything stable, and confirmed she was clear to leave.
Maya stood, folded the blanket with the same unnecessary neatness as before, and accepted the bag containing her prescription and the printed aftercare instructions. She thanked the nurse with the particular courtesy of someone who means it without requiring it to be acknowledged.
She walked back into the main corridor.
The hospital was marginally quieter than it had been when she arrived. The late hour had thinned the traffic in the public areas while the ward activity continued its uninterrupted work behind the staff-side doors. The fluorescent light remained exactly what it always was. Indifferent to the time of day or the events it illuminated.
