Chapter - 272
The hospital corridor outside Rick's father's room was quiet, cloaked in an eerie, late-night stillness. Dim overhead lights cast faint shadows on the pale walls, and the low hum of machines down the hallway blended with the faint whirring of ceiling fans.
This was the general ward, a non-emergency section, where staff came by less frequently, particularly at this hour. Rick's father lay alone in his bed, surrounded by silence. The occasional beep from a distant monitor echoed through the emptiness, the only reminder of life in this lonely corner of the hospital.
He suddenly stirred, blinking as he awoke. With a yawn and a stretch, he muttered to himself, "Damn, this place is scary at night... feels like one of those creepy movies." He glanced around and then pressed his call bell, waiting a few moments, then pressing it again, a bit more urgently. Nothing. The call light above his door didn't blink, and there were no footsteps of an approaching nurse.
