Flowers

Previously

…The phone slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the concrete path. Critical condition. The words hammered against his skull. He looked up at the sky, the stars now seeming distant and uncaring. The single purple tulip, clutched in his hand, felt like a cruel mockery. The vibrant promise of the day had shattered, leaving only a gaping, terrifying void. He stumbled to his feet, his legs suddenly weak, and began to run towards the hospital, towards the unknown, towards a future that had, in an instant, become terrifyingly uncertain. The purple hues of the day had bled into a darkness he had never imagined.