Noreen''s p was so forceful that her own palm stung, but it did nothing to quell the grief and rage consuming her.


    Felix turned his head to the side, silent.


    Shortly after, a nurse wheeled ire out of the operating room. Noreen, her eyes red, followed close behind, asking the nurse about ire''s condition.


    "The patient hasn''t woken up yet. A family member should stay with her and call a doctor immediately if anything changes."


    Noreen was so choked up she couldn''t speak. She could only grip ire''s cold hand tightly, trying to warm it with her own.


    Nurses moved in and out of the room. Noreen never left her bedside, not for a single moment. Felix was there, too, but he remained silent. Noreen''s focus was entirely on ire; she had no energy to spare for anyone else.


    ire woke up two hourster. Noreen, who had been holding her hand the whole time, felt the slight movement instantly. "Honey, you''re awake," she whispered urgently. "Do you feel ufortable anywhere?"


    ire''s voice was barely a whisper, more breath than sound. "Pain."


    "Cold."


    Those were the only two sensations she had.


    Noreen frantically rubbed her hands, blowing warm air onto them, trying to bring some warmth back. She called for a nurse, asking if they had any heating pads or anything that could warm a person up quickly. The nurse brought several hot water bottles, but ire still felt cold. Even under a thick nket, with five hot water bottles tucked inside and the room''s thermostat turned to its highest setting, she still felt like she was in an icehouse.


    Noreen anxiously called the doctor back. After an examination, the doctor exined that it was a normal post-operative reaction. The anesthesia had suppressed her body''s thermoregtion center, causing her temperature to drop. Reassured, Noreen carefully tucked the nkets around ire, trying to keep any warmth from escaping.


    ire shivered for a while longer before she slowly started to feel


    OA


    better. But her face remained deathly pale,pletely devoid color. She kept her eyes closed saying nothing, lying perfectly still. Yet tears continuously streamed from the corners of her eyes. Even though Noreen hadn''t told her anything, she knew what she had lost.


    Seeing this, Noreen turned her head away, fighting to suppress her own wave of


    sorrow.


    "My dear girl, my dear girl!"


    Old Mrs. Quigley''s voice echoed down the hall as she hurried toward the hospital room. ire, who had kept her eyes shut, finally opened them at the sound.


    Old Mrs. Quigley pushed the door open, and her eyes reddened the moment she saw ire''s state. "My dear, how did you get hurt? Tell Grandma who did this to you. Grandma will make them pay!"


    "Grandma," ire''s voice was hoarse. She managed only one word before she was


    choked with sobs, unable to speak. The tears fell even faster.


    Old Mrs. Quigley embraced her,forting her over and over. "It''s okay, it''s okay. Grandma''s here. I''ll get you the best doctors!"


    ire, who had been holding


    everything in finally allowed the pain and sorrow in her heart to pour out in the safety of the old woman''s arms. She cried with gut-wrenching sobs that shook her whole body, terrifying the eighty-year-old woman.


    "Sweetheart, tell Grandma, who wronged you so badly? And what kind of injury is it? Why are you in the hospital?"


    Noreen shot a cold re at the ever-silent Felix. Unable to contain her anger any


    longer, she told Old Mrs. Quigley, "She had a miscarriage."


    Old Mrs. Quigley froze. "What? A miscarriage? How did this happen?"


    "Why don''t you ask your grandson?" Noreen retorted.