"Time to take your meds, name_," Alex said gently, placing the pill and water on the floor beside her.

Name_ sat curled in the corner, silent, eyes distant. Her arms clung to her knees, like she was trying to disappear into herself.

Alex didn’t leave. She eased down beside her, close—but not too close.

"It rained this morning," she said softly, watching the floor. "The kind that makes everything smell clean for a minute."

Name_ didn’t move. Her gaze stayed locked on something far away, or maybe inside.

"I saw a robin outside the west window," Alex continued. "Feisty little thing. Kept pecking at the glass like it wanted in."

Still nothing. But Alex wasn’t expecting an answer. She just sat there, letting her words fill the quiet. Waiting. Hoping.