My blood runs cold, even though the fan is barely moving above our heads. I pull the bed covers up to my cheeks and I look at my tween daughter, falling asleep after hours of struggling, worrying, and forcing medication into her lungs. I analyze every detail; my lack of sleep turned into paranoia. Is she wheezing? Is her pulse normal? Is she still feeling pain in her ribs? When she doesn’t move, I panic. I’m about to shake her, but she stretches her legs, and I breathe. I reach out for her hand, pulling it close to my heart.
R.S. Nelson is a Latina writer. Her work has been published in Twin Bird Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Spillwords, Every Writer, SciFiSat, and elsewhere.