(Ashley)
The alarm went off at five fifteen and I was already awake.
I got up. Got dressed. Did not look in the mirror.
The house was dark and quiet. Vaughn's door was closed. I did not check on him. Just picked up my bag and my badge and walked out.
The street outside was empty at that hour. Just the cold air and the sound of my car starting. I sat there for a second with my hands on the wheel. Then I pulled out and drove.
The hospital was twenty minutes away. I had driven this route so many times I did not have to think about it. The same turns. The same lights. The same parking lot filling up slowly as the morning shift started to arrive.
I parked in the staff section near the back. Away from the main cluster of cars. Away from anyone who might remember seeing me there at this hou
