She is broken and crumbling.

Nora woke up to tubes and on oxygen; she ripped it out as she gasped for air. Milo is sleeping in the chair. He woke up, rushing to her bedside, and as she fought him, he forced the nose piece back into her nose; she broke down, hitting his chest, but as she did, he continued to hug her tighter, not letting go. He could do nothing for her but watch her shatter into a million pieces, and as he felt her body calm, she looked up at him with the saddest expression he had ever seen.

“Just let me die, Milo. This is my life. You can walk away and leave me here to die. It won't affect you, and nobody will miss me; I will be gone for good, no longer a burden, just a whisper in the wind that will soon be forgotten.” She signed with shaking hands. Milo got up and opened the door to leave; he then turned around and looked at her with so much pain.

“Is that what you think, Nora, that nobody will miss you if you aren’t around? He asked, talking and signing at the same time. He stood there waiting for an answer as tears poured from her face.

“Yes, I won't be around; nobody would have to deal with me, my brokenness, my anxiety, me,” she signed; she then saw Milo ball his hands up into fists and he goes over to the wall and unclenched his fists and tapped the wall, then turned around to look at her with a calmer demeanor. “You don’t get to decide to die because life is hard; life is always going to be hard, Nora. That is why they call it life, but you don’t get to end your life just because you have struggled.” He said and signed, now moving back to her bed to sit on it.

“I would miss you, Nora, so damn much that I would feel like I was dying inside if I didn’t get to see your smile. Dixie would miss playing with you, my mother would miss cooking with you, and my father would miss the joy you have brought to his family. “ he said and signed, looking at her with so much seriousness in both his eyes and voice. Even though Nora couldn’t hear his voice, she knew he was sincere in his words.

“Milo, I can’t keep living like this. I can’t breathe. I’m suffocating daily, and I want it to all go away. She signed, putting her hands into fists on her lap. She bent down into a ball and sobbed. He grabbed her up and hugged her tightly. She unraveled and wrapped her arms around him firmly, forgetting about the world.

“It's okay to crumble, Nora, because even if you are crumbling and falling apart, I won’t leave. I will help you through this now that I know the truth.” He said in a whisper, knowing she couldn’t hear him but needed to say it. He now looked over, seeing that her hearing aid was destroyed. He picked it up, then put his hand out for her to see, and she took it, throwing it across the room. It hit the door and shattered completely.

“I don’t want to hear the world anymore. I don’t want to hear anything; I want it all to disappear. I need it all to fade away. “She signed, and with that, he understood; he placed her back on the bed, then went over to the broken hearing aid and placed it into his pocket.

That night, Milo was woken up by Nora, breathing so deep and taking long breaths he knew what was happening; he got up and grabbed her hand and placed it on his face, trying to get her out of her head. “Nora!” he yelled, but she still did not respond. Then he remembered that she couldn’t hear him because she didn’t have her hearing aid, for it had shattered earlier that day. He got up and rushed down the hall to find something to calm her. He passed through many nurses and doctors, heard something over the intercom, and figured it had to do with Nora. He stopped to catch his breath, and as he looked around, just then, he saw a nurse with a speaker next to her. She was listening to country music, but that didn’t bother Milo. He needed the speaker; he approached the nurse and politely asked if he could borrow it. She looked confused but handed it to Milo; he bowed and thanked her as he almost tripped over a child heading back to Nora’s room. Once there, he saw a bunch of doctors and nurses yelling to sedate her, that she was having an episode and needed to be sedated now.

“Back away from her now,” Milo yelled as they all stopped what they were doing and let him through. He grabbed her hand and placed the speaker in it; he had time to sink his phone into the speaker before reaching her room, so an instrument song was playing. Tears fell hard down Nora’s face, and her breathing returned to normal. She might not be able to listen to music, but she could still feel its vibration, and that was all Milo needed. Everyone in the room beside Milo was shocked, but anger and frustration ran through Milo like a storm, ready to destroy everything in its path. He grabbed her hand, placing it back onto his face; she looked up at him. “You are okay, I promise,” he mouthed slowly so she could read his lips; she smiled. “I talked to the doctor. You won't need surgery like mom thought you would need; the blood clot is shrinking, you are just freaking out for your lungs are getting more air into them, and soon Nora, you won't need the oxygen,” he signed. Milo then heard a doctor clear his throat. “How did you get her to calm down so fast? We had a whole team trying to help her.” He asked. Milo now kissed Nora’s palm and placed it back in her lap. “I promise I am not going anywhere. Relax, we can watch a movie soon, okay?” he signed and said. She nodded and laid down as Milo turned to look at the doctor; he was a tall white man with short wavy hair, a mustache, and brown eyes. Milo assumed he was in his mid to late forties.

“You idiot, you act like you have never seen a panic attack. Don’t you look at her records or read files? He questions, holding back his anger. He turned to look at Nora. She had fallen asleep now, her breathing was normal, and the nurse removed her oxygen.”

“We are sorry. We just assumed she was having an episode, for she has had them since coming here. She will fight us whenever we have tried to help her.”

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“So, your first thought was to sedate her. Why not one less person we have to really understand, right? Milo said, cutting off the doctor.”

“That isn’t how you care for someone who has gone through a trauma. You need to listen to her and care for small things that can trigger a panic attack, and understanding her can help you deal with them. “Milo says. The doctor nods and leaves the room with his staff.

Milo falls onto the chair. His phone now rings, and he picks it up.

“Hello, Mom, how is everyone?”

“Good, how is she doing, Milo? How was the surgery?”

“She didn’t need it. They gave her blood thinners and put her on oxygen for a couple of days. She is doing better now; hopefully, she will be able to go home soon.”

“Milo, listen to me very carefully. When Nora is released, she is to go to the dorm. We have set up a private room for her where she will have no roommate. She cannot go home.”

“Mom, I know her grandmother told me. Everything. He says, running his fingers through his hair and taking a breath in.”

“Her father has a record, and this isn’t the first time she has been hospitalized. I’ve read her files, Mom. She’s had several fractured bones, tons of bruises, and so much more, “he says, sitting down in the chair, taking in the scenery as his mother talked about her fears she had for Nora and how she just wanted her safe. Milo could relate; he had been in the hospital with her for almost a week, and the struggles she had faced were undeniable, but one thing that stuck with him was.

“Hey, Mom, did you ever want to just shut the world out like never want to hear it again like Dad?” He questioned, hearing his mother go silent on the other end. He took out the hearing aid and looked at it, moving it around in his hand.

“Milo, I don’t want to be or never would want to be deaf, but at the same time, there have been times when I wished I could see the world through your father's eyes to love as he does, to appreciate the things he does and to see the world so differently. He doesn’t have to worry about the hate, for he can't hear it; he doesn’t have to worry about the negative world we live in, for his world is different, and that is what makes him a better person.”

Milo wondered if that was what Nora wanted: to see the good in the world and not hear the hate; even if it was just a little, she could hear; it was still enough for her to hate hearing it all together. He couldn’t blame her for how she felt. Sometimes, he wanted to do the same thing, if just for a while.

“Milo,” he heard his mother's voice on the other line.

I’m here, Mom, sorry. he said, scooting down to the bare floor cross-legged.

Milo, be careful. He isn’t someone to mess with. Do you understand? Stay away from him? She said firmly in her voice, something Milo had barely heard from his mom. She was scared, and he knew that.

Mom, don’t worry. I promise that I won’t do anything stupid, no matter what. I love you, Mom; I’m going to go now. I am getting tired.

I love you too milo take care you hear. She said as he hung up the phone. His whole body felt out of whack, and he didn’t know what to do. He checked his phone, seeing that his sugar was getting low. When. Was the last time he ate or drank water? He didn’t know. He only knew that he was exhausted, and all his body wanted to do was shut down.

Milo put his feet up and crossed his arms as he laid on them. A small nap was all he needed. When she woke up, he would be awake waiting for her. He knew that all she needed was someone there to comfort her. His body slowly fell into a deep sleep, and he could do nothing about it.

A heaviness on his chest awakened Milo. He opened his eyes to see Nora lying on his chest. She had been crying, and there were dried tears on his shirt. He wanted to move her, but he was weak. His body felt tired and shaky. He could feel it all. He needed to get up, he needed to get his meds, and he needed to feel better. He hears his phone beeping and sees his sugar is low. He puts an arm on Nora’s back. As he does, he lifts her to a sitting position, then bends a little not to wake her, and grabs his bookbag; as he does, his meds fall out along with a snack; he smiles as he takes the popcorn and protein bar along with a pill and water. As he untwists the lid from the water, he puts the pill in his mouth, takes a swing, and then opens the popcorn. As he does, she starts to stir, and guilt sinks in. He doesn’t want to wake her and tries hard not to. Nora's eyes opened as she looked at Milo; concern was seen on her face. Milo smiled, then sighed, “I am okay, just a little shaky, but don’t worry,” He signed Nora, sitting up straight, still concerned. This was her fault. Had she not been so selfish or such a burden, he wouldn’t be in this state. He wouldn’t be looking pale or shaking. Milo lifted her head as she looked into his bright green eyes, “This isn’t your fault, Nora,” he said, so she understood.

Milo now stood up to flip on a light so she could see him better. He then sits back down next to her.

“Nora, I understand that life is hard, and you want just to shut the world out.” He signed. She now looked down, playing with her hands; he gently lifted her head to look him in the face; his expression was so serious. “If you shut the world out, you shut me out, for I am part of this world.” His words hit her so hard that without her knowing, her whole world became blurry, and at that very moment, she realized that she was crying. The one person she didn’t want to shut out was Milo.

“I hate the world, Milo. I hate my father for what he has done to me. I hate my classmates for how they don’t understand me. I hate." She stopped signing, now hitting her knees over and over again, not caring about the pain she was inflicting on herself. She wanted it all to go away. She wanted the pain that she had gone through for so many years to disappear. She wanted the hurt inside of her to Vanquish. She wanted to feel numb that way; the sorrow and pain she felt she wouldn’t feel anymore.

He didn’t know how to help her at that very moment, but he was starting to understand her a little more; the way he saw the world was different. Though he had his fair share of bullying, it wasn’t severe. He knew who he was and always was talked to by both his parents about it. But Nora had no one to talk to about anything; her father was abusive, and her grandmother tried her best, but she felt short for she wanted to help but didn’t know how she didn’t live around here she was three hours away in an assistant living home so, even if she wanted to help she couldn’t. He pulled her close to him, now letting her lay on his chest as she cried silently. The world is cruel, and it always would be, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to shed some light when her world felt dark. He didn’t know how to, but he would figure it out; he had to, for nobody, she felt the way Nora felt, for nobody deserved to go through what she had. But she was dealt the wrong hand, and now it was time for her to shuffle and win for once; she deserved that much, didn’t she?