Something about the way he said it made my coffee taste bitter. I couldn’t put my finger on why.
« That’s kind of you, Raymond. I have to run. My shift starts soon. »
I hung up before he could stretch the call any longer.
The hospital hallway smelled the way hospital hallways always do: of disinfectant and quiet human worry. I pushed my cart down the corridor, checking room numbers, tired already, and it wasn’t even 10 a.m.
« I have to run. »