The house grew quiet after David left, the dry maple leaves scraping against the clapboard siding in the rising evening wind.
I sat on the edge of my mattress, the bedroom lamp casting a long shadow across the floral carpet. My left calf was visibly larger than my right, the skin feeling tight and warm when I pressed my thumb into the side of the muscle.
I picked up the blue plastic bottle from my nightstand.
The white label was printed with the usual dosage instructions, but the manufacturer’s name at the bottom was printed in small, unfamiliar block letters. It was a pharmaceutical firm based out of Virginia, a name I had never seen on my prescriptions before.
A sudden, cold sensation settled in my chest as I stared at the dark blue plastic.
My blood pressure had been stable for years under Dr. Aris’s care, and I had always trusted his judgment completely. I tapped my index finger against my collarbone, looking at the small, round tablet sitting in the palm of my hand.
The tightness in my leg was growing worse by the hour, making even the short walk to the bathroom difficult.
