Read Chapter 27: — THE CURVE BENDS

The first week the hospital discharged more viral-pneumonia patients than it admitted, no one trusted the numbers.

The second week, Peter allowed himself to circle the trend on a printed dashboard.

The third week, the temporary convention-centre ward began closing sections.

Beds were folded.

Screens came down.

Boxes of unused gowns were returned to storage.

People cried while dismantling things they had once prayed would disappear.

Daniel Morris walked out of rehabilitation using a cane. Olivia met him outside with their son in a stroller.

He could not hold the baby for long because his arms were weak.

He held him anyway.

Ben donated to the hospital and, for once, did not insist his name appear anywhere.

Claire volunteered with a recovery support hotline.

Helen began driving food to a regional collection point where medical transport carried it into Lakeshore. Martin stopped pretending he did not wait for her containers.

Adrian returned to full clinical duties but tired more quickly than before. He hated this.

Lena noticed and forced him to rest.

“You survived the disease,” she said. “Don’t turn recovery into another competition.”

“You sound irritatingly wise.”

“I learned from experience.”

“No, you learned from being irritating.”

She threw a pen at him.

The city was not healed.

But it was breathing more easily.