Kevin, the nurse on duty at the hospital, moved through the room with calm precision. His steps were methodical, as if time in that ward did not carry the same urgency as it did elsewhere in the hospital. The dim light of dusk filtered through the small window, and the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor filled the air with a mechanical pulse.

  Kevin adjusted the sheets and checked the IV fluids of a patient lying motionless on a gurney. The man had been reduced to the bare essentials by his injuries—no legs, no arms, his body wrapped in bandages as if trying to hold together the remnants of what was once a whole person. His pale, stretched skin contrasted sharply with his eyes. Those eyes said everything—wide, filled with fear and emptiness, as if he were trapped in a nightmare from which he could never wake.

  "You know, Dora would have done anything to brighten your day. She was one of those little girls who always knew how to make anyone smile," Kevin said, his voice carrying a palpable warmth as he adjusted an intravenous line. His tone was relaxed, almost friendly, as if he were speaking to an old friend. "She loved to paint. Sometimes, she would bring me drawings she made at school, full of colors. She used to say the world should be more colorful, happier. She was right, don’t you think?"

  The man on the gurney, his mouth barely visible behind a breathing tube, let out a weak, guttural sound. His eyes remained fixed on Kevin, as if trying to speak, but the horror consuming them seemed to silence any real communication. Kevin, however, appeared indifferent to the terror radiating from those eyes.

  "Dora was only six years old. A beautiful little girl," Kevin continued, reaching into the pocket of his coat. He pulled out a photograph and held it up for the man to see. "Look, this is her. Isn’t she adorable?"

  The photo showed a curly-haired girl with a bright smile that radiated purity and innocence. She wore a small yellow dress and clutched a teddy bear. "She always carried her teddy bear. She called him 'Teddy.' Said Teddy protected her from everything bad in the world."

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  Kevin carefully tucked the photo away and continued checking the medical supplies, still speaking in that same serene tone. "She loved to dance. In the mornings, while I made breakfast, she would twirl around the kitchen. It didn’t matter if there was music. If there wasn’t any, she would imagine it. The truth is, she never needed much to be happy. The smallest things made her eyes sparkle."

  The man in the bed struggled to move, even just a little. His atrophied muscles refused to respond, and the tubes keeping him alive felt heavier than ever. Tears began to well up at the corners of his eyes as his limbless body remained still, incapable of reacting.

  "You know, her light... went out." Kevin paused, and for the first time, his voice carried a shadow of sadness. "Life is fragile, isn’t it? It only takes a second... one action... to take away something you loved more than anything. But don’t worry, I’ve learned to live with it."

  He leaned in closer to the gurney, locking eyes with the man, gently wiping away a tear that trailed down his sunken face. "You, more than anyone, know what I mean," he whispered with chilling tenderness. "You caused it. You extinguished her light."

  The man’s eyes widened further, desperate, as if he wanted to scream, but his broken body could only manage a strangled gasp. Kevin’s voice remained calm, almost affectionate, as he placed his hands softly over the bandages where the man’s arms used to be.

  "Don’t worry, Dad will take care of you. I always take care of those I love. And you... well, you need care too."

  The nurse slowly began to tighten the bandages, making the man on the gurney whimper in pain.

  "Shh... relax. It doesn’t hurt that much, does it? After everything you did, this is the least of it. You see, justice sometimes takes its time, but it arrives. And I... I will make sure you feel every second of your empty life."

  Kevin smiled, gently caressing the man’s forehead with a disturbing softness. "I don’t want you to think I hate you, you know? After all, you were part of her life, even if only in her last moment. But I want you to understand something—what you did will not go unpunished."

  The man squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to disappear, but Kevin remained close.

  "Dora was the light of my life. And you took her away. But don’t worry, Dad will take care of you... always."

  With those final words, Kevin stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the man tied to the bed, surrounded by his own helplessness and the echo of a promise he knew would never end, awaiting an uncertain day in his new life.