Home.

The offer lay on her kitchen counter next to the torn open envelope. A position in the critical care unit at Mount Sinai hospital in New York was on the table. Better pay, better benefits, and it would get her out of the sh*tty little town of Hawkins, Indiana. Best of all it would return her to the city she loved so much.
Sarah stared down at the crisp white letterhead, crowned with the name of one of the most prestigious universities in the country, her mind a storm. Part of her wanted to return the correspondence stating she’d accept the offer immediately.   It had been weeks since she’d sent the application and she honestly didn’t think she stood a chance. Now  that it lay in front of her, she was torn. Her desire to escape the little midwestern town was overwhelming, until she met him.
Sarah had spent weeks with the young man. For a while he lay in a restless sleep, blonde curls framing his face, eyes closed with only the monitors showing he was indeed alive. She’d noticed subtle signs for days. The way his shrouded eyes moved under their lids making his lashes flutter ever so slightly, the smallest crease of his brows; she was confident he’d wake up, despite the white coats who’d already written him off.

Till one day… he opened his eyes.

As the days ticked by, the young man improved rapidly, much to Sarah’s delight. He’d become a friend, and Sarah  felt fiercely protective of him. He would prove the same, as later he’d come to her defense.
Knowing Billy had  led to meeting others. There was Eddie, whom she found to be completely adorable, to the young girl, Wednesday, with a charmingly morbid personality and sticky fingers, and finally, the dark haired beauty, Trish, that seemed to be the only person to make Billy’s face light up, as if for a moment he hadn’t a care in the world; Sarah had found her tribe, and there was no way she could leave now.
Picking up the letter, Sarah clicked the lighter, holding the flame to the corner of the paper. She silently watched it ignite, the paper turning to ash and falling into the sink. She didn’t let go until the flame was within centimeters of her fingers. Dropping it, the young nurse watched as the final corner curled and burned away.