The Academy's Doomed Side Character

"Whoever thought a hospital bed could feel this comfortable?"

I sank deeper into the mattress, letting out a slow, satisfied sigh.

So fluffy.

So damn fluffy.

If I could, I would bury myself into this bed and never get up again.

I vaguely recalled reading somewhere that using overly soft mattresses in hospitals could lead to secondary injuries —but right now, I didn’t care. If this bed wanted to slowly kill my spine, so be it. I’d die happy.

I stared at the ceiling, one arm draped over my stomach, the other dangling off the side of the bed. My entire body ached in that pleasant, post-survival kind of way—like I’d been run over by a truck, but the truck had almost been polite about it.

The dull throb in my ribs reminded me that I’d very nearly died.

Twice.

Still... I was alive.

And more importantly, Lena had made sure I got here.