Synopsis

## The Empty Bed The fluorescent hum of the hospital room seemed to amplify the silence, a sterile counterpoint to the weight in Troy’s chest. Across the narrow bed, Denny lay still, his face pale beneath the harsh light. A network of tubes and wires connected him to the machines, each beep and whir a fragile promise of life. Denny had always been a whirlwind of energy, a force of nature. Now, that vibrant spirit was muted, trapped within a body struggling for strength. Troy remembered co