The Poppy Fields

by Nikki Erlick

“Losing someone . . . it’s not like a sickness or a temporary rough patch you’re trying to deal with. Even if you sleep for two months and wake up and feel less awful, the work isn’t done. This doesn’t end. This is the rest of your life. There’s no getting over, there’s just . . . getting on. Figuring out who you are now, because you sure as hell aren’t the same person as before. But maybe that doesn’t have to be all bad.”

Life that has found a way to survive, even when the world makes it damn near impossible.

“Some people can heal on their own,” Ava said. “And some people might need a little extra help, like what you’re giving these patients.” She thought about the lonely months without Ellis by her side. “And some of us just need to be surrounded by the people we love,” she said, “and feel that they love us back.”