"Full name?"
Azure looked up at the ceiling. White, all white.
She wondered if the rest of the walls and ceilings of the rehab facility were as white as this one.
She wondered if the rest of the facility was as sterile and clinical as this office, if every surface was painted the same shade of white, if every hallway echoed with the same sense of emptiness.
"Aze." Azure heard, then felt Katie gently shove her arm. "Pay attention."
Azure looked at the nurse in front of her again, the black woman offering her a gentle smile. "Sorry," Azure murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "What was the question?"
The nurse's smile remained patient as she repeated the question. "Your full name, dear?"
Azure took a moment to compose herself before responding. "Azure Olivia Jean Rockwell," she replied, her voice steady despite the nerves that churned within her.
The nurse nodded, jotting down the information on her clipboard. "Thank you, Azure," she said kindly. "Now, do you have any allergies or medical conditions we should be aware of?"
"Hum, yeah. I'm allergic to shellfish." Azure replied.
The nurse nodded again, noting down Azure's allergy with a quick scribble. "And who do you want as your emergency contact?"
"Katie, I guess." She mumbled, shrugging, looking over at Katie for confirmation.
"You sure? Not your mum or your dad?" Katie asked, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"They're in New York," Azure shrugged. "What are they gonna do if something happens here? Fly over?"
Katie nodded in understanding, her expression sympathetic. "Alright, I'll be her emergency contact," she replied softly, reaching out to squeeze Azure's hand in a reassuring gesture.
The nurse finished jotting down the information on her clipboard before looking back up at Azure with a warm smile. "Alright, dear, I think that's all we need for now," she said kindly. "You'll be assigned a room shortly, and then we'll go over the schedule and rules of the facility."
"Great," Azure replied, her voice tinged with relief. "Thanks."
"Don't worry. Everything is gonna be just fine."
****
"Azure, your turn." Azure heard, and sighed at the words.
She had no desire to participate. No desire to spread out her life in front of a circle of people who didn't know her, and who probably didn't even care.
"Hi, I'm Azure," she started, her words hesitant. "And... I guess I'm here because... because I have a problem with alcohol."
The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their truth. Azure could feel the eyes of the other group members on her, their gazes a mixture of curiosity and sympathy.
"Can you tell us a bit more, Azure?" The therapist, Vanessa, asked her.
Azure took a deep breath, steeling herself for the inevitable flood of emotions that accompanied recounting her struggles with alcohol. She glanced around the circle, meeting the eyes of each person in turn, before turning her attention back to Vanessa.
"It started out as... as a way to cope, I guess," she began, her voice soft yet steady. "Life was... complicated, and alcohol seemed like an easy escape, a way to numb the pain and silence the voices in my head."
She paused, her throat tightening with the weight of her admission. "But... it quickly spiraled out of control," she continued, her words coming faster now, as if she couldn't stop them even if she tried. "What started as a drink here and there turned into... into a constant craving, a desperate need to drown out the noise and forget... forget everything."
