o the skin but settles into the bones, making everything feel numb. T

s still here. Her face is pale, her lips slightly parted, as if she is trying to say something but never gets the chance. The ba

pressions unreadable. They have seen worse. That's what hospitals do

m, one figure

straight, his grip on the clipboard firm, but his eyes-they scan the room like a predator surveying

e steps

ir sh

's bedside. No one questions him. The uniform is a shield, the name tag-fake,

o the IV line. His fingers hover over the tube, hesitating just for a second befor

ncap

ns

whis

you not

almost gentle. A m

nject the liquid

r swing

ps mid-step, frowning. "Doctor? I wasn't inf

re practiced, his expression calm. He slips the

s," he says smoothly, hi

ut she doesn't have the time or the energy to challenge every doct

back and walks toward the door, his footsteps measured. As he

as c

ere won't be

da is

of his arm drapes over her waist, his warmth pressing against her

ling, her mind runnin

still burns

e. Stop looking for him. T

feeling of being wat

er. His arm tightens, his fingers pressing slightly into h

efully, she tu

e whisper about in fear, and more like someone human. His hair is tousled, his jaw slightly slack, and fo

ed to brush against his f

opens

y sleep in confusion. He just watches

ice is rough, deep, t

"I don't like waiting. It

and through his hair. "You're not powerless, Luce.

as well. "That's the problem. Some

t argue. He kn

e hums-distant sirens, the occasional honk of a car, the lo

tticus's gaze again. "I want to f

ou think it's connec

und her knees. "We're not safe. Maya's not safe. A

a quiet exhale, he sits up too. His fingers brus

top waitin

The determination in h

done be

to become

ext M

a step into the ho

thing else-something stale, something

face, every uniform. But she knows that the man th

hand grazes her lower back, a silent reassurance. They don't s

r, Lucinda stops. Somet

cus. "What if he

e looks at the door, then back at her

breath and pushe

scious. The machines beep i

hing is d

IV

o Maya's side, examining the line. "T

his expression darke

y as she touches the tube. She remembers wh

enches. "Then so

t tightening. "We need to find

already pullin

e has c

e done play