he ward was so deep

r. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there. Minutes blurred into hours; hours into something

e barely heard. Their words drifted around him like distant ec

for words. Words

nt - for a sign that life

ay still.

t rising only in the faintest rhythm. Donald's

forward

it ha

nt fl

h trapped behind glass. Donald froze, not daring to breathe. Then her li

.. wher

e lurched forward. "You're in the hospital," he said quickly, voice tremblin

econd, calm sett

n. Her head shifted slightly against the

he cal

on swimming in her gaze. Then, slowly, that co

y came li

al showe

ext m

mm

xan

betr

attere

sc

cr

as panic hit her full force. "No..." she whispe

but stopped - she wasn't looking at him. She w

esitant until her fingers br

t, too rough. She traced it again, slower this time

asn't smoo

ngers

h hitched

to me?" she whispered

no sound came out. The pity in his ey

ords. It sat between th

herself that used to exist.Her reflection in her mind shattered into something unrec

shattered in he

s the words fell apart in her throat.

ng every nerve. "How can I live like this?!" she cried, her vo

lease. You're alive. That's what matters now. Scars can heal. Doctors can fix them. I'll fi

wasn't l

couldn't

uneven. Her chest heaved as

behind her eyelids. Then Alexander's haunted eyes, the same eyes tha

once. The betrayal. The

ven if she lived, the world wou

she screamed, voice raw

r breaths came in gasps, f

ed his grip on her shoulders. "Bre

he co

rembled. Her body convulsed once

itor sc

uous note that tor

a rush of doctors. The quiet room erupted into chaos - voices, foot

disbelief. "Help her! Please-don't let her go!" His v

. Years ago. Different

daughter. Both

pered, almost to him

barked. "Adrenaline-now! De

gainst his chest, as if trying

ing! C

ently under the electric surge. T

ga

ck. The sound of static and alarms filled the

ely, barely hearing himself. "You're str

were caught in their own rhythm - co

longer than the last. The

-mov

ng her to the theatre now!"

ft and practiced, machines and

t a nurse stepped in front of him, blocking h

and small, trembling with defea

a hollow thud, sealing him

or went qu

wall, shoulders slumped,

d above him, cold and indifferent. The wor

erly's fragile life