I didn’t know how long I had slept, only that I woke with my cheek pressed against the side of Cole’s hospital bed and my fingers hooked loosely around his wrist like I was afraid he’d disappear if I let go.
The room was dim, lit only by a sliver of light coming from the gap in the blinds. Machines hummed softly, the rhythm steady, one long line after another reminding me he was alive. Barely, but alive.
My body felt stiff from staying in the same position, but I didn’t dare move at first. I listened instead—his breathing, the occasional hitch in it. He was still running a fever. I could feel it from here, even without touching him. He radiated heat like his body was fighting something with everything it had.
I slowly sat up and wiped at my eyes. I must’ve cried in my sleep. Great.
“Co
