ARCHIE POV
My mother sat in the corner of the room, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her eyes filled with the same worry and pain that I felt. "Archie, she's strong. She'll get through this," she whispered, as much to reassure herself as to comfort me.
I nodded, trying to hold onto that hope. "I know, Mom. She's the strongest little girl I know." My voice wavered despite my best efforts to stay strong.
As the hours dragged on, I couldn't shake the image of Aria's pale face and fragile body from my mind. Every breath she took seemed to be a struggle, and it tore at my heart to see her like this. I thought about all the moments we had shared- the laughter, the bedtime stories, the way her eyes lit up when she talked about her dreams. I couldn't imagine a future without her.
