Aiden
She lay on the bed, her chest rising shallowly beneath the thin blanket. Her skin was pale, her face swollen, bruises already blooming across her cheekbones and jaw, angry purple and red that I knew would darken by morning. There were marks along her side, too, where he'd hit her.
I sat close, one of her hands resting in mine, limp and cold as I watched her breathe, counting every rise and fall of it.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from her, terrified that the moment I did, something would go wrong. That she'd stop breathing, and I'd miss it.
"There is no sign of internal complications, so she should wake up soon. We're monitoring her closely to make sure..." The rest of the doctor's words faded into the background.
Soon?
I lifted my head, my gaze drifting back to her face, the
