I woke to the sound of steady breathing and the feeling of someone's hand wrapped around mine.
My eyes felt heavy, my body weighted down like I'd been sleeping for days. Maybe I had been. The medical building's familiar ceiling came into focus slowly, along with the soft beep of monitors and the antiseptic smell that meant Dr. Sarah had been working overtime.
"Willow." Duke's voice, rough and broken. "Thank the Goddess."
I turned my head, even that small movement took effort and found him beside me. He looked terrible. His face was haggard, dark circles under his eyes, his hair disheveled like he'd been running his hands through it for hours. Days, maybe.
"How long?" My voice came out as a croak.
"Three days." His hand tightened on mine, and I saw his eyes were red-rimmed. "You've bee
