- Aria -
I sat on the hard plastic chair outside Luca’s ward. I kept my hands folded and my head down, staring at a crack in the tiled floor like it held the secrets of the universe.
It just kept me from shaking apart.
Alder stood a few steps away, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He’d taken off his jacket at some point, rolling up his sleeves, as he’d been here longer than he wanted to admit.
The door swung open, and the doctor finally stepped out. He’d pulled down his mask, clipboard tucked tight under his arm.
“Family?” he asked.
Alder straightened. “We are.”
I forced myself up, fighting the stiffness in my joints while my heart hammered against my chest.
“It’s a bad case of acute stomach inflammation,” the doctor explained. “Stress hit him hard,
