The hospital had quieted by dusk, as though even the walls were finally exhaling.
In ICU Room 4B, Lily Moore's new heart beat steadily beneath a fleece blanket printed with galaxies and wolves.
Katherine sat at her bedside, a knit cap pulled low over her still-healing scar. Tubes crisscrossed her arm, but her hand never left her daughter's.
Aiden appeared in the doorway, still in street clothes after the hearing, a paper cup of tea in one hand.
“Any change?" he asked softly.
Katherine shook her head. “Steady. She's sleeping a lot."
He set the tea on the windowsill and took the chair beside her.
“How's your heart?" he asked.
Katherine gave a faint smile. “Stubborn. Like yours."
They sat in silence, the kind that had nothing to prove.
After a moment, Katherine whispered, “You lost
