The world narrowed to the rhythmic beep of machines and the burn of too-bright hospital lights. Julia sat frozen in the hard plastic chair, her fingers still trembling from where they’d pressed against her mother’s still body minutes earlier. Her breath came in thin, shaky gasps. Every time she blinked, she saw her mother falling, collapsing, fading.
Brandon didn’t speak—he simply knelt in front of her, his hands gently cupping her arms, grounding her. His thumbs brushed her skin in slow, steady circles, as if he could hold her together through touch alone.
“She’s alive,” he whispered. “She’s here, Julia. She’s still here.”
But Julia stared past him, eyes unfocused. “I should’ve noticed. I should’ve known.”
“You did everything you could.”
“No.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t.”
===
Out
