The hospital was unusually quiet that night.
Most of the visitors had gone home. The hallways were dimmer, the conversations softer. Beyond the windows, the city glittered beneath a blanket of darkness.
Emma sat in a chair beside Noah's bed.
For once, he was sleeping peacefully.
The pre-transplant preparations had left him exhausted.
Ryan stood by the window, looking out at the city below.
Neither had spoken much during the past hour.
Not because anything was wrong.
Because they were both tired.
The kind of tired that settled deep into a person's bones.
Eventually, Emma broke the silence.
"You should go home."
Ryan laughed softly.
"You say that every night."
"And every night you ignore me."
"That's because it's bad advice."
Emma shook her head.
"One of these days, you're g
