The moment of profound connection ebbs away, but the warmth and renewed determination it's stoked within me seems to linger. As Zander clears his throat gruffly and moves to straighten up from where he's been perched on the edge of my cot, I feel the sudden compulsion to reach out and halt his departure.
"Zander, wait..." My voice emerges as little more than a rasping croak from the rawness of my healing injuries. Still, it's enough to give the cantankerous medic pause. He arches one bushy brow inquisitively in my direction as I struggle to gather my thoughts into words.
"This...family we've become." I have to pause to wet my parched lips before pushing onward. "It means more to me than you could ever know. You and Greg - your belief in me, your steadfast presences at my side through the
