Chapter 7 #2
Eira shifted Véronique carefully into her own arms. The child stirred but didn’t wake, curling instinctively onto Eira’s shoulder. Ford stepped closer, one hand hovering near Véronique’s back in case her balance shifted.
Eira noticed. They climbed the path together, slower now.
Halfway up, Véronique stirred and whispered, “Doctor Eira?”
“I’m here,” Eira answered immediately.
“I found Ford,” Véronique mumbled.
“I know,” Eira said softly. “You were very brave.”
Back in the clinic courtyard, Liana was waiting at the gate, mask in place but eyes wide with restrained panic. When she saw Véronique asleep, her shoulders dropped visibly. “She scared ten years off my life.”
“She’s dehydrated and fatigued,” Eira said briskly, slipping back into command mode. “Bay 2. Basic labs, fluids, oral unless indicated otherwise.”
Liana nodded and moved ahead to prep the room.
When Ford stopped just inside the courtyard, Eira turned back to him. “You should return to the villa,” she said automatically. “You’ve already overextended.”
“I’m fine,” he replied.
“That wasn’t a suggestion.”
He almost smiled. “I’ll walk back. Five minutes, right?” His eyes twinkled.
Her eyes softened despite herself. “Five by Jeep,” she corrected.
He held her gaze. “I’ll take it slowly.”
A beat passed between them, the kind that held more than logistics. “Thank you,” she said again.
“For what?”
“For not panicking. For not lecturing. For just… handling it.”
He shrugged slightly. “I know what it’s like to lose track of someone who matters.”
Something flickered in her expression. “I’ll call you after I assess her.”
“I’ll keep the line open.” He turned toward the path as Eira carried Véronique into the clinic.
THE VILLA
The villa was silent, bathed in soft moonlight and the low, constant hum of the sea against the cliffs below.
The glass doors stood open, gauze curtains lifting and falling with the breeze.
Ford sat at the kitchen island in loose joggers and a black tee, a half-full glass of water beside him, the halter monitor light and unobtrusive against his ribs.
His phone buzzed once with a text from the clinic.
Véronique is hydrated. Labs normal. Sleeping. —EM
He exhaled, tension easing from a place he didn’t realize was still braced.
Good.
The villa felt different now, quiet in a way that didn’t press against him. He walked barefoot to the open doors and stood looking out at the ocean. The tide rolled in steady, silver under the moon. Somewhere below, a night bird called once and went silent.
He turned in early. Sleep came easier than he expected.
He dreamed of Eira.
She stood at the edge of the water at dusk, barefoot in dark linen, her hair loose and wind-tangled. The horizon behind her burned gold, fading to indigo. She wasn’t speaking, just watching him with that assessing calm she carried like armor.
“You’re not built for stillness,” she said finally.
“Apparently, I’m not built for collapse either.”
The corner of her mouth curved. “You don’t have to earn rest. It’s not a deployment.”
He stepped closer, close enough to see the faint exhaustion she never admitted to. Close enough to notice the steadiness in her eyes.
“What if I don’t know how?” he asked.
“Then learn,” she said simply.
The wind shifted. She reached out, not urgently, not dramatically, just a hand extended.
He took it. The ocean stilled.
Ford woke slowly as gray morning light filled the bedroom. The sheets were twisted around his legs, but he wasn’t gasping. His pulse was steady beneath his skin. There was no sharp panic, just the echo of her hand in his.
He lay there, fleetingly staring at the ceiling, listening to the sea.
He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
When he stepped into the main room, Karine was already there, seated at the small dining table with a mug of coffee and the kind of posture that suggested she’d been waiting a while.
“You sleep?” she asked without looking up.
“Yeah,” he said, surprised at the honesty in it. “I did.”
She nodded. “Dr. Montgomery scheduled your follow-up at nine.”
He glanced at the clock. “Cutting it close.”
“You needed the sleep.”
He grabbed a bottle of water and took a long drink. “How’s Véronique?”
“Fine,” Karine replied. “She woke up asking if you were still five minutes away.”
His mouth twitched. “I’ll clarify that distance.”
They stepped out into the brightening morning together. The Defender idled in the drive, engine humming low. As they pulled away from the villa, Ford watched the jungle slide past in streaks of green and gold.
He wasn’t dreading the clinic. He was looking forward to it. That realization sat warmly in his chest.
When they pulled into the gravel drive, he glanced at Karine before she could open her door. “Karine.”
She paused. “Yes?”
“I’m going to ask her to dinner.”
Karine’s brow lifted slightly. “The doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Is that medically advised?”
He smirked faintly. “I’ll clear it with her.”
Karine considered him, then nodded. “I’ll adjust the Defender’s schedule.”
He stepped out of the vehicle, the morning sun warm against his face. For the first time in a long time, moving forward didn’t feel like charging into fire. It felt like walking toward something he wanted. And that was new.