Chapter 34
Russ
The clock on the wall hasn’t moved.
I swear it hasn’t.
Every time I look up, the same minute is staring back at me like time itself got stuck outside those surgical doors.
The red light above them still burns.
Still closed.
Still keeping her away from me.
I stay exactly where I am.
Miles sits a few chairs down, pretending to give me space while keeping one eye on me anyway.
Smart.
Because I’m hanging on by threads right now.
Footsteps pound suddenly down the hallway.
I turn instantly.
Lucas rounds the corner with two kids beside him.
Alive.
Dirty.
Terrified.
Relief hits hard enough my knees almost unlock.
Lucas crouches in front of them immediately, voice low and steady.
“You’re safe here, okay? Stay with him.”
He gestures toward another operator nearby.
The little girl nods slowly.
Then her eyes drift toward me.
She hesitates before stepping closer.
Small shoes squeak softly against the polished hospital floor.
“You’re the one who got her out,” she says quietly.
For a second, I can’t answer.
My throat tightens too hard.
“Who?”
“The doctor lady.”
Olivia.
The name punches straight through my chest.
“Yeah,” I manage.
The little girl studies me carefully, like she’s deciding whether I deserve what she’s about to say.
“She didn’t stop fighting,” she whispers. “Even when they hurt her.”
I close my eyes briefly.
Of course she didn’t.
That’s Olivia.
Bleeding.
Terrified.
Still standing anyway.
Still protecting everyone around her before herself.
“That sounds like her,” I say roughly.
The girl nods once.
Then she steps back toward Lucas like her job here is done.
Like she just needed me to know Olivia never gave up.
I drag a hand hard down my face and stare back at the surgical doors.
Still closed.
Still red.
“Come on,” I mutter under my breath.
Please.
Just come back to me.