Chapter 47
CHAPTER
FORTY-SEVEN
My arms ache as I clutch her to my chest, as though I’m holding her together in the literal sense. And maybe I am.
The cold cap burns through the thin cotton fabric of my shirt as she rests her cheek over my heart, but the discomfort pales in comparison to what she must be feeling.
I continue to hold her, stroking my palm down her back, soothing myself with the reminder that she’s real and she's here in my arms. Safe. For now.
Every day, she shows me more and more of her warmth, allowing the true breadth of her empathetic heart to spill out around us. I worry that by the time I’ve gotten her home today, she’ll have shut herself off from the pain, casting me out.
I’ll be alone again, a deep, gnawing ache unable to be filled by anyone but her, chiselling pieces of my heart as I cling to her, mourning the loss of her smiles.
And that might just be worse than losing her to her illness.