My chest slowly rose and fell as the panic drained out of me. My eyes shooting open.

  The steady beep... beep... beep... of a heart monitor filled the quiet room, each sound grounding me more in the moment.

  The sterile smell of the hospital hung in the air, mixed faintly with the scent of disinfectant and pstic tubing.

  I turned my head slightly.

  The city outside the window glowed against the night sky, tiny lights stretching across the darkness like stars that had fallen to earth.

  I was alive.

  The thought didn't feel real yet.

  My fingers twitched weakly against the hospital sheets, the IV lines tugging slightly in my arm. Even that small sensation made me aware of how heavy my body felt... how sore everything was.

  But it was pain.

  Real pain.

  Not the emptiness from before.

  A quiet rustle broke the silence beside the bed.

  At first I thought it was a nurse.

  But then I saw her.

  Car.

  She was slumped forward in the chair next to the bed, her head resting on her folded arms against the mattress. Her hair was messy like she hadn't slept properly in days, and dried tear streaks were still faintly visible on her cheeks.

  My chest tightened.

  She stayed.

  Even when she thought I was gone.

  I carefully lifted my hand, every movement slow and weak, and rested it gently on her arm.

  "Car..." I whispered.

  My voice barely came out.

  But it was enough.

  Her body stirred immediately.

  She jolted awake, eyes wide and unfocused for half a second—until they nded on me.

  And the moment she realized—

  Her breath caught.

  "Miguel...?" she whispered, like she was afraid saying it too loud might break the moment.

  I gave the smallest nod I could manage.

  Her hands flew to her mouth as fresh tears flooded her eyes.

  "Oh my God..."

  The chair scraped loudly across the floor as she stood up and leaned over the bed, grabbing my hand carefully like I might disappear again if she let go.

  "You idiot," she choked through a ugh and a sob at the same time. "You absolute idiot..."

  I weakly squeezed her fingers.

  "I'm sorry..." I murmured.

  She shook her head quickly.

  "No. No, don't—" her voice cracked. "Just... don't ever do that again."

  I tried to smile, though it hurt.

  "I'll try."

  Car's lips trembled slightly against mine, like she was still afraid the moment might disappear if she held onto it too tightly.

  For a second she didn't move at all, her lips barely shifting against mine as if she was trying to memorize the feeling—making sure I was really here, really awake, and not something that would vanish the moment she let go.

  When we finally pulled apart, she didn't go far. Instead she lowered her forehead gently against mine, her shoulders trembling as quiet sobs shook through her chest. Her breath was warm against my face, uneven from crying.

  Her hand stayed wrapped tightly around my fingers, gripping them like an anchor.

  For a moment neither of us said anything. She just stayed there with her forehead resting against mine, breathing softly, holding on to me like she had been waiting three long weeks to make sure I was truly back.

  "You scared me so much," she whispered, her voice rough and uneven from crying. "The doctors didn't know if you were gonna wake up."

  Her words came out fragile, like she'd been carrying them around for weeks.

  I swallowed slowly, my throat dry and sore.

  "I tried to," I murmured weakly, my voice barely above a whisper.

  Car let out a small, shaky ugh through her tears. She lifted the back of her hand and wiped quickly at her cheeks, though it didn't stop the moisture gathering in her eyes.

  "Well next time," she said softly, trying to sound serious despite the emotion in her voice, "maybe don't jump in front of a bullet."

  I managed the faintest smile.

  "I'll keep that in mind," I replied quietly.

  For a moment neither of us spoke.

  We just looked at each other.

  The dim hospital lights cast soft shadows across her face, and I noticed how exhausted she looked. Her eyes were red and puffy, the faint darkness under them telling a story all on its own.

  "How long was I out for?" I whispered. "Three whole fucking weeks Miguel." She replied.

  Three weeks.

  Three whole weeks... and she stayed.

  The thought made my chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with the injury.

  "Where's Le?" I asked quietly after a moment.

  Car exhaled slowly, her gaze drifting toward the door of the hospital room before returning to me.

  "She's fine," she said gently. "She comes by almost every day. The doctors eventually had to drag her out because she kept arguing with them."

  A faint smile pulled at my lips despite the heaviness in my body.

  "Sounds like her."

  Car nodded slightly, a softer expression settling over her face. She reached up with her free hand and brushed a stray strand of hair away from my forehead with careful fingers, almost like she was afraid touching me too roughly would make me disappear again.

  "You almost died saving me," she said quietly, her voice lowering.

  The weight of those words lingered between us.

  "I would do it again," I answered without hesitation.

  Car's eyes immediately filled with tears again, the emotion hitting her all over.

  "Miguel..."

  My fingers tightened slightly around hers.

  "But apparently," I said softly after a moment, "someone up there decided I still had things to do."

  She tilted her head a little, confusion flickering across her tired face.

  "What do you mean?"

  I leaned my head back slightly against the pillow, my eyes drifting up to the ceiling as the memory came rushing back.

  The darkness.

  The voice.

  The strange calm that had wrapped around everything.

  "I think," I said slowly, choosing the words carefully, "I was supposed to die."

  Car's grip on my hand tightened immediately.

  "But something... or someone... sent me back."

  The room grew quiet again.

  The only sound was the steady, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor beside the bed.

  Car studied my face carefully, her eyes moving across my features like she was searching for something deeper than the words themselves.

  Then she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, lingering there for a moment.

  "Then whoever it was," she whispered gently, "I owe them everything."

  She pulled back just enough to look into my eyes again, her hand squeezing mine with quiet determination.

  "Because I'm not losing you again."

  A small, tired smile formed on my face.

  "You won't."

  ——