Page 73 of Icebound Hearts

The nurse leans over to adjust my blankets. “You’re doing great, Aiden. Everything went as expected.” I nod slowly, my head swimming.

“Your aunt’s outside. And your… girlfriend?”

“Let her in,” I mumble.

A few seconds later, Kat walks in. She’s holding a coffee and a giant water bottle, but the second she sees me, her whole face softens.

“You look like hell,” she says, voice gentle but teasing.

“Feel worse.”

She sets everything down and moves beside me. Her fingers brush my hair back from my forehead, careful, familiar. “I brought you a hoodie. It’s cold in here.”

“Don’t move me,” I croak. “I might scream.”

She laughs under her breath and sits down, taking my hand. “Okay. No movement. I got you.”

Aunt Maria steps in next, her eyes red but smiling. “You did good, baby.”

“Is Sophia okay?” I ask, even though my voice barely works.

“She’s doing great,” Maria says. “Resting. The doctors are optimistic.”

Relief floods my system like a second dose of anesthesia. Heavy. Warm. Kat doesn’t leave my side. She holds my hand the whole time. Whispers things I’ll barely remember later. But I remember he head on my thigh, resting when the painkillers finally kick in.

Her soft humming under her breath—one of the songs from last night.

And her voice, just before I drift off again:

“You’re her hero, you know that?”

No. But hearing it in Kat’s voice makes me believe it. Just a little. And for the first time in weeks, I let myself rest.

Because the girl I love is here. And my sister has a real shot now. That’s everything, I could ever ask for.

Chapter thirty - three

KATERINA

The hospital room is too quiet. Too sterile. Too still. Too much like every worst-case scenario that has ever haunted me.

Aiden is lying in the hospital bed, pale against the stark white sheets, an IV hooked up to his arm, his normally sharp eyes dulled with exhaustion.

He looks small like this, vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen before. And I don’t like it. But I hate the alternative more.

Because this? This means Sophia has a chance. And now, I’m here—watching over him, waiting for him to wake up, wishing I could somehow absorb his pain, do something to make this easier.

The door opens softly, and I glance up to see Will standing

there, his face drawn with worry. “He’s still out?” he asks quietly.

I nod, looking back at Aiden’s face. “Yeah.”

Will exhales, rubbing a hand down his face as he walks further into the room. “You know, he acts like nothing gets to him, but this? This took a lot out of him.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, my fingers curling around Aiden’s hand. “I know.”

Will watches me for a moment before sitting down across from me. “Thanks for being here.” I glance at him, surprised. “Of course I’m here. Where else would I be?”

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