She let out a soft, fractured cry as Jamie rushed to her.
James stepped aside just in time as the boy reached her bedside. His arms wrapped around her waist, trembling with the weight of days spent in fear. He held on like he might lose her again.
And Maya clung to him like she’d never let go.
Her baby brother.
Her reason for everything.
Maya’s breath hitched as she buried her face in his shoulder. Jamie smelled like home—like worn cotton, detergent, and city air. The warmth of his arms grounded her more than the heart monitor, the sterile white walls, or the IV drip in her vein.
She squeezed tighter. Tighter.
Just to feel that he was real.
“Jamie,” she whispered, voice breaking. “Jamie…”
Ms. Janice entered more slowly, her hand pressed over her mouth, tears spilling freely. The m
