Nicholas’s POV
It was the next morning, and Hazel still hadn’t woken up.
I hadn’t slept all night. I stayed right beside her bed, holding her hand, watching every small rise and fall of her chest. The hospital room felt too quiet, the machines beeping softly like a constant reminder that she was still fighting. My eyes burned from staring at her pale face for hours, but I couldn’t look away. Every minute she stayed unconscious felt like another knife in my gut. I kept whispering to her, begging her silently to open her eyes.
A knock came on the door. The doctor entered with a nurse, both moving quietly. They checked her vitals, adjusted a few tubes, and wrote notes on their charts. I waited until they finished before I asked the question burning in my throat.
“Why isn’t she waking up?”
