Hailey’s POV
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and metal. Clean, but suffocating. Ryan sat beside me in the waiting area, his knee bouncing nonstop, his jaw locked so tight I thought his teeth might crack. He hadn’t said much on the drive. Neither had I. The silence wasn’t awkward. It was heavy.
When the nurse finally called his name, Ryan stood up too fast. I instinctively reached out and steadied him by the arm. His skin felt warm. Too warm.
“You good?” I asked quietly.
He nodded once. “Yeah.”
The specialist was younger than I expected, calm but serious. No sugarcoating. No dramatic pauses. Just facts laid out cleanly and cruelly.
The words twenty percent echoed in my head like a gunshot.
I felt my stomach drop, like the floor vanished under me. Ryan didn’t move. Didn’t blink.
