The steady beat, her heart, was the only sound in the world that didn’t haunt me.” I sat beside her, my body heavy, my mind hollow. “They’re gone,” I told her softly. “All of them? Your father? He’s alive, but not whole. the rest. They won’t hurt anyone again. I looked at her face, pale but peaceful now, framed by soft light.
Her chest rose and fell gently. I found him, Tess, I whispered. Our son, Leo, he’s safe and he’s beautiful. You did it. You kept him alive through all that hell. Her eyelids didn’t move, but her monitor line flickered a slightly faster beat, then back. I leaned closer. I promise you I’m done fighting. I just need you to come back now. Please.
El monitor mantuvo su ritmo constante como siempre. Tal vez ella podría oírme. Tal vez no pudo. Me senté allí hasta que el horizonte fuera de su ventana se volvió de oro. Un suave golpe en la puerta me hizo retroceder. Me volví. Fue Elellanar. Su abrigo estaba húmedo por la lluvia temprana. Y en sus brazos, envuelto en una manta blanca, estaba Leo. “Pensé que querrías ropa”, dijo.
