Emily's POV.

Hours passed. Again.

The ICU lights didn’t dim. Nurses kept coming in and out. Adjusting tubes. Checking monitors. Writing things down without saying a word to me. One of them offered me a blanket. Another brought me water I didn’t touch. I couldn’t drink. Couldn’t eat. My stomach was twisted into a hundred knots.

Cole hadn’t moved.

Not even a twitch.

I kept waiting for something. A flick of his fingers. A twitch of an eyelid. A miracle.

But the machines kept beeping the same way. Monotonous. Cold. Consistent.

My fingers stayed laced with his. Even though he couldn’t squeeze back.

The door creaked open again.

Footsteps. Not...