Ashley POV

He was lying on the only bed in the room, still wearing the same clothes he had worn to dinner. There was an IV connected to the crook of his arm and although his face was a little pale, I was happy to see Dad's chest rise and fall slowly and evenly.

At once, Mom darted to his side. I almost thought she would ignore Healer Kim's words and wake him up, but she simply lowered the bedside railing and sank down beside him. She did not touch him, and her face was tense, but I could clearly see the fear in her eyes, a fear that she...