Chapter 10: Ounces
She gained weight in increments that the nurses celebrated with quiet checks on a clipboard.
I learned the difference between alarms that required a sprint and alarms that required a breath and a watchful eye. Discharge planning entered the conversation in conditional sentences—if the oxygen weaned, if the feeds held, if the next scan stayed clear. I lived inside the conditionals without bargaining with the universe. Bargaining had been for the years I spent smiling at Madeline’s table while the biometric case filled itself with other people’s sins. This was simpler. Stay. Feed. Hold when allowed. Sleep when the body permitted.
Dana’s updates became less frequent by design. A plea deadline for Madeline. A status conference for Caleb’s cooperation. A note that the vineyard would not reopen under Ashford control in any timeline that mattered to me. I read them, acknowledged them, and returned to the unit. The empire’s collapse no longer needed my pulse to stay on schedule.
May you like
Protection detail scaled down as the threat assessment cooled. I moved through the hospital and the temporary residence without looking for cameras that belonged to the family. The Ashfords had lost the right to watch me the night the deadbolt failed. I did not give it back.
On a Thursday I held her against my chest for a full feed without tubes between us and felt the small, fierce fact of her continuing. The surname on the chart was already mine. The rest of her life would not be a sequel to their wedding or their deal.
