The machines continued their mechanical chorus.The sheen of death still covered her sister’s face.
Nothing changed.
Shoulders slumping, Desi sank into the chair, defeated.She’d cry if she had any tears left.
And then—
A sigh.
Barely audible, but real.
Daria’s hand twitched.Her eyes flickered beneath their lids.Then a soft moan escaped her lips.
Desi bolted upright.“Dar?”She clutched her sister’s arm.“Dar!”
Daria’s lashes fluttered open.Her lips—ashen moments before—flushed with color.She blinked, confused, but smiled faintly.“Des… what happened?”
Desi laughed and sobbed all at once, falling over her in an embrace.“God healed you!Jesus healed you!”
Daria gave a weak chuckle.“Now I know I must be dead.”
Desi drew back, wiping her streaming eyes.“Guess I finally came to my senses.”
“And it took me nearly dying to do it?”Daria managed a crooked grin.“A bit dramatic, sis.”
Desi helped her sit up, marveling at the life flowing back into her sister’s face, the light in her eyes, the strength in her grip.“Some of us are slower learners.”
“Well then,” Daria said, folding her hands over the blanket with a spark of mischief.“What does a girl have to do to get something to eat around here?”
Four hours later
The sound of Daria’s laughter filled Desi’s car like sunlight breaking through a storm.For once, Miami’s humid night air carried something sweeter than salt and exhaust.It carried life.
“I can’t believe we just broke out of the hospital!”Daria said between giggles, the kind of laughter Desi hadn’t heard in years.
At a red light, Desi turned toward her sister, unable to stop staring.The difference still felt like a dream.Color had returned to Daria’s cheeks, her hair shimmered golden under the dashboard lights, and her green eyes glowed with mischief and health.“Well, I wasn’t about to let them keep you overnight.Not after the tests showed your kidneys were completely normal.”Desi’s voice trembled with awe.“What did the doctor say again—‘healthier than he’d ever seen’?”
The light flipped green.Desi pressed the pedal and merged into traffic, for once unbothered by honking horns or red taillights stretching to the horizon.
“Did you see their faces?”Daria laughed.“All those doctors buzzing around me like bees, trying to make sense of it.They were freaking out!”
Desi grinned.“I did.”
“And you!”Daria slapped her arm lightly.“Telling them about Jesus like you were the preacher of the hour!I never thought I’d see the day.”
Desi laughed, cheeks flushing.“Was I really that bad before?”
“Maybe just a little,” Daria teased, turning to the window as palm trees passed in a blur.“But honestly, it was perfect.Especially when we made a run for the elevator.”
“That part was fun,” Desi admitted, still laughing.
When they reached the marina, Desi pulled into her spot.The world outside shimmered beneath a quarter moon.Boats rocked gently in their slips, masts whispering against the night breeze.The air smelled of salt, rope, and the faint diesel tang of harbor life.Her phone buzzed again in her pocket.Another call from Briar.Camila, too.They’d blown up her phone all evening, demanding answers about the Ring.She’d ignored them.
“Camila’s going to lose her mind when she sees you,” Desi said, switching off the engine.
Daria clasped her hand.“God is so good, Des.”Her voice trembled softly.“You have no idea how amazing it feels to be healthy again.”
Desi’s throat constricted.“I can’t tell you how good it feels to have you back.”She brushed her sister’s warm cheek as tears blurred her vision.“Just knowing God is real, that He actually healed you.It still doesn’t seem possible.”
