“Aleksander—”
I don’t let myself turn back. If I see her face again, I won’t leave.
“I’ll be back,” I say, and walk out of the room, closing the door softly behind me.
25
BELLA
I can barely eat anything.The plate Nikolai brought is still mostly full, the food gone cold. The doctors have already done their last round, handed over discharge papers, explained meds and follow-up visits. We are cleared to go.
I don’t feel cleared for anything.
Outside the window the sky has gone dark, that deep blue that looks almost black. The hospital lights in the parking lot are little yellowish circles on wet pavement.
The door opens and Aleksander steps in. He looks like he hasn’t sat down once all day.
“I’ve packed up everything,” he says. “Your things are in the car.”
I nod. The nurse helped me out of the hospital gown earlier and into my own clothes. Jeans, soft sweater, sneakers. Lily is in clean pajamas, half-awake, half-floppy against the pillow.
I swing my legs off the bed and stand, a little lightheaded. Something feels off. I look around the room, scanning the chairs, the corner, the window ledge.
“What are you looking for?” he asks.
“Lily’s bunny,” I say. “She freaks out without it.”
At the sound of “bunny,” Lily’s eyes crack open, her head turning toward us. “Bunny?” she mumbles, already frowning.
I move to the other side of her bed, pulling the blanket back, checking under her pillow, then under the bed. Nothing. My chest tightens.
“It was here,” I say. “She had it when we came in. I remember.”
Aleksander’s gaze moves around the room. “Maybe the nurse moved it when they changed the sheets.”
I shake my head. “I had it in the chair when she took her for tests. I put it back in the bed after.” I open the little cupboard, even check the bathroom, like it might have walked in there on its own.
“Bunny,” Lily says again, voice wobbling now. Her bottom lip starts to tremble.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I tell her, forcing a smile. “We’ll find him.”
I look at Aleksander. “Did you pack it with our things?”
He shakes his head once. “I only packed what was in your closet and bathroom. I didn’t touch this room.”
The unease from earlier creeps back in, stronger. There’s something about a missing toy that feels wrong in a way I can’t explain.
“It has to be here,” I say. “She can’t travel without it. She won’t sleep.”
“Maybe Nikolai’s seen it?” I say, more to myself than anyone.
Aleksander pulls out his phone and sends a quick text. A minute later, Nikolai appears in the doorway, broad shoulders filling the frame.
“You called?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “Lily’s bunny. Have you seen it? It’s small, brown, one ear is a little torn. She had it here.”
He glances at the bed, at Lily’s tearful face, then around the room. “No,” he says. “I haven’t touched anything in here.”
