She’ll walk again in three months.
Full recovery in six.
Lily doesn’t take the news well. When the doctor says ‘surgery,’ she folds. A sob tears out of her, raw and sudden, making my hair stand on end.
Ellenor’s at her side in seconds, arms wrapped around her.
I don’t move. I just watch the two of them, Ellenor holding her fiercely, as if she can keep the world from her sister. Every part of me wants to cross the room—to hold Lily and console her. But she needs her sister more, and she needs a moment to process everything—the shock, the pain, the hours of waiting with uncertainty.
The yearning to go home.
Eventually, Lily calms, the worst of the panic easing, though she shifts restlessly beneath the sheets.
Nurses stop by every half hour, fussing and checking vitals. Ellenor stays for as long as she can, but she’s running on fumes.
When evening comes, Lily’s half-asleep, drifting in and out, her face still streaked with salt and exhaustion. Ellenor announces she’s heading back to the cottage.
“I’ll stay,” I say to Lily. “If that’s alright.”
She blinks up at me, wary. “Are you allowed to? The nurses said only family members can stay overnight.”
I shoot Ellenor a warning look—don’t you dare—but she just smiles innocently.
“I might have told them you’re engaged,” she says to Lily.
“What?” Lily hisses.
Heat crawls up my neck. I stare fiercely at a poster about hand hygiene.
“Look,” Ellenor continues, waving a hand, “Brandon really wants to stay, andIreally want to shower and sleep in a proper bed. Problem solved.”
Lily groans.“Elle.”
“What? I may be your sister, but I’m not the one who’s besotted with you.”
There’s a hiss of outrage and a soft scuffle of blankets as Lily tries to swat her.
Ellenor chuckles and swoops in with a quick hug. “I’ll be back in the morning. Rest. Please.”
“You too,” Lily mutters, softer now.
When the door shuts, quiet settles over the room. Her gaze drifts to me. Her eyes are red, breathing still uneven from earlier tears.
“Do you mind grabbing my phone?” she asks thickly, pointing to where the old Samsung that Sean lent her is charging. “I need to call Mum.”
“Of course.” I hand it to her, our fingers brushing—and not by accident.
“You can stay, if you’d like to,” she says, almost shyly.
“I will.” I try to smile, but the veneer is thin. “I just need to step out for a moment.”
Her disappointment flickers like a shadow, and I escape before I can change my mind.
I find Ellenor at the lift.
“Ellenor, wait.”
She steps out, the doors sliding shut behind her. “What’s wrong?”
