I ignore him and keep walking, needing to burn off the pressure building under my skin.
“Leave him alone,” Andi shoots back at Tank. “You’d be the same.”
A sound behind me makes me turn sharply.
Effa’s specialist stands there, a folder tucked beneath his arm, his expression carefully neutral.
The world seems to narrow to the space between us. The scrape of chairs, the low murmur of voices, even the hum of fluorescent lights, all of it dulls into a distant blur. My pulse pounds so hard in my ears that it almost drowns out everything else.
My lungs forget how to work, and for a split second, I’m not pacing. I’m not breathing. I’m not even thinking.
I’m just waiting.
Waiting for the man in front of me to either give me my life back… or tear it apart.
He steps closer, offering a professional smile that does nothing to ease the tension in the room. “It’s good to see so many of you here supporting Vespa.”
Just get to it.
“We’re going to begin the process of bringing her out of the coma shortly. It will be gradual. We’ll reduce sedation and monitor her responses carefully.”
My pulse thunders in my ears.
“We can allow two people in the room during the process. Given hospital policy and the presence of her parents, we’ll be allowing them access.”
The words land as a goddamn sucker punch straight to the heart.
I nod once before I even feel it, jaw tightening as I turn away slightly and stare up at the ceiling. I understand. Of course I understand. They’re her parents.
But I want to be there.
I want her to see me first.
To know I didn’t leave.
“Is there any way to make it three?” Lettie asks gently.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor replies. “There won’t be enough space.”
That’s it then.
The tension in the waiting room presses against my chest like a weight. I swallow hard and look at the floor, forcing the disappointment back down where it belongs.
This isn’t about me.
It never was.
“We’ll come get you once we know more,” the doctor adds before guiding Donny and Lettie down the hall.
Lettie pauses long enough to squeeze my arm. “I’m sorry, Mercs.”
“Go,” I tell her quietly. “Be with her.”
Their footsteps fade, and the waiting room falls into a heavy silence.
I stand there for a moment, fists loose at my sides, fighting the urge to storm down that hallway anyway.
Alana’s hand settles on my shoulder, and I turn to her. It hits me then that she’s in the same position I am. She doesn’t get to be there either.
