“I can imagine.”
His gaze shifts briefly toward the door before returning to me.
“There are a fair few worried firemen sitting out in the lobby, by the way.”
My eyes widen.
“Should I go out so they can come in? I’m sure the hospital only lets so many people here at a time.”
“They’ve all been updated. You’re right where you should be, lass.”
My chest tightens at that.
For a moment, we sit in silence, both of us looking at Aiden beneath the warming blankets.
Then I glance back at Finn.
“What happened out there?”
He leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees as his eyes drift toward the bed.
“We started the search just north of Pirate Cove. The current was running hard with the swell pushing north, so it carried him a fair bit farther out from where he went overboard.”
My stomach twists.
“How far?”
“Nearly half a mile from the last reported position.”
My eyes flick toward Aiden again.
“We were running the search grid when I noticed a whale.”
My brow furrows.
“A whale?”
He nods.
“She kept surfacing in the same spot. Blowing every few seconds but not traveling anywhere. Just circling.”
A chill moves through me.
“That’s when I took a closer look at that patch of water.”
My throat tightens.
“When the next swell rolled through, I saw a flash of orange between the waves.”
My hand tightens around Aiden’s fingers.
“They lowered me into the water, and I found him floating just beyond where the whale had been circling. She stayed there too… even while they dropped me in.”
My eyes fill instantly with tears as the image settles heavily in my chest—a gentle giant keeping watch over him while he fought to stay alive.
Finn continues.
“He still had his flotation vest on. And his instincts had clearly kicked in.”
