Once finished, he drew her close, wrapping his arms around her with a steady, protective strength. "No," he murmured softly, letting her settle against him. "You weren't sick, we were just worried about complications arising."
Her body relaxed slightly into his embrace, the tension in her shoulders easing as the warmth and constancy of him anchored her.
Yueyao's lashes fluttered as her cheek rested against his shoulder, her breathing uneven but no longer strained. The long silence between them felt heavier than words, pressing into the quiet hum of the machines that still lingered around them.
Fang Lin watched from the side, torn between relief and worry. Yueyao was awake, but the fragility of her voice, the way her body seemed to shrink back from the sterile world around her, unsettled her deeply.
"Uncle," Fang Lin's voice broke the stillness, low and careful. "Shouldn't we let the doctors take another look? Just to be sure...."
