The morning after the surgery, Avery's parents finally arrived home. They had rushed back from an overnight trip, their faces drawn tight with worry.
Her father walked in first, stiff-shouldered, the usual calmness in his voice replaced with something clipped and sharp."What happened?" he demanded, scanning Avery's bandaged face, the bruises blooming across her skin.
Her mother didn't answer right away. She dropped her bag by the door and hurried to Avery's bedside, cupping her daughter's cheeks so gently that it almost hurt."Oh, Ave…" her voice cracked. "My baby. Look at you. How could this happen?"
Luke, who had barely slept, stood with his arms crossed, jaw clenched. He explained everything in fragments, his words weighed down by guilt."She was riding home… late. She must've been so tired. There was a turn… she didn't see it. By the time people reached her, she'd already been unconscious for half an hour. I came as soon as I got the call."
Their father's brow furrowed.
"Unconscious? For thirty minutes? Luke! how could you let her drive home that late?"
Luke snapped, his voice trembling. "Don't you dare put this on me, Dad. I wasn't with her. I didn't even know she left her work until the old man called me! If I could've stopped her, I would have."
The room went silent. Avery's mother reached out, touching Luke's arm, urging him to breathe. Then her gaze shifted to Phoebe, who sat quietly at the edge of the bed, her fingers still entwined with Avery's.
"You were there too?" her mother asked softly.
Phoebe nodded, her eyes flickering down. "Not when it happened… but I came as soon as I got the call. I picked her up, took her to the hospital. I stayed through the night." Her voice broke slightly. "I couldn't leave her like that."
Avery's father's expression softened, the anger replaced with relief. "Thank you, Phoebe."
Her mother squeezed Phoebe's hand. "You've always been like a daughter to me. Thank you for being here when she needed you most."
Phoebe swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "She was so scared… and I know I'm not" she stopped herself, her eyes flickering toward Avery's mother, "I just couldn't let her face it alone."
Luke exhaled shakily, sinking onto the couch. "She almost didn't make it. The bleeding was… everywhere. The doctors had to stitch half her face back together." his voice cracked again. "I've never been so scared in my life."
Avery stirred faintly at the sound of his voice, mumbling through her bandaged lips,
"Phoebe...come sleep with me"
The three of them leaned closer, their argument dissolving in an instant. Her mother kissed her hand carefully, whispering, "Rest, darling. You're safe now. We'll take care of everything."
And for the first time since the accident, the house settled into a fragile calm, stitched together by fear, relief, and an unspoken gratitude that she was still alive and in that moment, with pain stitched across her face and love binding the room, Avery understood just how fragile and how fierce her place in the world still was.