Morning came in and I was still asleep in the chair. My neck was hurting. My hand was numb. I hadn't meant to fall asleep.
I shifted slightly, my fingers tightening around his—
Something moved.
At first, I thought I had imagined it. Then I felt it again, a faint pressure. My eyes snapped open. Dmitri was looking at me. His eyes were locked on me.
For a second, I didn't breathe.
His eyes were not focused, as if he wasn't fully here yet. His lashes blinked slowly. Then they settled on my face.
"You look terrible," he said. His voice was rough. I stared at him. I felt a lump in my throat.
"You… You've been asleep for days," I said, almost choking on my words. My hands hovered over his, too scared to touch his hand. I was afraid that the moment I did, everything would fall apart and I'd wake up from it.
He frowned slightly, like he was trying to process that.
"…How many?"
"Enough."
He let out a quiet breath.
"Someone had to keep you from ruining everything."
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it but it came out wrong. I pressed my hand over my mouth, but it didn't help. The sound twisted into something else.
My vision was blurring. I was actually crying, tears hitting the blankets. My shoulders shook badly.
Dmitri watched me the whole time. He didn't interrupt. He just looked at me like he was trying to memorize my face.
I dragged in a shaky breath.
"You're an idiot," I said.
His lips twitched faintly.
"Yeah."
"A big idiot."
He tried to move his hand. It barely shifted. The movement was so small that most people wouldn't have noticed.
But I did. So did he. His expression changed. I stood up too fast, my chair scraping the floor.
"I'm calling the nurse," I whispered, my voice trembling.
I didn't wait for him to respond.
The room filled quickly. Doctors. Nurses. Machines are being checked. Voices overlapping. I stepped back, pressed against the wall, watching them crowd around him.
He kept looking at me. Even when they adjusted his bed. Even when they checked his reflexes. Even when they asked him questions. His eyes stayed on me.
Like I was the only thing in the room that mattered.
Later, the room was quiet again. Most of the doctors and nurses had left. Only the lead doctor stayed.
Dmitri was sitting up slightly now, supported by pillows. His face had gone still. His face returned to its usual calm, controlled look.
The doctor stood at the foot of the bed.
"The bullet caused significant trauma to the spinal cord," he said carefully. "We've stabilized the damage, but the recovery process—"
"Bottom line it for me, Doc," Dmitri cut him off. His voice was hard. "Will I walk?"
The doctor hesitated.
"The damage is significant, Mr. Volkov. With intensive physical therapy... maybe months, years. There are no guarantees. Some patients never regain full motor function below the—"
"Leave," Dmitri said.
The doctor blinked.
"Mr. Volkov, I understand this is—"
"I said leave."
I stepped forward slightly.
"Dmitri—"
"Leave. Now," he barked at the doctor.
The doctor gave me a look I couldn't read. He grabbed his chart and stepped out.
The door clicked shut. Dmitri stared straight ahead at the wall. His jaw was tight. I walked back to the chair and sat down.
I didn't say anything. I'm sure consoling was the last thing he needed at the moment. I sat there in the silence with him.
Time passed. I don't know how long I've remained silent.
Then, finally—
"Say it," Dmitri said.
I looked up.
"Say what?"
"What you're thinking."
I shook my head.
"I'm not—"
"You are."
His voice was so calm and that made it even worse.
"I'm thinking you're alive," I said.
"That's not what you're thinking."
I exhaled slowly.
"I'm thinking you scared the hell out of me."
He didn't respond.
"I'm thinking you don't get to die after everything you put me through. And I'm thinking," I added quietly, "I don't care if you can't walk."
That got a small reaction. His fingers twitched again against the blanket.
"I'm a goddamn paperweight, Isabelle."
"You're alive," I said.
"Is that supposed to be the prize?" He looked at me. "I'm a Volkov. We don't sit in chairs and wait for people to bring us water."
"You aren't a Volkov anymore," I reminded him, my voice was soft. "You burned that bridge. Remember?"
Just when I was about to tease him, hoping to lift his mood, Adrien showed up. He hovered near the door looking awkward like he wasn't sure if he was allowed in.
Dmitri noticed him immediately.
"You're blocking the exit."
Adrien scoffed.
"Nice to see you're still an asshole."
Dmitri's mouth curved slightly.
"Good. That means I'm alive."
Adrien stepped fully into the room. For a second, no one spoke. Then I said it.
"Dmitri… there's something you need to know."
He looked at me. I told him everything.
Arthur. The lake. The truth. Adrien. All of it.
He listened quietly, not interrupting me once. When I finished, the room grew quiet.
"Your father's alive?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And he's been here this whole time."
"Yes."
He paused. Then he looked at Adrien.
"You're her brother."
Adrien nodded.
"Apparently."
Dmitri stared at him for a second longer.
Then he said, "That explains a lot."
Adrien frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
A flicker of something familiar crossed Dmitri's face.
"You're both stubborn idiots," he muttered. "Must be in the DNA."
Adrien let out a short laugh.
"Yeah, okay. I'll take that."
Dmitri looked back at me.
"I need to see him," he said. "Your father. Bring him in."
Evening came quietly. Arthur stepped into the room alone. Adrien and I stayed outside. The door closed behind him.
I sat in one of the plastic chairs in the hallway, staring at nothing. Adrien leaned against the wall beside me.
"What do you think they're talking about?" he asked.
"No idea."
We didn't try to listen. Some things weren't ours.
Inside the room, Arthur stopped a few steps from the bed.
"She told me about you," Arthur said.
"What did she say? I bet it was all bad."
Arthur exhaled softly.
"She called you reckless. She said you are the type of guy who does something stupid without thinking about it first."
"But the way she said it…"
He shook his head slightly.
"I think that's what she loves about you."
Arthur stepped closer.
"Thank you. For saving her. For being a good friend to Adrien. For being there when I couldn't." He hesitated. "I know who your father is. I know what he did to my family. But you aren't him."
Dmitri's gaze sharpened slightly.
"You don't get to thank me. You get to be there now," Dmitri continued. "Don't leave her again. That's the only thing that matters. If you disappear again, I don't care if I'm in a chair, I'll find you."
Arthur nodded once.
"I'm staying, son. I'm staying."
They talked a little while before he left. I went back in after he came out.
The hospital finally went quiet. The visitors were gone, the nurses were doing their rounds elsewhere, and it was just us.
"Are you scared?" I asked as I leaned against the bed.
He didn't answer immediately.
"Yes."
"Me too," I whispered.
"I don't know what happens next," he said, looking at the ceiling. "I don't know who I am without all of it. I'm just a guy who can't feel his legs. I had power because people were afraid of me. What am I now?"
I shook my head.
"That's not who you are. That's who you were taught to be. I didn't fall for that," I said.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You didn't fall for anything."
I ignored that.
"I fell for the guy who jumped off a balcony without thinking. The one who dragged me into that freezing foundry and refused to let me quit."
His jaw tightened.
"The one who kept pushing me even when I hated you for it. That's who you are."
I leaned in, pressing my forehead against his. "You're still that guy. You're just... a version of him that has to work a little harder for a while."
He looked away.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then, his hand moved slowly. He tried to lift it. It didn't get far. I leaned down and took it before he could try again.
His fingers closed weakly around mine. He pulled my hand toward his chest and held it there.
"Isabelle," he rasped.
"What?"
"Stay."
"I'm not going anywhere."
And for the first time since everything started falling apart, it felt like something was finally holding together.