"How do you feel now?" Austin asked as he sat beside the patient, who had her wrists and ankles wrapped in bandages.
Superhuman bodies healed quickly, so in just two days, she would be back to full health.
"I feel better now," she said softly, her smile tender but her eyes half-closed.
Austin brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and murmured, "Sheldon has gone to ask for help. If he can't find anyone, I'll carry you back to the academy."
He hadn't expected this trip, which was meant for laughter and quiet moments, to end like this.
But staying here would only weigh on their minds, and he didn't want them to be stuck in this place—where the memory of an ambush could keep them awake at night.
So he decided that once Valerie recovered, he'd bring her somewhere better—far from the sea, to a quiet place where they could rest and smile again.
"Austin…" she called out, her voice even weaker now.
He turned toward her, his brows rising at the sound of her quiet confession.
