The phone was still warm against my ear. Jonathan's voice came through again, loud and easy like always.
"Don't be late, Ezra. She's paying good money."
"Yeah, I will leave soon enough. Don't worry," I said. My eyes stayed fixed on Aeri's face—soft, calm, lips slightly parted while she slept. The heart monitor kept its quiet *beep… beep… beep* in the background.
"Cool then. That's my boy," Jonathan said, voice bright and proud like I'd just agreed to do him the biggest favor.
I forced a small breath out through my nose.
"So… Aeri is all good now?" he asked suddenly, casual, like it was just another normal question.
Something in my chest froze. My thumb stopped moving on her hand. For a second I couldn't speak. Should I tell him? The real stuff—collapse, hospital, drugs in her blood, the doctor's serious face? My mouth opened, but nothing came out at first.
