Elias woke with a violent gasp, feeling like someone had ripped him out of deep water. Light stabbed his eyes. Something sharp tugged at his arm. A machine beside him beeped in quick, stuttery bursts that matched his racing heartbeat.
He jerked upright, well, tried. His muscles screamed, and a firm hand pushed him gently but insistently back down.
"Easy—hey, hey, slow down."
He turned to the source of the soft voice. It was a nurse.
Elias blinked wildly, chest heaving. "Cassian. Where's Cassian? Nico? Sasha—where—?" His voice cracked, raw and terrified. "Did they... are they okay? Did someone bring them in?"
The nurse paused, looking at him in slight confusion. "There was… no one else with you," she said gently. "You were brought in alone."
That didn't make any sense. He remembered the gunshot. He remembered Nico grabbing him. He remembered stepping in front of the bullet like an idiot because someone was aiming at Nico's back and Nico still had a daughter who needed him—
