Zeke had stopped fighting. His body had given out from the pain, and all the desperate attempts to push her away had halted.
She managed to clean the blood and help him to bed. He refused to lie down at first with his eyes still burning with that hollow hatred he didn't have the strength to express anymore.
But then his knees buckled.
Theo caught him again, lowering him gently onto the bed.
She sat beside him and placed his head on her thigh.
From then on, she held perfectly still. She wanted to erase her presence if that would help him fall asleep faster without having to keep thinking about her. She didn't want him pushing her away again because her heart couldn't take it.
So she stayed.
One hand hovered just above his hair, desperate to touch him with her fingers shaking with the need to comfort him. But she wouldn't disrespect him by giving him something he didn't want.
So she held the air.
And then, she burst into tears again.
