Caleb's POV
The image burns behind my eyelids every time I close them. Riley in my arms, her body limp, blood soaking through her clothes. The memory has carved itself permanently into my mind, refusing to fade no matter how hard I try to push it away. Her mother was her whole world, and losing her is going to shatter Riley completely. But I refuse to abandon her through this nightmare.
She needs all of us when she finally opens her eyes again.
With that resolve strengthening in my chest, I force myself to leave the hospital long enough to go home, wash off the stale smell of antiseptic and fear, change into clean clothes, and return to her bedside where I belong.
Days have crawled by since the doctors first allowed us to see her, and nothing has changed according to the medical staff. I settle back into the uncomfortable chair beside her bed, wrapping my fingers around her still hand. The machines continue their steady rhythm, the only sound breaking the oppressive silence.
