The Next Move

Damiano

I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she lay on the hospital bed. Needles were injected into her arms, while her forehead, legs, and feet were all bandaged. Her feet were badly cut up from running through the woods barefoot. Her entire body was bruised and slowly showed discoloration.

She looked almost… lifeless.

“When will she wake up?” I asked Ellie while she changed Althaia’s blood-soaked bandages.

“It’s hard to tell… Her body shut down and is trying its best to recover after experiencing extensive trauma. And with the blood loss, too, I wouldn’t be surprised if she needed another day or two.” Ellie sighed, and I gave a short nod.

I couldn’t help but look down at Ellie’s small baby bump and then glance at Althaia’s flat stomach. My chest tightened at the sight.

I averted my eyes and looked out the window, trying to shut down from feeling anything at the moment.

But fucking hell, it was hitting hard.

I was happy for Antonio and his wife. Still, the universe was