YELENA I stood up slowly, the joints in my knees popping after hours of sitting. I closed Marie’s medical file with a definitive thud, the sound echoing in the quiet ward. The crisis had passed, leaving behind a heavy, sleepy stillness."Rest well now," I told her, checking her IV line one last time. "If Daniel is sneaky enough to get past the guards, fine. If not, you sleep. Tomorrow is when we start the hard work which is getting Tyler’s blood and refining it for you."Marie looked up at me, her face pale against the white pillow, but her eyes were filled with a light I hadn't seen in a while. "Thank you so much, Yelena. You really did it. You saved us."I paused, looking at her with a soft, tired expression. "I only saved you, Marie. You’re the one who saved Daniel. You fought to come back for him."She shook her head, a small, knowing smile touching her lips. "If I had died, Daniel would have died too. I felt it, Yelena. Not just in my head, but in my soul. Like a thread snappin
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