Elara I woke up to sunlight streaming through a window I didn’t recognize. For a few seconds I didn’t know where I was. The room was quiet, with white walls, a narrow hospital bed, and a small table beside me. Mountains stretched beyond the window, unfamiliar and still. Then everything came rushing back—Vincent, the garden, the gunshots, Alexander collapsing into my arms, the baby, the hospital. We had survived. I turned my head slowly, and found Alexander awake, his gray eyes already on me. For a moment neither of us spoke. I studied the bandages across his chest, the sling supporting his shoulder, and the exhaustion etched into his face. Most of all, I stared because he was alive. “Hi,” I said quietly. The corner of his mouth lifted. “Hi.” My throat tightened. “You scared me.” His smile faded slightly. “I scared myself.” I swallowed hard. For three days I had sat beside his bed, listening to machines and doctors and nurses, terrified that he wouldn’t open his
Read more