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Oh God. Eddie.

Dr. Scott scans the paper, and the moment his eyes lift, everything changes.

He smiles.

Not small. Not professional.

Radiant.

He turns to Lucas and Sam. “We’re prepping him now. He’s getting his transplant today.”

Sam’s sob bursts from her chest, and Lucas pulls her into his arms just as his own legs seem to give way. They fold into each other like a house made of pain that’s just found its foundation again. There’s joy. Disbelief. Trembling hope.

I press myself back against the wall, tears falling freely now.

I don’t belong in that moment—not in it. It’s theirs. It belongs to them, to Joey.

To that beautiful, fragile, impossible word.

Hope.

I slip away.

Back through the doors, down the hall, wiping at my cheeks with trembling fingers. I don’t want to intrude. I don’t want them to see me cry.

But this time—this time, it’s not out of fear.

It’s relief.

It’s something warm rising in my chest.

Outside, the night is cold, but I barely feel it as the wind rushes over my skin. The stars are out. The sky is open. Wide.

I press my hand to my chest, right over the ache and I whisper, “Thank you, Eddie.”

I stand under the awning just outside the ER entrance, the cool night air washing over my flushed face like balm. My lungs finally fill the whole way for what feels like the first time in hours.

Joey has a kidney.

Those four words repeat in my head, soft and shining like a lullaby I never knew I needed.

Joey has a kidney.

He’s going to have a chance.

I wipe the last of the tears from my cheeks and tuck my hair behind my ears, my fingers still shaking a little but steadier now.

A deep breath. Then another.

I’m not needed right now. Sam and Lucas have their moment. Joey is in the best hands. Eddie is on his way.

I just need to do something normal.

I head back inside, making my way toward the ward. Lucas is seated just outside Joey’s room again, this time looking like a man coming down from the edge of the world. His shoulders are still tight, his hands clasped, but there’s a flicker of something in his eyes now—relief.

He sees me approach and stands. “You heard?”

I nod, a small smile breaking across my face. “I did. I heard. I’m so happy for you guys. You deserved a miracle.”