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“Please,” I say.

As she picks up the phone, I glance at Nico. “Post-op. Does that mean they got him a kidney?”

Nico shrugs. “No clue but I fucking hope so.”

As we wait, I text Laney again, my need to see her like a drumbeat in my chest. “Where the hell is Laney?”

He shrugs, checking his own phone. “She hasn’t texted?”

I shake my head and try calling her.

Voicemail.

My stomach knots tighter. She wouldn’t sleep through a call. Not tonight.

The elevator dings and the nurse gestures. “Second floor, someone will meet you there.”

We take the elevator up, the fluorescent lights making my skin feel tighter, like I’m wearing something that doesn’t fit. I run a hand through my hair and tap the phone against my thigh.

“She was at the hospital,” I mutter. “Waiting. Holding it together for Lucas and Sam.”

“She’s probably passed out,” Nico says. “Think about what she’s been through. That’s a lot of emotional weight.”

“Yeah,” I murmur. “I know.” But my fingers don’t stop twitching.

The elevator opens and we step into a quieter corridor. Less foot traffic. The hum of machines filters down the hallway, along with the occasional beep, like the heart of the hospital thudding slow and steady.

I scan the signage until I spot a recovery suite marked with Joey’s name.

Just as we approach, the door cracks open and Lucas steps out.

He looks wrecked—eyes bloodshot, hair wild, scruff starting to show. But there’s a glimmer in him that wasn’t there the last time I saw him.

Relief.

“Hey,” he says, a tired smile breaking through. “You made it.”

I grab him in a hug without thinking, gripping tight. “Damn right I did.”

He claps my back. “You came through for us, man. I mean it. We wouldn’t be here without you. Without what you did. He got his fucking kidney thanks to you.”

I pull back slightly, my eyes searching his. “He’s okay?”

Lucas nods, blinking hard. “Yeah. He’s okay. Dr. Scott says the transplant went as well as they could’ve hoped. Joey’s strong. He’s already asking for cartoons.”

A breath leaves me in one long exhale. I rub a hand down my face, letting that small smile come for the first time in hours.

“And get this,” Lucas adds, voice catching. “The donor match? Came from the intake after your Berlin gig. Someone listened, Eddie. Someone signed up and saved my boy.”

I don’t even realize I’m pulling him back into a hug until I feel his arms around me again. “You would’ve done the same,” I whisper.

Lucas laughs softly. “Yeah, but I didn’t have the lungs or the crowd to do it.”

Nico smirks nearby, arms crossed. “He’s not wrong.”

Lucas finally pulls back, blinking hard. “Sam’s with Joey. You can see him later once they settle him more. I told him his Uncle Eddie was coming. He’s gonna lose it.”

“I can’t wait,” I say, warmth blooming in my chest even as another chill creeps in around the edges. “Hey,” I ask, trying to keep it casual. “You haven’t seen Laney, have you? I’ve called a couple times.”