Page 67 of Fallen Empire

God, I was such an asshole.

The guilt was suffocating as I sank deeper into the chair, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here.

I’d done that to her.

All of it.

He’d found her because of the choicesIfucking made for her.

“Millie,” Savannah said softly, her voice fragile but certain, “there’s nothing you could’ve done to stop him from finding me. I would’ve spent years on the run and hiding. And now…”

Her eyes met mine.

“Now, I might be a little damaged, yeah. But I’m alive. And I’m free. So, if you want to dwell on something…let it be that you are the one person that set me free.”

I looked at her, not fully convinced. The weight of everything we’d all done, or failed to do, still pressing down on my shoulders.

“No,” I said. “Technically, you have Bruce to thank for being a crap shooter.”

She laughed—and this time, she didn’t hide the pain behind it.

The door creaked open again, and Nurse Ruth reappeared with a tray in her hands and a knowing look on her face.

“I brought a few things,” she said, setting it down on the tray table and wheeling it closer. “Jell-O, applesauce, a little water, and a few ice chips in case her throat gives her trouble again.”

Her tone was neutral, but her eyes lingered on me just long enough to say:Don’t test me again.

She turned to Savannah. “Pain level now?”

Savannah hesitated, then glanced at me before answering. “Nine.”

“Honest. Good.” Ruth nodded, clearly pleased with that. “You need to take it easy, Ms. Sinclair. The next few days will be about rest and recovery, not trying to prove how strong you are. Got it?”

Savannah gave a soft, hoarse “Got it,” and I moved to help, unscrewing the cap on the water and offering it to her first. She took a few sips, slow and careful, before nodding for me to grab the applesauce next.

I fed her in small bites, scooping gently while Ruth moved around the bed, checking her vitals and jotting them down on the board next to the door. The steady beeps of the monitor and the scratch of her pen were the only sounds for a while. Savannah finished off the applesauce and motioned for the Jell-O.

“Vitals are stable,” Ruth said after a moment, inserting a syringe of medication into the IV line and gently flushing it.“This should help with the pain. You’ll probably start to feel sleepy soon.”

Savannah didn’t answer right away—she was busy polishing off the last bite of orange Jell-O, her face lit up like she’d just won the lottery. I handed her one last sip of water before wiping a bit of Jell-O from her chin with a napkin, earning a dramatic eye roll.

“Don’t give me that look,” I said, grinning. “You have dignity and Jell-O all in the same bite. That’s talent.”

Her eyelids drooped as she chuckled softly. “You’re annoying.”

“And you’re tired.”

She didn’t argue. Her body was already sagging deeper into the bed, the meds pulling her under.

“Get some rest,” I whispered, brushing a piece of hair away from her face. “I’ll be right here.”

Her breathing slowed, soft and even.

For now, she was safe. And that was all I could ask for.

Chapter 16

Jaxson