y seemed to hold its breath, suspended in the same agonizing anticipation that had gripped them all since they'd arrived a

leaned into her husband's shoulder. "This can't be happening. He

is lips quavered. "Honey, please," he muttered, his voice heavy with grief even as he

spilled down her cheeks. "He's my son, Blake. He's lying in th

let's just be hopeful," Blake enc

andon–his older brother, his hero, the one who had always been there for him. Now, that steady presence was confined to a hospital bed, fighting for his life, and Drake felt hel

squeezed his eyes shut. "Please save my brother. I'll do anything, just... don

moments of quiet weeping and desperate pleas to anyone who would listen. Blake held her close, his own eyes shadowed with the

ached them. The family stood as one, tension tightening their expressions as they waited for the news. Rita

ession gentle but grave. "I assume

odded, their throat

ignificant swelling in his brain, and we had to act quickly to alleviate the pressure. He's stable for now

legs nearly gave way. "Damage? What does

erything we can to monitor the swelling and support his recovery, but the extent of his brain injury is unknown. If he wakes up...

th as the weight of the words sank in. "If

condition. We're watching him closely, but he's in a coma, and there's no clear timeline for wh

strong for her. Drake, meanwhile, felt as though his world was crashing down. His brother–the one who had always been ther

t beside her, holding her tightly, his own face etch

psed into a chair and sobbed silently to his hands. "Landon, please. Don'

rs filling the empty halls, clinging to hope de

taking in the sterile walls of the hospital room. The memories came back in fragments-the crash, the nurse's words, the h

iar faces nearby: Drake, Landon's younger brother, and her sister, Alicia, who

realized her sister was awake. She reached out, ge

cia to Drake, whose face looked somber and weary. "Dra

out to share. "The doctor came out a while ago," he began, his voice almost a whisper. "Landon... he's in critical condition, H

t, shallow gasps. "A coma?" She shook her head, disbelief tighten

filling with tears as she tried to soothe her. "Ha

, Alicia. I need to see him... I have to be with him." Her voice broke, a sob escaping her lips as she looked at Dra

re nodding slowly. "I'll talk to the nurse, just.

a chair due to her own injuries. As they navigated the sterile hallways, her heart pounded, each beat filled wi

stark white of the pillows. Tubes and wires connected him to various machines that beeped softly, the rhythmic sounds both comforting and haunting. H

she'd just begun a new life with, looked so fragile, so

bled as she reached out, her fin

ease, you have to wake up," she sobbed, pressing her forehead against his arm. "Yo

ed how they'd looked at each other, sharing silent vows to build a life together, to grow old side by side

we'd have kids together... that you'd always be there to hold me when I needed you. Do

didn't care about anything except the man lying lifeless before her. The world felt empty, cold, without his smile, his laugh, his arm

reak. Drake's fists were clenched, his heart aching for his brother and the woman who had become family to him. H

her lips brushing his fingers. "If you can hear me... please come back to me. I c

eeping of the machines, the relentless remin