I finally got discharged from the hospital.
The air outside was cold and sharp, biting at my cheeks as I stepped through the automatic doors. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself, but it didn't help much. The chill seemed to seep right through the fabric, settling into my bones.
It was pitch black outside. The sky above Novaterra was clear, scattered with stars that looked like someone had thrown a handful of diamonds across black velvet. Beautiful, in a distant kind of way. The kind of beauty you noticed but couldn't quite feel.
Elio didn't want me to go home alone.
He had been hovering since Dr. Chen left, his eyes tracking my every movement, his hand never straying far from my arm. He wanted to come with me. He said it casually, like it was nothing, like he wasn't a new father with a baby waiting for him.
"I'll stay with you tonight," he had said, his voice firm. "Ziya can handle Amir. He's done it before."
