Weight

Camden sat in the waiting area, the letter gripped tightly between his fingers. He hadn't opened it yet. He couldn't. His mind was a storm of emotions, guilt and fear colliding in ways that made his stomach churn. He turned the paper over in his hands, staring at his own handwriting, as if it held all the answers he desperately needed.

He wanted to go back. To undo it all. To change the last conversation they'd had, to fight harder, to be there sooner. He imagined Naomi's voice reading his words, imagined the moment she must have found it. Did she cry? Did she feel the weight of his regret, his love, his mistakes?

The doors to the OR swung open, and Camden shot to his feet, his heart hammering against his ribs. Alexis did the same, wiping at her tear-streaked face as the surgeon approached them.

"She's stable, but critical. It's still touch and go."

Camden's breath hitched, his pulse roaring in his ears. "What does that mean?"

The surgeon sighed, rubbing a tired hand over his face. "She had severe internal bleeding. Her spleen had to be removed, and there was significant trauma to her liver and one of her kidneys. We repaired what we could, but we’ll have to monitor her closely for any further complications. She also suffered multiple skull fractures—there was swelling, but we've managed to control it for now."

Camden felt his knees go weak. He swallowed hard, bracing himself. "And...and her brain?"

"We won’t know the full extent until she wakes up," the surgeon admitted. "The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are critical."

Alexis covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head as more tears fell. Camden could hardly breathe. Naomi had fought so hard. But now, it was a waiting game.

The surgeon hesitated before continuing. "There’s...something else."

Both Camden and Alexis snapped their attention back to him, dreading whatever came next.

The surgeon exhaled slowly. "Naomi is pregnant."

Silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.

Camden felt the world tilt. His vision blurred. Pregnant? Naomi was pregnant?

Alexis let out a strangled sob, her entire body trembling as she turned away, pressing her hands to her face. "Oh my God," she whispered through her tears. "Oh my God."

Camden's grip tightened around the letter, his knuckles white. He staggered backward, his mind reeling. Naomi was carrying his child. And now, she was fighting for both their lives.

Tears burned his eyes as he sucked in a shaky breath, his heart aching with a pain so deep it was unbearable.

He couldn’t lose her.

He couldn’t lose them.