No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

I'd only really taken a good look around the hospital room twice since waking up: once to search for Ernest, and this time, looking for something else. Dustin crouched down in front of me, his concern palpable. "Felicia, how are you feeling? Anything off?"

I was about to shake my head when a knock on the door preluded the entrance of the doctor and Conrad.

"We should get you checked out before the flight, just in case," Conrad explained, his gaze shifting to Dustin, a slight furrow forming between his brows.

I noticed the exchange as Dustin stood, making room for the doctor with an ease that left him sidelined.

After a series of checks-heart rate, blood pressure-the doctor concluded, "You're recovering well, everything looks normal."

"Thanks, Doc," Conrad expressed our gratitude.

Dustin chimed in, "I'll walk the doctor out. Gives me a chance to pack up. Rad, can you stay and chat with Felicia?"

With the door shut behind them, Conrad and I were left alone in a silence that was anything but cozy.

While I was lost in my own world, Conrad was all eyes on me, and after what felt like an eternity, he broke the silence with an apology.

"I'm sorry" caught my gaze, and even without a mirror, I knew my eyes mirrored the confusion

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have come to Houston, wouldn't have been in danger, wouldn't have lost so much blood trying to save me... and wouldn't have caused Ernest to

in my eyes, I fixated on the second button of Conrad's

had its own

you do it?

weak smile. "Because if I hadn't,

if you hadn't given that last 200cc of blood, you wouldn't

of

"You've got to finish what you start, right? If I stopped halfway, and you

600cc?" :

something struck me, and I lifted my gaze to meet his. "Conrad, don't overthink it. If it were a stranger in your place that day, I would've done the

"Absolutely!" I asserted.

flicker of disappointment crossed his face, and

because we share the same

Plus, we grew up together, how could I stand by