No Strings Attached

"It's going to be a tough ride for you, bunking at the hospital just to keep it real. You sure you can handle this?" he said, his voice tinged with concern.

Clara nodded her head. "I'll be fine. I practically lived at the hospital when my dad was sick, and our kiddo was still okay, wasn't he? Let me go fetch the folks outside and fill them in."

lan gently ruffled her hair, his expression softening. "You and the little one have had it rough these past days. Once we wrap up this mess, I'll whisk us away to start our own little adventure, just us."

After strategizing their next moves, Clara stepped out of the ER. As soon as everyone saw her, they crowded around.

Tears brimmed in Clara's eyes, and the pain she felt was unmistakable.

"Clara, how's lan doing?" Edwin asked, with a sense of dread, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"He's still unconscious. The doctors say he inhaled too much carbon monoxide. Even if he wakes up, he'd be

hit everyone like a punch to the

will you and the baby do? Clara, how did things get this bad? Oh, it just breaks my

whispering, "Crying like this isn't helping Clara. She's the one

"Clara, don't worry. Even if lan never wakes up, the kid's

That's not how you comfort someone. You're practically sending Clara

a mess, and I can't control my mouth." Sasha retorted, clearly irked. She

lifted to someone lurking in the distance, clearly spying. She knew she had to make her act convincing-to make the eavesdropper believe lan was truly in a

Clara said, "Go in and see him, folks. He might still hear you. In a few days, his brain might stop working