Short answer.
Careful voice.
Message received.
“You should eat something,” I say.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You barely ate yesterday either.”
“I’m fine.”
There it is again.
Always fine.
Wind drifts between us, carrying cold air through the silence.
Not the same silence as before.
This one feels sharp around the edges.
Like broken glass.
Olivia glances toward the shelter. “We should move before visibility improves.”
Mission talk.
Safe territory.
“Yeah.”
She nods once but doesn’t look at me again.
“Doc.”
Stephen’s voice cuts through the quiet as he climbs out of the shelter rubbing sleep from his eyes.
He stops beside Olivia with a tired smile. “Morning.”
“Morning.”
“You saved that kid last night.” He shakes his head slightly. “Honestly, that was incredible.”
Olivia immediately shrugs it off. “He’s still critical.”
“Still breathing though.” Stephen steps closer. “Because of you.”
Something ugly tightens low in my chest.
Don’t like the way he’s looking at her.
Don’t like how close he’s standing either.
Olivia looks uncomfortable under the praise, eyes dropping briefly toward the ground.
“You stayed calm,” Stephen says. “Most people wouldn’t have.”
