“I don’t know.”
“Don’t let me forget it belongs to us.”
“I won’t.”
He fell asleep with my fingers pressed against his chest.
I watched him breathe.
Every few minutes, I checked the time. His color. The rise and fall beneath my hand. His pupils when I woke him gently enough to make him curse at me.
The cursing reassured me.
After forty minutes, he sank into deeper sleep.
I called Caleb from the hall.
“How is he?”
“Sleeping.”
“Is the doctor worried?”
“We’re observing. No emergency signs yet.”
“Owen wants to know whether we should take down the radio.”
“No. Keep it off.”
“What about the work?”
“Close early.”
“We can finish the launch prep.”
“I’ll come down.”
“No.”
His refusal stopped me.
“Caleb.”
“You are staying upstairs.”
“I need to secure the bay.”
“Owen and I understand locks.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
I leaned against the wall.
The strain of the afternoon hit me all at once, leaving me heavy to the bone.
“I’ll call before you leave.”
