Eric’s fingers curled around the edge of the blanket, knuckles white. “Megan just—she gets under my skin.”

Hadley didn’t comment. Instead, she reached for the bowl of soup resting on the tray, dipped the spoon, and blew gently to cool it. Testing the temperature with a light touch to her lips, she turned to him.

“Want some?” she asked softly.

Eric’s lips lifted into a faint, boyish smile. His eyes, though tired, gleamed with quiet gratitude. “Yes, please.”

He looked unexpectedly gentle like this—almost shy.

Hadley brought the spoon to his lips. “Here.”

He accepted it without hesitation, obediently parting his lips. And just like that, she fed him—one spoonful at a time.

Hadley lowered her gaze, and a stillness settled over the room—punctuated only by the soft clink of the spoon against the ceramic bowl.

“Hadley?” Eric’s voice broke the silence, hushed and uncertain. He looked at her downturned face, at the way her lashes trembled, and swallowed tightly. “Are you upset?”

“Yes,” she said simply. Without looking at him, she lifted another spoonful of soup and held it to his lips. “I am upset.”

Eric quickly took the spoonful and asked, “Why?”

Hadley met his gaze, her voice sharper this time. “Then you tell me—why are you refusing the surgery?”

He froze, the soup going down slower than before. “You know?”

“I do.” She frowned, her eyes narrowing. “The doctor said you should have had it already. Why are you still hesitating?”

“Because…” His voice dropped as he glanced away. “There’s only a fifty percent chance I’ll survive it.” The words hit her like a slap.

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Fifty percent. A coin toss between life and death.

The warmth of the bowl in her hand did nothing to stop the sudden chill that crept through her fingers.

“It’s not that I don’t want the surgery…” Eric gave a small, tired smile. “But if there’s a real chance I won’t make it, I can’t just lie down and let it happen—not before I’ve put everything in order. For Joy’s sake.”

And for her as well, of course. But he didn’t dare say it. He didn’t want to upset her more than he already had.

Hadley stared at him, her heart twisting. “But nothing is ever truly in order,” she said quietly. “There’ll always be loose ends.”

She didn’t know what kind of burdens he was carrying, only that every moment of delay might cost him everything.

“I know.” Eric nodded, his voice calm but weary. “I just want to do the best I can with what time I have left.”

“What if—” Her voice cracked as she cut him off. “What if I told you to stop everything right now… and get the surgery immediately?”

That made him falter. His eyes flickered with something unreadable.

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.

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