"Help!"

"Aidez-moi!" Help me!

I woke suddenly, a cry escaping me as Dimitri's and Noemi's terrified shouts echoed in my mind. Will was asleep in a chair beside the bed, but even before he awoke, his eyes snapped open at the sound. For a heartbeat, his unfocused gaze held mine before clearing.

He blinked several times, rubbed his face, then gently reached for me. "It's okay, Lia. It was just a nightmare. You're safe," he murmured, placing his hands on my arms and rubbing soothing circles.

His face seemed to swim before my eyes, yet I couldn't truly see him. Instead, I glimpsed the ruins of a familiar bookshop, the scene engulfing me.

The air felt thick and suffocating. Every breath was a struggle as I choked on smoke and ash. Flames flickered around me, stinging my eyes and scorching my skin as I stood amid the burning books.

Voices swirled in my ears—Dimitri's frantic shouts, Noemi's desperate cries, Will's steady yell—all blending into chaos.

"Help!"

"Aidez-moi!" Help me!

"MALIA! Lia, can you hear me? Yell back if you can hear me!"

A distant, firm voice broke through the chaos, filled with urgency and reassurance. "Malia, this is Will—your boyfriend. You're in the hospital, not in Montgues. You're safe here in Chalmet. I'm right here with you."

A frantic wheeze escaped me, ending in another cry. I tried to breathe, but the smoke and ash choked me as they filled my mouth. Gently, I felt hands slip into mine, squeezing with warmth and strength.

I clung to Will's voice as he began to speak, focusing on his calming words while trying to drown out the images tearing through my mind. "Focus on my voice and the feel of my hands in yours. What you are seeing is not real. It's a flashback. The fire happened yesterday. You're here now, safe with me. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again. I've got you, my love. I've got you."

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, echoing the flames around me. My body trembled uncontrollably as I collapsed into Will's arms. "Focus on my voice and the feel of my hands. What you are seeing is not real. It's a flashback. The fire was yesterday. You're here now, safe with me. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again. I've got you, my love. I've got you."

A choked gasp escaped my lips as fresh air flooded into my lungs, steadying my breathing. His embrace was warm and reassuring, even as I shook violently. When I finally opened my eyes and pulled away, the surroundings made no sense. The walls, the floor, the furniture—they were all pristine, untouched by fire or smoke.

My voice was faint and uncertain as I spoke, trembling with disbelief. "N-no. You're not—you're not real." Swallowing hard, I still tasted ash and smoke on my tongue. "You—you're not real."

His voice echoed in my ears, gentle yet firm. "Yes, I am. Focus on my voice and the feel of my hand in yours. What you are seeing is not real. It's a flashback. The fire was yesterday. You're here now, safe with me. I promise."

Without even realizing I'd closed them, I—hesitantly—opened my eyes again. Will's calm, reassuring face filled my gaze. Gently, he placed my hand over his chest, where the steady rhythm of his heartbeat echoed under my palm. Tears spilled from my eyes as I pressed my face into his chest, crying softly. "Breathe, Lia. Take slow, deep breaths. You're doing so well, my love."

My body felt as if it had forgotten how to breathe. I gasped, feeling as though I was trying to breathe through a pinched straw. My chest heaved rapidly, making my head spin—in, out, in, out. I counted aloud, but the oxygen still felt out of reach.

Finally, a small rush of air entered my lungs. I gulped it down like a starved woman, coughing loudly. I could feel Will nodding gently, encouraging me. "I'm right here. Keep breathing, Lia."

He rubbed soothing circles on my back as I did what he said. With each ragged breath, clarity returned. Tears welled in my eyes as oxygen filled my lungs. Every breath brought on a coughing fit.

I sobbed into his chest, trembling from the lingering fear and panic. The sound of footsteps approaching made me flinch, but I clung desperately to Will, feeling like a sinking ship and him my only anchor. When he spoke softly near my ear, I didn't move. "Can you sit up? I won't leave, but Mom wants to check on you," he said softly.

I began to hiccup as I reluctantly pulled away from him. The terror, exhaustion, adrenaline, and sadness from the flashback were slowly ebbing from my body, leaving behind a heaviness that draped over me like a blanket. Julie appeared at my side moments later, eyes filled with concern as she scanned my face. "How's your head now, sweetie? Can you manage something to eat?"

My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. My stomach was empty, but hunger gnawed at me as I realized I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten. I nodded, immediately regretting the motion as my head spun. "O-okay."

Julie quietly slipped out of the room, but I barely noticed. I kept my eyes on Will's face, as though he'd vanish if I looked away. "W-what if he comes back?" I hadn't meant to think the question, much less voice it, but there it was. We hadn't seen or heard from Declan since the emotional trial weeks ago, but after the fire, I couldn't shake the lingering feeling that he would find a way to come back. To take me away for real this time.

The steely determination in Will's gaze, not to mention the tension that filled his body at the words, made my breath catch in my throat. "I won't let him try to take you away from us again. Besides, neither Declan nor Daniela would be foolish enough to violate the terms of the custody hearing. They cannot initiate a visit with you; only you can decide if and when you want to see them. No one can force you to see them. You don't ever have to see them again if you don't want to."

When Liv spoke, I flinched. I'd completely forgotten she was still in the room. "You are safe with us, Malia. We all love you, and we will do everything we can to keep you—"

A knock on the door cut her off. Thinking it was Julie with the food, I opened my mouth to tell her to come in, but froze when a weary voice floated toward me. "Malia? Are you—are you better?"

My heart clenched painfully when I recalled Julie's words from yesterday. "As for Noemi, aside from a nasty concussion, she's going to make a full recovery."

Tears filled my eyes and flowed down my cheeks as a sob shuddered through me. Noemi! She was awake!

Afraid to hope, I covered my mouth with my hands as I shook my head. "N-Noemi?" My voice was barely a whisper, weak and fearful. I turned to Will, searching his face for answers.

Will nodded encouragingly as he squeezed my hand. "She's okay, Lia. And Dimitri will be, too."

Before I realized what I was doing, I struggled out of bed and hobbled to the door, needing to see with my own eyes that Noemi was okay. Will jumped up to steady me as I opened the door, but nothing short of unconsciousness would keep me from reaching her. I fell into her arms, unable to stop sobbing. Silent sobs shook Noemi's body as we clung to each other; neither of us let go for a few long, silent moments.

When we finally broke apart, we clutched each other's hands. My voice was hoarse and uncertain as I finally spoke. "Dimitri... the beam... his arm..." Words failed me as I stared at Noemi.

She blinked away tears as she smiled, but it was wobbly. "Dimitri is strong. And very brave. You are, too. I cannot believe you made it out of bookshop while carrying Dimitri and without your crutch. I was afraid you wouldn't make it out. Dimitri will be very glad to hear that you are awake and doing better. He has been asking about you ever since he woke up."

I couldn't stop the sob of relief that escaped, nor the coughing that followed. The breath that wheezed out was thin and reedy—like I was breathing through a straw. Deep, hacking coughs shook my body; my eyes watered as my desperate lungs seized. Will lunged for me, his eyes wide as they locked on mine. "You're okay, Lia. Just breathe. Watch me."

Frantic, feeble wheezes escaped my lips as I clawed at my chest. The harder I tried to inhale, the more my lungs closed up. I tried to suck in a breath to cough, thinking that would help, but I couldn't even manage that. Deep, hacking coughs shook my body as I struggled to rid my mouth of the lingering taste of ash and smoke. 

I felt hands on me, gripping my arms as Will and Liv led me back to the bed. "I–I can't—" I wheezed, my exhausted body moments away from giving out. I dimly heard Liv shout for Julie, but I was clinging to consciousness by the thinnest of threads.

Images sliced through my mind like a knife through flesh, leaving me panicked and disoriented. I saw Dimitri pinned beneath a burning beam in their bookshop, trapped. I watched Noemi run back inside to save Dimitri, but ultimately was unable to. "No!" I screamed, the word ending in a shrill scream.

Hands gripped mine, warm and reassuring. Voices—firm, gentle, soft, loud—swirled around in my head as I fought to catch my breath.

"She's... responding. BP... heart rate are skyrocketing."

"We need to... her to calm down. She's going... shock."

"Malia? Malia, can you... me? Malia!"

Was that my name? I thought I recognized the last voice, but in my delirium, I couldn't be sure. I screamed and shied away when I felt hands on me, curling into a ball and trying to make myself as small as possible.

The sharp, stinging prick of a needle piercing my arm abruptly ended my struggles. My eyes rolled back in my head as darkness took over my vision. My body was numb, but my mind was working overtime. The images that penetrated the haze that hung over my mind like a cloud were awful and terrifying. I watched Declan pull me out of Will's car, intent on taking me away from them. I saw myself rush into the burning bookshop to help Dimitri and Noemi before I glimpsed the latter lifeless in her brother's arms.

I was drifting just below the surface of consciousness, motionless, yet desperately trying to break through the haze. Voices, hazy and distant, barely managed to pierce the veil that separated me from true consciousness. "BP and heart rate... steady. The sedative... wearing off."

"She's going... be disoriented when she wakes up. We need to... her calm."

My senses came back simultaneously, yet slowly. I opened my eyes to slits, closing them almost immediately as a beam of light hit my eyes. I groaned as a bolt of pain shot through my head, the sound almost inaudible. The sound of beeping monitors and hushed, muffled voices filled my ears, though I couldn't make out the words over the pounding in my head or the sound of the monitors.

I heard shuffling noises, then involuntarily tensed as someone approached the side of the bed. A warm, soft hand slipped into mine and squeezed gently. As I used every ounce of willpower to break through the haze, I thought I recognized the voice when the words finally registered. "It's Will. I'm right here, Lia. You're safe, my love. I promise."

I hesitantly cracked open an eye, biting back a wince at the light. A blurry face filled my vision, but after a few blinks, my entire body relaxed as I glimpsed Will's face. "You... you're here." My voice was hoarse and thin; it felt like I was speaking into a tunnel.

I felt my lips stretch into a weak smile. Will squeezed my hand again before leaning down to brush a kiss along my forehead. "I never left. You had a panic attack and couldn't calm down. The doctors had to come sedate you." Something in his voice made me look at him again, and my heart jolted in my chest as I noticed his expression.

His gaze was distant and haunted as he stared at me—like he was scared I'd vanish if he looked away, but he wasn't truly seeing me either. One hand gently gripped mine, while the other was clenched into a fist on the arm of the chair he sat in. As my surroundings became clearer, so did my mind. "Noemi... Dimitri..." My voice trailed off when I began coughing.

I felt more than saw Will shake his head as he gently moved me to a sitting position. His voice was hesitant when he spoke again, like he feared my reaction to the words he'd yet to voice. "They're fine. Dimitri's awake, but almost all the muscles in his arm were shattered by the beam. He's going to have to endure intense physical therapy when he eventually gets released—in Chalmet."

He ran a shaking hand down his face as he exhaled a tense breath. "Noemi refused to be separated from him, so they're both coming to the house after they're released. Liv will stay with me in my room; Dimitri and Noemi will take hers."

I couldn't stop the tears that streamed down my cheeks as the images resurfaced in my mind, piercing my heart like the glass from the windshield had pierced my face. Declan pulling me out of Will's car, intent on taking me away from them; myself rushing into the burning bookshop to save Dimitri and Noemi before I glimpsed the latter lifeless in her brother's arms.

Will pulled me into his arms, but even the warmth and safety of his embrace weren't enough to shield me from the trauma I'd already suffered. "It's okay, Lia. You're safe. We're all safe." Though his voice was steady, I heard just a hint of uncertainty under his words.

I wanted to respond, but my eyelids began growing heavy again. Will leaned in and kissed my forehead, lingering for a few seconds before pulling back. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you wake up."

As much as he wanted his words to prove true, I knew the likelihood of the opposite coming true was a possibility. None of us could predict what the coming days would bring. And that—more than the fate of Noemi and Dimitri—filled me with bone-chilling terror that I felt down to my bones.