Chapter 175 CHAPTER 175: SILENCE
The hospital had begun to feel like a second home to Wayne.
Not the kind anyone would want, but the kind you are forced to endure when the people you love are fighting for their lives behind glass walls and machines.
It had been five days since Elara had fallen into a coma.
Five days of the same sounds.
Five days of the same cold air.
Five days of praying.
Wayne sat beside Elara’s hospital bed, his elbows resting on his knees while his fingers gently held her hand. Her skin was warm, but still far too pale for his liking.
Machines surrounded her.
A ventilator breathed softly beside her.
Monitors beeped steadily, displaying the fragile rhythm of her heart.
Wayne stared at the numbers as if watching them would somehow keep them steady.
“Hey, baby,” he whispered softly.
His voice had grown hoarse from the lack of sleep.
“I know you can hear me.”
He rubbed his thumb slowly across the back of her hand.
“You always told me I talk too much… so I’m going to keep talking until you wake up and complain again.”
His lips trembled slightly.
“You don’t get to leave me like this, Elara.”
The only response was the quiet beep of the machines.
Wayne hadn’t slept more than two hours since the night Calvin shot her.
The guilt had planted itself deep in his chest.
Every moment replayed in his mind.
The gun.
The sound of the shot.
Elara stepping in front of him.
Her body collapsing.
Her blood soaking through his hands.
He clenched his jaw.
“This should have been me,” he muttered.
A tear slipped down his cheek, landing softly on Elara’s hand.
“I was supposed to protect you.”
His shoulders shook slightly.
“You protected me instead.”
He leaned forward, resting his forehead gently against their intertwined hands.
“I’m so sorry.”
A nurse knocked softly on the door.
“Mr. Brooks?”
Wayne looked up quickly.
“Yes?”
“She’s doing well today.”
Wayne immediately stood.
The nurse smiled softly.
“She’s gaining strength. The doctors want to monitor her breathing for a few more days, but she’s responding very well for a premature baby.”
A breath Wayne didn’t realize he was holding escaped his lungs.
“Can I see her?”
“Of course.”
The neonatal intensive care unit was warm and quiet.
Soft lights filled the room instead of the harsh hospital lighting in other areas.
Tiny incubators lined the walls, each one protecting a fragile life fighting to grow stronger.
Wayne walked slowly toward the one at the far corner.
His daughter lay inside.
Small.
Delicate.
But alive.
Her tiny chest rose and fell steadily.
Wayne placed his hands gently against the glass.
“Hey, princess,” he whispered.
The baby stirred slightly.
Her tiny fingers twitched.
Wayne’s heart melted.
“I wish your mom could see you right now.”
His voice softened even more.
“She’s the strongest woman I know.”
He smiled faintly.
“You look like her.”
A nurse approached quietly.
“Would you like to hold her today?”
Wayne froze.
“Hold her?”
She nodded.
“She’s stable enough for skin-to-skin contact. It can actually help her grow stronger.”
Wayne’s chest tightened.
“Yes.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“Yes… please.”
The nurse carefully lifted the tiny baby from the incubator and placed her gently against Wayne’s chest.
He sat down slowly in the chair, terrified he might do something wrong.
“She’s so small,” he whispered.
The nurse smiled.
“She’s stronger than she looks.”
Wayne looked down at her tiny face.
Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was steady.
He carefully supported her fragile body.
“Hi,” he murmured.
“I’m your dad.”
The baby made a tiny sound.
Wayne chuckled softly.
“That’s right… I’m the guy who’s been talking to you through the glass for days.”
He swallowed hard.
“Your mom is going to love you so much.”
His eyes filled with tears again.
“She’s just… taking a little longer to wake up.”
After an hour, Wayne returned to Elara’s room.
The baby had been placed back into the incubator to rest.
Wayne sat down beside Elara again.
“You should see her,” he whispered.
“She’s beautiful.”
He smiled weakly.
“She has your nose.”
He gently brushed Elara’s hair away from her face.
“And she already has your stubbornness.”
He laughed softly.
“She’s fighting like you.”
He leaned closer.
“You’d be proud of her.”
The machines continued their steady rhythm.
Wayne sighed.
“You’d probably tell me I’m holding her wrong.”
He mimicked her voice playfully.
“Wayne, support the neck!”
His smile faded slowly.
“I need you to come back.”
Later that evening, a police officer arrived.
Wayne stepped out into the hallway.
“Mr. Brooks.”
Wayne crossed his arms.
“What is it?”
“Calvin has been officially charged.”
Wayne’s eyes darkened.
“With attempted murder, kidnapping, and illegal firearm possession.”
Wayne nodded slowly.
“Good.”
The officer continued.
“He’s being held in maximum security until trial.”
Wayne’s jaw clenched.
“Does he know she survived?”
“Yes.”
Wayne stared down the hallway for a moment.
“Did he say anything?”
The officer hesitated.
“He said… everything still belongs to him.”
Wayne’s hands tightened into fists.
“That includes you, your wife… and the baby.”
A cold silence filled the hallway.
Wayne slowly exhaled.
“He’s never getting near them again.”
The officer nodded.
“That’s why we’re increasing security around the hospital.”
Wayne returned to Elara’s room.
The lights were dimmed.
The machines hummed quietly.
He pulled the chair closer to the bed.
“I just heard about Calvin,” he said softly.
“He’s locked up.”
He squeezed her hand.
“He can’t hurt you anymore.”
He leaned closer.
“I swear… he will never get near our daughter.”
Wayne brushed his fingers across Elara’s cheek.
“You just have to wake up.”
His voice broke.
“I can’t raise her without you.”
He rested his head beside her hand again.
“She needs you.”
His eyes slowly closed.
For the first time in days, exhaustion finally claimed him.
Wayne fell asleep beside the hospital bed.
Still holding her hand.
Still waiting.
Still hoping.
And somewhere deep inside the silence of her unconscious mind…
Elara’s fingers twitched slightly.