Chapter 8 - First Breaths
The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the first sound Khloe heard.
Everything hurt.
Her chest burned with every breath.
Her head throbbed with a relentless, sickening pressure.
She forced her eyes open, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital room.
A large, warm hand was holding hers.
She turned her head slowly.
Harrison was sitting in a chair beside her bed.
He was wearing a fresh suit, but the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion.
"Harry," Khloe croaked, her throat dry and raw.
Harrison immediately leaned forward, gently pressing a cup of water with a straw to her lips.
"Drink slowly," he murmured.
Khloe took a small sip, then instantly remembered the staircase.
The push.
The terrifying fall.
Panic seized her chest, making the monitors beep faster.
Her free hand flew to her stomach.
It was flat.
"My baby!" Khloe cried out, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Harry, where is my baby?"
"She is safe, Khloe."
Harrison squeezed her hand, his voice steady and grounding.
"She is in the NICU. She is small, but she is breathing on her own."
Khloe collapsed back against the pillows, sobbing with profound relief.
"Is she okay? Is she hurt?"
"She's perfect," Harrison smiled softly.
He pulled out his phone and swiped to a photo.
He held the screen in front of Khloe’s eyes.
Khloe stared at the tiny infant inside the glass incubator.
She had a head of dark hair, just like Khloe.
She was covered in wires, but she looked beautiful.
"We had to name her," Harrison said quietly. "For the medical charts."
"I told them her name was Lily."
Khloe smiled through her tears.
It was the name she had picked out months ago.
"Lily Cole," Khloe whispered.
"Not Harrington," Harrison confirmed. "The paperwork is already filed."
Khloe looked at her brother, seeing the exhaustion and the fierce protection in his eyes.
"Richard?" she asked softly.
"Gone," Harrison replied.
"Vanessa?"
"In a cell."
May you like
Harrison kissed his sister's forehead.
"The war is over, Khloe. You won."
