Rei opened the door to the room he and Ethan had been given. His father still slept, curled beneath the blanket, dark circles beneath his eyes, his arm draped over a notebook half-filled with chemical formulas.
Rei approached quietly and crouched beside the bed. "Father..." he whispered.
No response.
He touched Ethan's shoulder gently. "Father."
Ethan stirred. His brows furrowed, then relaxed as he blinked awake. "Rei...?"
Rei tried to stay calm—but his voice cracked slightly. "It's working."
Ethan sat bolt upright.
At Eleanor's room
The doctor didn't move. He stood frozen, eyes fixed on Eleanor's face as her brow twitched again, deeper this time. Her lips parted. Her head shifted ever so slightly against the pillow.
He reached for the call button—then paused. Something told him not to bring in the entire staff just yet. This wasn't an emergency. It was a miracle.
He leaned closer. "Eleanor?" he said gently. "Can you hear me?"
A flicker. Her eyelashes twitched.
Then, like a slow tide returning to the shore, her eyes fluttered open.
The doctor's breath caught in his throat.
Her gaze was glassy, unfocused, but alive. It took a moment for her to find him, to anchor herself in the moment. But when she did, her lips moved.
"...Where...?"
"Shh," the doctor said, kneeling beside her bed. "You're safe. At the hospital. Can you tell me your name?"
She blinked slowly. Then—hoarse, barely audible—"Eleanor."
The doctor smiled, eyes brimming with disbelief. "Good. Very good."
Her gaze drifted to the ceiling, unfocused again. "The baby...?"
"They're still with you," he said. "And for the first time... you're both stable."
Eleanor didn't respond. Her eyes slid closed again—not unconscious, just exhausted.
She had surfaced. And that was enough.
By the time Ethan arrived, Eleanor's eyes were closed again, but her breathing remained steady. Color had returned to her face. Her fingers twitched now and then. The doctor stood nearby, watching the monitors, but it was her—her presence—that Ethan zeroed in on. He approached slowly, almost afraid it was another hallucination brought on by exhaustion. But no—her eyelids stirred as he knelt beside her.
"Ela..." he whispered, taking her hand.
Her eyes opened once more, and this time, they found him. "...Ethan?"
He smiled—trembling. "Yeah. I'm here."
She blinked and took a deep breath.
He whispered. "I did it." his voice cracked.
Her fingers curled faintly around his. Weak, but warm. He held her close and tight, his eyes closed tightly. Overwhelmed by relief again.
The doctor watched from the other side of the bed, silent. His expression unreadable.
"This changes everything," he said finally.
Ethan opened his eyes.
The doctor continued. "If the reaction holds... it's not just a success. It's historic."
Ethan's vision adjusted back to Eleanor and closed his eyes again, holding her hand tightly.