He turned back to look at her, saw the fear barely concealed beneath her exhaustion, the terror of being alone, of being abandoned again, of waking up to find this safety had been nothing but a dream.
"Then I stay," he said simply.
He crossed to the door, opened it just enough to summon the medical team, and returned to her side. When Dr. Reeves and the nurses entered, they found him seated on the bed beside Dakota, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder, a silent anchor.
---
The examination was thorough but gentle. Dr. Reeves worked with quiet efficiency, her touch careful, her voice calm as she explained each step before she took it. The nurses assisted silently, handing over supplies, documenting findings, their presence unobtrusive.
Dakota sat rigidly through most of it, her hands clenched in her lap, flinching at every touch to her face. But she didn't pull away. Didn't protest. Just endured, her eyes fixed on some distant point, breathing through the worst of it.
