Morning arrived with golden sunlight spilling through the hospital windows.
For the first time in days, there were no alarms, no frantic footsteps racing through the corridors, and no urgent voices calling for surgeons. The quiet almost felt strange after everything that had happened.
Aiden woke with a stiff neck.
Sometime during the night he had fallen asleep with his head resting against the side of Noah's bed, one hand still loosely intertwined with Noah's.
He blinked a few times, trying to remember where he was.
Then he felt someone gently squeezing his fingers.
"You drool when you sleep."
Aiden's eyes shot open.
Noah was awake, watching him with an expression that was dangerously close to amusement.
"I do not."
"You do."
"I absolutely don't."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"I have evidence."
"Oh? Where?"
"My sleeve."
Aiden immediately looked at Noah's hospital gown before realizing what had happened.
"...You're joking."
A faint smile appeared on Noah's face.
"I am."
