Morning came quietly through the hospital windows.
Soft light.
No rush.
No noise.
Just a slow, pale glow that slid across the walls and settled into the corners of the private recovery room.
The machines were steady now.
Not urgent.
Not chaotic.
Just consistent beeping that proved one thing—
he was still here.
Izana lay unmoving on the bed.
Unconscious.
Breathing low and controlled through the monitors.
His face was still pale from everything he had been through, but no longer trapped in that edge between life and loss.
Now it was different.
Now it was recovery.
Leah hadn't moved from the chair beside him.
Same position.
Same hand holding his.
Same silence she had been living in for hours that turned into a night without meaning.
Her fingers were wrapped gently around his hand like she was afraid that if she loosened even slightly, the world would take him again.
Her other hand rested lightly over her stomach.
Protective.
Always there now.
"…You're still here."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Tired.
But steady.
"…That's all I need right now."
Behind her, Dante stood near the wall.
Arms crossed.
Silent.
Watching without interrupting.
Elias sat further back, his presence calm, controlled, as if he had already accepted that this room would stay like this for a while.
No one rushed her.
No one asked her to leave.
Because everyone understood something simple now—
she wasn't moving.
Not yet.
A nurse stepped in quietly.
Checked the monitors.
Adjusted a line.
Looked at Leah.
"…You should try to rest properly. Even sitting like this—."
Leah didn't look away from Izana.
"…I am resting."
The nurse hesitated.
"…This isn't real rest."
Leah's grip tightened slightly on his hand.
Not angry.
Just firm.
"…I said I'm fine."
Dante exhaled quietly from the side of the room but didn't interfere.
The nurse eventually nodded and stepped out again.
The door closed softly behind her.
Silence returned.
Leah leaned slightly forward, her forehead almost close to Izana's hand.
"…You always used to say mornings were important."
A pause.
Her voice softened further.
"…You used to wake up and say good morning to him."
Her thumb brushed gently over his knuckles.
"…He doesn't know what that sounds like without you."
The room stayed still.
Machines continued their steady rhythm.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Then—
Leah froze.
Her breath caught slightly.
Her hand shifted instinctively to her stomach.
"…Oh…"
A pause.
She blinked slowly, as if unsure what she had just felt.
Then it came again.
A small movement.
Inside her.
Clear.
Real.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Zarek…"
Another kick followed immediately after.
Stronger this time.
More definite.
Leah let out a shaky breath.
Her hand pressed more firmly against her stomach now.
"…Hey…"
Her voice broke just slightly.
"…That's you."
Another kick.
Almost like a response.
Leah's lips parted slightly as tears gathered without permission.
"…You're awake for this."
She looked down at her stomach fully now.
Her voice softened.
"…This is the first time, isn't it?"
Another movement answered her.
Leah swallowed hard.
Her fingers trembled.
"…Zarek…"
She said his name again, slower this time.
Like she was memorizing the feeling of it.
Then something shifted in her expression.
Not sadness.
Not fear.
Something more complicated.
"…This is the time he would've said good morning."
Silence.
Her hand stayed on her stomach.
Her voice became quieter.
"…He would've kissed you."
A pause.
"…Every morning."
Her eyes softened as another kick followed.
"…You know him already, don't you?"
She let out a small breath that sounded almost like a laugh, but it broke halfway.
"…You recognize him."
The kick came again.
More active now.
Leah closed her eyes for a moment.
"…He used to talk to you like you could hear him."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"…Like you were already here."
She opened her eyes again and looked toward Izana.
Still unconscious.
Still breathing.
Still not awake.
But there.
Still there.
"…You're reacting to him."
Her voice lowered.
"…Even now."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
She didn't wipe it away.
The movement inside her continued softly.
Not frantic.
Not painful.
Just alive.
Leah leaned slightly closer to Izana again, still holding his hand.
"…He would've been smiling right now."
A pause.
Her thumb brushed his hand again.
"…You know that, don't you?"
The door opened quietly behind them.
Dante stepped back inside.
Paused when he saw her expression.
"…What happened?"
Leah hesitated for a second.
Then answered softly.
"…He kicked."
Dante's eyes shifted immediately.
"…Already?"
Leah nodded.
Still looking down.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
Then quieter:
"…For him."
Dante's gaze moved briefly to Izana.
Something unreadable passed through his expression.
"…He would've liked that."
Leah let out a slow breath.
"…He would've never stopped talking about it."
Elias entered shortly after.
He looked between them, then at the monitor readings.
"…Stable reaction."
Leah glanced up slightly.
"…Is that good?"
Elias nodded once.
"…It's good."
Leah looked back down at her stomach.
Another small movement followed, softer now.
She smiled faintly through exhaustion.
"…He's waiting for you."
Her voice was barely audible.
"…Both of you."
Dante stayed near the wall, quieter now.
Elias remained still, observant.
The room settled again into silence.
Not empty.
Just full in a different way.
Leah rested her head slightly closer to Izana's hand.
Her voice softened into something almost like a promise.
"…You missed it."
A pause.
"…He kicked for you."
The monitor continued its steady rhythm.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
And for the first time since everything had happened—
the silence in the room didn't feel like absence.
It felt like waiting.