The door clicked softly as the female doctor slipped out, her footsteps fading down the corridor. For a heartbeat the room was silent except for the hiss of oxygen and the faint buzz of fluorescent lights.
Then the door opened again.
Raymond stepped inside, shoulders squared as if bracing for impact, but his eyes already shining. The moment Sofia saw him, her composure cracked. Her lips trembled and the tears she'd been holding back spilled freely.
"Dad..." Her voice was a whisper, barely more than breath. Adam's hand was still wrapped around her.
Raymond crossed the distance in three long strides and bent to hug his daughter, his arms closing around her as if he could shield her from the world. "Thank God," he murmured, kissing her forehead, his own voice breaking. "Thank God you're safe, Sofia."
