Blanche's POV
The emergency room reeked of antiseptic and fear. Oswald lay tangled in a web of wires and monitors, machines beeping their urgent warnings into the sterile air.
I took one look at the readings and knew how bad things were. My medical training kicked in automatically, cataloging the critical signs.
Zain and I rushed to the bedside. Oswald's face was ghost-white, his eyes barely cracked open. My chest tightened at the sight.
"Blanche..." Oswald's voice came out paper-thin.
I grabbed his hand, blinking back tears. "I'm here, Grandpa."
He was the reason I'd gotten to marry Zain in the first place. Without his stubborn insistence, I never would've ended up with the man I'd actually wanted. Even though everything went sideways later, Oswald had been my champion when it mattered most.
All these years of marriage, he'd never stopped treating me like family. I owed him everything.
Oswald's fingers brushed mine before he turned to Zain. "Zain..."
