"You said I'm your brother," he murmured.
"Yes."
"How?"
Takoda tilted her head, unsure how to explain something that seemed so obvious to her. "Because you are."
"But I don't know you."
"I didn't know you either," she admitted quietly. "But you're still my brother."
Cooper looked at her again.
The answer did not make sense to him, but somehow it felt right.
He shifted slightly beneath the covers, and the movement caused a dull ache to spread through his body. His face tightened, and Takoda immediately became worried.
"Does it hurt again?"
"A little."
She squeezed his hand gently. "Don't move too much. Uncle Elias said you're weak."
Cooper nodded obediently, settling back against the pillows. His eyes wandered around the room again, taking in the unfamiliar furniture and the physicians standing farther away. Every time he looked at them, the same uneasiness returned, but when his gaze came back to Takoda, the feeling eased.
