"Of course you can."
They sat together in the quiet of the recovery room—Dakota with Takoda in her lap, both of them watching over Cooper as he slept.
The morning light crept slowly across the floor, and somewhere in the distance, the sounds of the estate stirring to life filtered faintly through the windows.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Dakota allowed herself to simply breathe.
---
Kade returned to the medical wing nearly an hour later. He found Dakota exactly where he had left her, though now Takoda was curled up beside her, half-asleep against her mother's shoulder, and Cooper was still resting quietly.
The breakfast tray had been partially emptied—enough to satisfy him that Dakota had eaten something.
He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching them. There was something about the scene—his wife and daughter keeping vigil over his son, all three of them safe and together—that made the tight knot of tension in his chest loosen just slightly.
