Chapter 18

Elena sat by her brother’s bed, watching him as he slept peacefully like he had been since the night of his car accident. She watched him breathe with the oxygen mask strapped to his face, and her heart ached. She hated seeing him like this, so helpless and vulnerable. It killed her inside every time she looked at him, knowing that there was nothing she could do to make it any easier on him.

She sighed softly as she ran her fingers through his hair, brushing aside a few strands from his forehead. “Josh,” she whispered while leaning down and planting a tender kiss on his cheek. “I miss you, Josh. Aren’t you tired of being like this? Of all this sleep? You should wake up now, really, it’s too much. Please.”

But Josh didn’t reply. Instead, he kept breathing steadily, as if nothing else mattered in the world.

“Come on, Josh,” tears pricked at her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Please, wake up. I need you to wake up. I can’t live your life for you, you know. You have a son. He comes to