Keifer's POV
I stayed still.
Her hand was warm beneath my forehead, but she wasn't gripping it back. And maybe I didn't deserve her to. Not after walking out like that. Not after leaving her to face something this terrifying alone.
I closed my eyes.
"I wanted to fix it," I whispered.
Her silence burned.
"I always fix things for you, Jay. I handle chaos. I punch through walls. I chase after the monsters in your nightmares," I choked out. "But this? This… I couldn't fix."
When she didn't respond, I forced myself to look up.
She was watching me, eyes glassy. "Do you think I expected you to fix me?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "But I expected myself to. And when I couldn't, I ran."
Her expression cracked then.
"You idiot."
I blinked.
Jay let out a bitter laugh and wiped under her eyes. "You think I needed a hero when all I needed was you?"
"Jay…"
"No cape. No solution. Just you. Sitting here. Holding my hand. Breathing the same air I'm gasping through."
I swallowed. Hard.
"I left," I said again, like it hadn't hit me until now. "I left you."
"You did," she said quietly. "But you came back. That's the only reason I'm still holding on."
Jay's POV
My heart had taken so many hits today, I didn't know how it was still beating.
Keifer's fingers laced with mine. And for the first time since they said the word paralysis, I felt something like safety crawl into my ribcage.
He looked broken. Shattered. And I hated that he thought he needed to carry the weight alone.
"I'm scared, Keif," I finally admitted.
He met my eyes instantly.
"Not just about my legs. About us. About who I'll be now. About whether you'll still"
"Don't." His voice was raw. "Don't even say it."
"But—"
"I love you." He squeezed my hand. "Whether you're walking, crawling, rolling, flying—hell, even if you wanted to just lie in bed for the rest of your life watching those shows you watch I'm still here."
The tears hit harder this time.
I laughed through them. "You hate those shows."
"I'd learn to love them."
Keifer's POV
I leaned forward and kissed her knuckles, then her wrist, then her temple. Gentle. Soft. Careful. Like she might disappear if I breathed too hard.
"Let me be your boyfriend and future husband," I whispered into her hair.
She froze.
"Before all this. I asked you in the car…you said you would think about it."
Her breath caught.
I looked at her. "I didn't say that because I want to guilt you. I said it because none of this none of this—changes the fact that you're everything to me."
Her lips trembled. "You still want me?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I was here for your legs?"
She blinked. "I mean… they are nice."
"I agree," I said with a soft laugh. "But I'm kind of obsessed with your fire. Your mouth. Your brain actually not. Your ability to scare the crap out of people with just a look. Your loyalty. Your laugh. Your ugly crying face especially that and also all of YOU."
"I hate you."
"Liar."
She sniffled, and then gave me a look that made my heart ache.
"Are you sure, Keif?"
I answered without hesitation.
"Jay… If all I ever get to do for the rest of our lives is help you heal—emotionally, physically, however long it takes I'll do it. And I'll never get tired of it."
Jay's POV
He meant it.
God, he meant it.
And I didn't realize how desperate I was to believe him until now.
I leaned into his chest, and he pulled me in carefully—like a fragile thing, but still mine. I melted into the way his heartbeat thudded against my ear.
"I don't know how to be this version of me yet," I murmured.
"You don't have to," he said. "You just have to let her become."
I closed my eyes.
For the first time, the idea of healing didn't feel impossible.
Because I wouldn't be doing it alone.
Later That Night
Keifer's POV
The doctor came in with updated scans. Jay had to do another neuro exam. I held her hand the whole time. She winced, breathed heavy, got frustrated when things didn't move. But she kept going.
That's my girl.
When the doctor left, she was quiet.
"I want to try rehab," she finally said.
I smiled. "Okay."
"And I want you to be there."
I squeezed her hand. "Try stopping me."
Jay's POV
The nights were hardest. But that night… it wasn't dark.
Because Keifer pulled his chair up close, propped a pillow behind me, and read the worst romance novel out loud until I laughed.
He stayed until I fell asleep.
His fingers never let go of mine.