Chapter 10 - AwakeningThe afternoon sun broke through the heavy rainclouds over the hospital, spilling warm golden light across Room 502. Mason pushed open the door softly, his heart pounding far harder than it had during the confrontation with Helena.
Clara was sitting up, propped against pillows. The oxygen mask was gone, replaced by a simple nasal cannula. Though pale and exhausted, her green eyes were lucid, shining with unspeakable relief.
"Mason," she murmured, her voice scratchy but steady.
Mason rushed to the bed, falling to his knees and pressing his face into her hands. For the first time in thirty-six hours, genuine tears broke through his composure, washing away the terror and the fury. "You’re safe. They took her away. It’s over."
Clara rested her fingers in his hair, exactly as she used to on quiet Sunday mornings. "The babies... are they..."
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"They are perfect," Dr. Daniel said warmly, stepping into the room pushing the twin bassinet. "Healthy, hungry, and waiting for their mother."
He lifted the infant boy and girl, placing them gently into Clara’s open arms. As their tiny forms settled against her chest, Clara closed her eyes, letting out a breath that seemed to release months of accumulated pain.
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