C31 You're far from fine

Sofia's pov

"Mr Zack," The doctor called, his voice breaking in on the thick atmosphere.

"What's her condition?" He asked, stepping away to give the doctor space.

"Her body is burning and it's going to get more painful for the next few hours, there are also some underlying issues," the doctor continued, glancing between Zack and me with concern.

"Underlying issues?" Zack's voice was sharp, impatient.

The doctor sighed, adjusting his glasses. "She has severe bruising along her ribs, likely from repeated impact. And…" he hesitated, as if unsure whether to go on.

"And what?" Zack's tone dropped into something dangerously low.

"There are signs of malnutrition and dehydration. She hasn't been eating properly for a while," the doctor admitted.

Zack turned to me then, his gaze burning into mine. I couldn’t meet his eyes. I knew what he was thinking—why hadn’t I taken care of myself? Why had I let myself get to this point?

But he didn’t say any of that. Instead, he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "What do we do now?"

"I’ll administer fluids to help with the dehydration, but she needs rest—proper rest. And someone to make sure she eats."

Zack nodded. "She'll have it."

The doctor gave me a small, reassuring smile before packing up his kit. "I'll check on her again in a few hours. If the fever spikes, let me know immediately."

With that, he left, and the room fell into silence.

Zack turned back to me, his expression unreadable. "Sofia—"

"I'm fine," I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"You're not," he shot back, stepping closer. "You’re far from fine."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry and aching. I had so many things I wanted to say—so many things I wanted to ask. But right now, I was too tired, too broken.

Instead, I let out a shaky breath, my body sinking deeper into the mattress.

Zack sighed and sat down beside me, his fingers grazing over my hand. "You're safe now," he murmured. "I swear, you're safe." He muttered continuously... reassuringly.

But I didn’t feel safe. My body was heating from the inside out, and a sharp pain gnawed at my insides, biting the life out of me.

I clenched my fists, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. The pain was unbearable. My breathing came in shallow bursts.

"Sofia…" Zack called, pulling my hands into his. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, but I could only writhe in pain, unable to answer.

My eyes clenched shut, and tears trickled down my face.

"Sofia, look at me…" He said again, his voice pleading as he gently lifted me, supporting my trembling body.

"Get the car!" His voice reverberated in my ears, sounding distant despite his closeness. Everything felt muffled, like I was trapped in a tunnel.

The feeling of my body being lifted and Zack's fingers running soothingly through my hair did little to ease the storm inside me.

"You'll be fine, Sofia, I promise that. Didn’t I…" he added, but his words felt like they were being spoken from miles away. I couldn’t focus on them, not when the pain was so overwhelming.

I wanted to tell him I was scared, that I didn’t know how much longer I could bear this, but all I could do was hold onto him, my body wracked with tremors, as the world around me seemed to slip away.

.

.

.

"Clear the way!" His voice zapped into my unconscious.

Blinding lights flickered above me and the sharp scent of antiseptic filled my nose, mixing with the distant sound of hurried footsteps and the steady beeping of a machine.

“Sofia, can you hear me?” A voice, firm yet familiar, called out. Zack.

I wanted to respond, to let him know I was still here, but my body refused to cooperate. My limbs felt like dead weight, my throat raw as if I had been screaming for hours. A warm hand squeezed mine, grounding me against the chaos that raged inside me.

“Her fever is spiking,” another voice cut in—urgent, professional. “We need to get her stabilized now.”

There was a flurry of movement, cool hands pressing against my burning skin, the prick of a needle in my arm. The sensation barely registered through the overwhelming agony that consumed me. My mind drifted, slipping in and out of the darkness, words becoming nothing more than distorted echoes in the background.

“She’s dehydrated; her body is shutting down.”

“How much more can she take?” the other countered.

I wanted to answer. I wanted to tell them I was trying, but the fight was slipping from my grasp like sand through my fingers. My chest tightened, the pain twisting, clawing at me mercilessly.

Then, warmth.

Zack’s voice, low and strained. “Hold on, Sofia. Just hold on a little longer.”

A soft pressure against my forehead, his lips brushing against my damp skin.

But the darkness was relentless. It pulled at me, whispering promises of relief, of escape from the pain. It would be so easy to let go. To surrender.

“Don’t you dare,” Zack growled, his grip on my hand tightening. “Don’t even think about it.”

For the first time in what felt like forever, I forced my fingers to move, curling weakly around his.

Then, silence.

Darkness swallowed me whole.