Chase’s POV
The fluorescent lights in pre-op were too bright, too cold. They buzzed overhead like they were judging me. I lay on the gurney in a thin hospital gown, leg already numb from the nerve block, IV dripping something that made my thoughts feel slow and slippery. The room smelled of antiseptic and rubber. Machines beeped softly—steady, indifferent.
Amelia sat beside me on a rolling stool she’d dragged over the second they let her in. She hadn’t let go of my hand since they wheeled me from the holding area. Her fingers were warm, steady, the only thing tethering me to something real.
“You nervous?” she asked quietly.
I tried to smirk. “Nah. Just thinking… if this goes wrong, at least I’ll still be faster than Dmitri on one leg.”
She huffed a small laugh, but it didn’t reach her
