Chapter 38

Elena's POV

Callum's hand found mine again, bloodied but still warm. His eyes fluttered, struggling to stay open.

"Stay with me," I whispered.

"I've been with you… since we were kids," he murmured, breath hitching.

Tears blurred everything. "Don't you dare make this poetic."

His lips twitched faintly. "You already… made it tragic."

I laughed—sharp and broken.

The paramedic barked an update to the hospital. His hospital. His staff.

He was still bleeding. Still fighting.

And I was helpless—again.

I pressed his hand to my heart. "Just hold on, Cal. Please. I can't lose you too."

The city blurred past us in streaks of red and blue. My fingers gripped his tighter, afraid that if I let go, he'd slip through my hands.

One of the paramedics leaned over him, assessing the wound. "Deep laceration. We're stabilizing, but he's losing a lot of blood."