Silent Dreams Never Die — Author: John Miller 375
Chapter 375 A Bedside Discovery
So he made his way down the quiet hallway.
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The door to the observation room was slightly ajar, and a strip of bright light fell across the floor.
Just as Nolan reached to push it open, his hand stilled.
Through the narrow gap, he saw them. Scarlett and Damian, sharing the single narrow hospital bed.
The bed was so small, yet Damian had curled himself around her, his larger frame enveloping hers completely. In sleep, Scarlett looked utterly small, her form entirely surrounded by his.
She seemed less like a separate person and more like an extension of him, nestled against his chest.
The hand Nolan had extended slowly fell back to his side.
A hot, tight feeling rose behind his eyes. He took a single step back from the doorway, then another, finally turning away.
*****
Scarlett woke in the early morning, roused by a suffocating heat.
She felt damp with sweat and, in her disorientation, suddenly became aware of the solid weight of an arm around her, the press of a body against her back.
Damian was holding her tightly, his embrace so close it felt difficult to breathe.
Gently, she eased his arm away and slipped out from the bed.
Standing beside it, the events of the night rushed back. Nolan had said he would return after his surgery.
So much time had passed. He hadn’t come back.
A thread of worry pulled at her. She decided to step out and try calling him.
But as she opened the door, she found him right there, sitting on a bench in the hushed corridor.
He looked utterly spent. His eyes were red–rimmed, dark shadows bruised the skin beneath them, and a faint stubble dusted his jaw, making him appear years older and wearier.
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Chapter 375 A Bedside Discovery
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“Nolan?” Scarlett’s voice was a soft gasp of surprise. “Have you… have you been here all night?”
He looked up at her, and in his gaze was a quiet, profound sorrow. “Yes,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
Seeing his devastated state, her first thought was for his patient. “The surgery… Was it not successful?”
Nolan shook his head slowly. “No. It was. Very successful.”
Scarlett was confused. “Are you hungry?” she asked, the most basic concern surfacing.
He gave a small, tired nod. “Yes.”
“Should we… go get some breakfast, then?”
“Yes.”
His terse, one–word answers were unnerving. “Nolan,” she said, her voice gentle with concern, “what’s wrong?”
He lifted his eyes to meet hers again. In their dark depths was a vulnerable, almost desperate hope. He studied her face intently, as if trying to memorize it.
“If it were me who had fainted,” he asked, the words raw, “would you have held me like you held him?”
Scarlett blinked, taken aback. “What?”
Before she could process the question, Nolan’s eyes fluttered closed. His body slumped forward, collapsing toward her.
Scarlett lunged, barely managing to catch him, cradling his head against her shoulder. “Doctor!” she cried out, her voice sharp with alarm. “Someone, help!”
After the doctors came and ran their tests, they gave Scarlett the diagnosis. “It’s not serious,” one assured her. “Severe fatigue, missed meals–his blood sugar bottomed out. He just needs rest and food.”
Scarlett nodded, relief washing over her. “I understand.”
When Nolan awoke, the first thing he registered was the silence and the empty space beside his bed.
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Chapter 375 A Bedside Discovery
Scarlett wasn’t there.
In that moment, a sharp, needle–like pain lanced through his chest, followed by a dull, spreading ache.
When Damian was unwell, she had stayed by his side, even shared his bed.
But for him, had she not even waited until he woke up?
The thought cut through him with a brutal clarity.
Finished
Pushing himself up on weak arms, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was halfway to the door when it opened.
Scarlett walked in, her hands full–a paper bag smelling of warm food and a smaller bag holding fresh fruit.
Seeing her, a smile broke through the cloud on Nolan’s face instantly.
“Nolan!” Scarlett hurried toward him, her expression worried. “You shouldn’t be up.”
Before she could even set the bags.down, Nolan stepped forward and pulled her into a tight
embrace.
His voice was rough and thick against her hair. “I know they both matter more,” he whispered, the confession spilling out. “I know that. I just… I just need a little corner in your heart. That’s all. Just a small corner.”
Scarlett stood rigid in his arms, a pang of profound guilt and sorrow hitting her. “Nolan,” she said softly, “you are an exceptional man. You deserve to find someone who will love you completely, with their whole heart.”
Nolan didn’t respond to that. Instead, he gently released her, his eyes dropping to the bags in her hands. He forced a lightness into his tone. “Is that breakfast for me?”
Scarlett understood he was changing the subject, retreating from the painful vulnerability. She let him. “Yes,” she said simply.
A fragile smile touched his lips. “Let me have some then. I’m starving.” He reached out and took the warm bag from her hands.
*****
In another room, Damian stirred awake.
His first conscious action was to reach out, his hand searching the space beside him in the bed.
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