Opal could barely keep her eyes open. Her body ached, exhaustion tugging at every limb, but she wasn't about to fall asleep with half her family still hovering like mother hens.
She sighed, shifting slightly under the hospital blankets, then turned to the most stubborn of them all.
"Ash," she murmured, her voice still weak, still raw, but firm enough to get his attention. "Go home."
Ash, who had been standing near the foot of her bed, arms crossed, glowered. "Not happening."
Opal rolled her eyes. "You look like a zombie. You haven't slept in days."
"I sleep just fine."
Brooks snorted. "No, you don't."
Ash shot him a look. "No one asked you."
Kael, who had been sitting quietly beside Opal, resting his arm on the chair like he actually belonged there, exhaled sharply. "I'll stay with her," he said, his silver-blue eyes locking onto Ash's. "If anything changes, I'll call."
Ash did not look convinced.
