Chapter 144

Lake POV

Watching Ollie sleep peacefully, Mr. Hoppy clutched against his chest, I felt something loosen in my own chest for the first time in days. He was breathing on his own now—they’d removed the ventilator yesterday. His color was better, less gray and more like the rosy-cheeked boy I knew. The bruises were still there, angry purple and yellow mottling his skin, but they were healing. Everything was healing.

My baby was going to be okay.

I reached out and gently touched his hand, careful not to wake him. His fingers were so small, so fragile-looking against the white hospital sheets. But he was strong. Stronger than I’d ever been at his age. Stronger than he should have had to be.

“You should eat something,” Ramon said quietly from his position by the window. He’d been standing there for the past twenty minutes, staring out at nothing, lost in whatever thoughts kept pulling him away from us lately.

“I’m not hungry,” I said, which was mostly t