[Sadrain]

December 11th, Chicago. Base. Hospital.

Ryan felt relief filling him, as the room started to normalize. It had to mean that the pain was retreating. He smiled faintly, and kissed her softly on forehead, a gesture that swam up from his memory of when he had been six. That day, he had gotten up beaten by bigger boy gang for the first time, and his mother had hugged him, cleaned his wounds and kissed him on forehead before he fell asleep. Back then, she drank rarely, but soon days she was clean became rarer and rarer, as did motherly affection moments...

"I won't let you feel unloved," he whispered and stood up, with the girl still in his arms. Ryan knew she was getting sleepy, from her movements and the way her eyes fluttered shut and open. Careful to not loose his footing, in case some spot on floor was still soft, Ryan slowly carried her out of the therapy room, and down the corridor. With corner of his eye, the man noticed Amante and just then realized, he had been there all along. So, why hadn't he come to Alice's side? Or she had not called him? Later, he would think about that, but now, it was Alice's comfort that was most important.

Ryan carefully put the girl on her bed and sat down on it, holding her hand. It was that small, familiar gesture that gave him warmth. Ryan had missed it. A nurse nervously peaked in the room and he waved the woman off. Alice had fallen asleep and there was no way he would let someone wake her up now. Quietly, he moved chair closer to the bed and sat down. The man took her hand again, and so, looking at her, he eventually nodded asleep as well.