"Hey. Can I come in?" Zaria looked up at Ryan's shocked face. It was expected. She was surprised too. Rushing over to the hospital at 11pm was not on her itinerary and she hadn't even thought about it until the cookies were ready and packed in the colorful basket. She had initially thought of sending the basket to the hospital the next day but after thinking about it, she decided to use it as a chance to see Nina. It had been quite long after all, it would be best if she apologized for not being able to attend her party the next day too.

Ryan pulled out from his thoughts and nodded as he stood aside to make way for her. "I was just about to run across the street and get her a midnight snack. She is hungry."

​​

"Then it's a coincidence that I brought cookies." She felt less awkward than she expected. It would have felt strange to be with Ryan in a hospital room but with Nina around paired with the fact that she was here for the girl and not him, it only felt strange because it had been long.

Nina glanced over when she realized that her personal space had been invaded.

"Hey." Zaria smiled warmly. "How are you?" She received no response, not even a slight change of expression. She looked over at Ryan helplessly. "She doesn't look so good."

Ryan couldn't help a smile from forming. "She has been much better lately. At least she communicates her needs and emotions." He knew that Zaria was confused so he explained, "She thinks she is seeing an illusion. She has been heartbroken since you stopped coming. She thinks she did something wrong that made you hate her."

His words pierced her heart. Just great. She had promised to be there for Nina yet as soon as things became stiff between her and Ryan, she took off. She was the worst kind of friend. She couldn't blame Nina for being mad and disappointed.

She crouched beside the bed so Nina was facing her. "Sweetheart, you didn't do anything wrong. I promise. And I definitely don't hate you. I acted selfishly by not coming anymore and I'm sorry."

The girl looked relieved, which broke her heart even more. She was just like a little child. She forgave so fast it was heartbreaking. When Nina pointed at the small basket, she brought it over to her.

"These are the cookies I baked for you."

Nina smiled her thanks and picked a cookie to crunch on, making Zaria sigh in relief. Soon after eating a few cookies, she took her tablet to play with and ignored the adults in the room. Zaria didn't mind it as long as the girl would not be disappointed in her anymore.

"What are you doing here so late at night? Are you sure your boyfriend will not bring the sky down in vengeance?" Ryan asked, his tone laced with more sarcasm than concern.

"You don't have to mention him if you are going to be so hateful about it." Zaria rolled her eyes. What happened to trying to maintain peace?

"But I hate him." He insisted childishly.

"That's on you. He has nothing against it." She almost raised her voice at him. She would have if Nina was not in the room. Even though she didn't particularly raise her voice, her hands were on her hips as she scolded him and her eyes shot daggers. She felt a tug on the edge of her jacket and looked down to meet Nina's warning gaze.

She chuckled, understanding it for the first time without needing to be told. She patted the girl's head. "Okay. I'll stop scolding him."

To stop herself from chewing Ryan out, she sat on the edge of Nina's bed and asked, "Have you made any friends?"

The girl nodded.

"Really? That's awesome. I would love to meet them." She was not just saying it. They must be kind and friendly if they managed to get along with Nina who didn't like outsiders.

Ryan coughed at the side. "Ahem. Her friends are Olive and Lili, the cats we found during our walk last week. She named them and has me bring them food twice every day."

"How caring." It was a sign that she might recover soon, because she was starting to show more emotion.

Zaria went silent for a while after checking the time on her phone.

"It's getting late. Shall I drop you off?" Ryan thought it was because she was worried about going home too late.

She shook her head as she stared at the screen. "My neighborhood has reliable security. I'll be safe."

As soon as she saw the 00:00 on the clock at the top of her phone screen, she hugged the girl on the bed out of the blue. "Nina, happy birthday!"

Nina's eyes lit up as she returned the hug and kissed Zaria's cheek happily.

Ryan's heart melted. No wonder she rushed all the way to the hospital so late at night.

As expected, it did the trick. When Zaria apologized and announced that she would not be able to attend the party in the evening, Nina didn't seem sad about it. It was already good enough that she squeezed out her busy schedule to be the first to wish her and give her a present.

After playing for a few more minutes together, Ryan dropped her off. He was not reassured letting a woman drive out so late on her own, even though she had insisted that the neighborhood was safe. It was already a few minutes past 1am when they arrived so he didn't go in. He waited for her to enter the house and watched until he saw one of the windows on the second floor illuminate, which he knew must belong to her room. Only when she waved down at him to assure him that she was home and in her room safely did he take a cab back to the hospital.

She was relieved when she climbed into bed. She only had a few hours to catch some sleep since it was already so late but it was worth it.