"You can't stay here, Mr. Storm."

"Yes, I can," I tell the nurse that has the audacity to tell me I couldn't spend the night at the hospital. With my wife. The one that's still in surgery since five goddamn hours.

"You have an infant with you. We can't provide that kind of space for you."

I roll my eyes and pull out my wallet from my sweatpants. Cody was kind enough to bring me some fresh clothes, even though I'm pretty sure he's hating me at the moment. "How much will it take until you shut up?"

"Hospital rooms aren't for sale."

"No, but my wife has one. And I'm willing to sleep on the floor for however long it takes until I can take her back home with me." Why does nobody understand that? Like I would leave Sierra here all by herself for what? Days? Weeks? Nah.

"With all due respect, Mr. Storm, but you should take care of your child. Your wife is in good hands here."

Now she's just making me mad. "Starting to doubt that."

"We have visiting hours. The hospital closes for visitors at 10 p.m."

"Who owns this hospital?" I ask, taking out the second phone that used to be solely for work.

The nurse, who's name I don't remember, crosses her arms, looking up at the ceiling with an bemused smile.

"I'll find out one way or another. And trust me, the second this hospital belongs to me, which will be in less than an hour if you don't open your mouth right now, I will have you fired." I'm known for firing tons of people on the daily, so that's not even a threat anymore, it's a promise.

She gasps softly, bringing a hand to her chin. "Fine. You can stay." That said, she steps away from the door of the private hospital room meant for Sierra when she gets out of the OR. Or how these nurses would like to put it "if she comes out."

She will. I won't accept anything else. Death can kiss my ass.

I sit on the armchair in the hospital room, holding Allie. She grazes the tips of her fingers over my face, being awfully touchy today. She recently discovered textures, so now she has a fun time touching everything possible.

The cheeseball is also quite fascinated by my tattoos, which is adorable. Whenever she gets a chance to see them, Allie instantly ogles them like they're the most amazing works of art she's ever seen.

Just yesterday had Sierra begged me to strip of my shirt so Allie would be distracted as she was being a little difficult. Not too much, she was just crying a lot and refused to eat.

I admit, I was considering it. But I refuse to have my daughter try to suck on my nipple again. Yes, again, because she tried to before. Most uncomfortable feeling ever.

Miss Cheeseball giggles when I stroke a hand down her head, "through" the tiny set of hair she's growing.

Despite having my daughter with me, time still doesn't seem to pass fast enough. If I had known I'd end up worrying about my wife for hours, after she got shot, I would have never gotten married.

That's not true. If I had known Sierra early enough, I probably would've put a ring on her finger the second she turned eighteen. Perhaps even earlier, but making it legal at eighteen.

A knock comes from the door, just as it opens and Cody stalks inside. He looks exhausted, I bet I don't look much better either.

"I heard you're tormenting the nurses again?" He chuckles softly, closing the door behind him. As he stands right in front of me, he holds his arms out, taking my daughter from me. "You should be at home, Atlas."

"No, I should be right here."

Cody shakes his head, taking a seat on the other armchair. Allie giggles as Cody plants kisses all over her tiny chubby face. "How's my favourite meatball doing?" he asks her, clearly not expecting an answer.

"It's cheeseball," I correct.

"Nah, she's a meatball."

"Cheeseball."

"Whatever you say, big guy." His eyes stay on Allie, admiring her just like every single other person does when they hold her. Her hand reaches out to his beard stubbles, totally amazed. Texture. "I know right, meatball. You've got the most amazing uncle ever."

Are we weird? I think we are. What sane parent gives their daughter the nickname "cheeseball," causing even her uncle to give her another foody-ball nickname?

"How's Athena?" I ask, suddenly being reminded that she's been in one room with six dead people for good an hour.

Cody looks at me, sighing. "She's on her way to Canada with Hunter and her mother. You know, trying to forget everything." Doubt that's really possible. "She wanted to stay here for Sierra, but getting far away from Seattle is the only thing she needs right now."

I bob my head because he's right. Getting a bit distracted definitely won't hurt her.

"Dude, I still can't believe you have a daughter," he then says, smiling at the cheeseball. "With my sister."

Only as he takes out a bottle from a bag do I notice that he even brought said bag. He takes off the cap from the bottle, ever so naturally starting to feed Allie. "It's formula. I know you and Sierrella don't use that, but it's all I had. Couldn't possibly find some mother and ask her for that."

I chuckle. "It's fine." And as it seems, even Allie thinks so. I thought it would be a lot more difficult to get her used to formula. "And, uh, yeah. It's quite surreal."

"I never saw you having kids."

Me neither, honestly. And now I can picture a whole house filled with little children that look like Sierra. Or me. But I'm praying on Sierra's looks. She's a million times prettier than I am.

"Also, I always figured if you were to have a child, I'd have to threaten you to earn the uncle title." I chuckle. He sure knows I would've taught my kid Cody's their uncle no matter what. "Kinda sad. I had a whole speech planned. But apparently I'm the biological uncle now. Is that even a thing?"

Who even knows at this point?

"Did you know my dad didn't ask to see Allie even just once?" I nod, because I do know. Sierra has been upset about it for weeks. A couple days after she had given birth, Drew only sent her a quick 'congrats' message and that was it. "Not even a picture."

"Why's your dad so hateful towards Sierra anyway?"

Cody shrugs. "She's not his child, guess that's why." Still.

"Do you know her father?"

Cody sighs deeply, then nods slowly. "My mum found him like a month after Sierra was born. I vaguely remembered the name, and when I was old enough I did some researching."

"Is he the guy Sierra told me about? The one that—" Cody doesn't know about that, or so Sierra said.

He shaking his head. "The russian guy? That was our neighbour. He was a bit psycho, okay, more than a bit. Crazy dude. Sierra's dad lives in Roosevelt. His name is Michael Emerson. He has like three other children."

"You never told her?"

"Fu—" his eyes wander down to Allie "—fudge no."

"Why not?"

"Sierra would have moved there after our mum died. Not because she wanted to, but because my dad would have send her there if he ever found out. I was already begging him not to send her to an orphanage." I don't understand why. Seriously, why wouldn't someone want Sierra around? She's an angel. She's all the colours of the rainbow. She brings sunshine and happiness—people love her.

I check the time on my phone, groaning as I notice it's been another hour. Another hour and it appears Sierra is still in the OR.

"So, it wasn't Nico, huh?" Talking to Cody about Nico isn't the smartest idea ever. Clearly, Cody knew what Nico did, and that fucker had the nerves not to tell me. Am I seriously holding a grudge? Guess I am. And rightfully so.

"Nah. Lisa. Wonder what'll happen to her."

"Jail until she's been sentenced." Yeah well, obviously. "Ya think it's gon' be death sentence?"

"Is it cruel that I sure hope it'll be that?"

Cody shakes his head instantly. "She killed like ten people, dude. And shot Sierrella, god knows if she'll survive. Plus, Lisa held you and Nico hostage, didn't she?"

"Sierra will survive." It's all about positivity, right? Positive thoughts lead to positive outcomes, no? Aura and that stuff—I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.

"She's been in surgery for like seven hours. Do you really believe that?"

I look out of the window, cupping my own face with one hand. "I can't believe anything else, Cody."

"So what if she doesn't make it, Atlas?" Yeah...what happens then? "You have a daughter, you certainly can't go all 'I'm just gonna dip too.'"

I inhale a deep breath and start to play with the ring on my finger.

It's actually a beautiful day today—weather wise, I mean. The sun's out with a sky so clear, you can see every single bird and plane above yourself. And yet I feel like it's winter again. Everything seems frozen, as dark as an alley in the middle of the night, rainy.

"You have to count with it, Atlas. Sierra's lost a lot of blood, she's been shot right in her ribs. There's a huge possibility she won't make it out alive."

"Like I don't know that," I mutter under my breath. My eyes stay focused on the blue sky. "It's just really fucking hard accepting your wife possibly dying, okay?"

I don't see his reaction, I also can't look at him right now. Nor do I want to really. How can he just be...what? Okay with it?

"She's the goddamn love of my life. There is not one single day I want to even exist without her being by my side. There hasn't been one day I woke up and didn't immediately think about her, not for a year. God, not for fucking sixteen years. How do you expect me to think anything but that she'll survive? I can't lose her, Cody. I'm not sure there's a single person that could keep me alive if I do lose her," I say.

"Atlas...you can't just dip out because your wife has died."

I slide a hand down my face, letting out a torturous groan. "I know." I do fucking know that. Allie deserves a far better father than one that would leave her just because his wife died. "I just can't picture a life without her. I know I can't just die, I know Allie deserves far better. And you best believe Sierra would haunt me if I don't give Allie the best life she could have."

Allie deserves only the best. And I should try double as hard when I have to take the role as both her parents. But let's stop thinking about it. Sierra isn't going to die. I won't allow that.

Cody opens his mouth as if to speak, but just then the door opens and a surgeon comes walking in, followed by a nurse and what looks like another surgeon, just in lighter blue scrubs.

"Mr. Storm?" the surgeon in the dark blue scrubs says, taking a few steps towards me. Then his eyes find Cody's before they set back on me. "Can we have a word alone, please?"

"That's Sierra's brother," I tell him. "He can stay."

"Okay," Dr. Shirman then says, his eyes switching between Cody and mine. "We were facing a few complications during the surgery on Mrs. Storm."

Good lord. Here we go. This is the part when Dr. Shirman is going to tell me, us, that Sierra didn't make it. That the bullet caused too much damage and that she had lost too much blood. That she was already almost dead when they entered the OR. That they did everything they could to save her life, but it wasn't enough.

"She didn't make it."