Finn woke up on a gurney.

The bed was moving. White tiles cartwheeled above him, and the air smelled chemical. Like antibacterial wipes. He tried to sit up, but there were bands around his chest. Quite literal bands, in fact. Made of some sort of stretchy material.

"Finn?" The voice was soft. Female. "You need to stay still."

"Sophia," he croaked.

She appeared above him. Her eyes were blotchy and red, her dark hair damp with rain. She touched his forehead, and he trembled slightly. No, Finn thought hazily; he was attached to a gurney. She was the one that was shaking.

"Am I dead?" he asked.

Sophia gave something between a laugh and a sob. "No. You're at the hospital." She jogged alongside the gurney. "You had a nasty fall, and you've broken a bunch of ribs. They're taking you into surgery."

Panic gripped him. "Call my Mom. And Gemma. And—"

"Your girlfriend?"

"What?" Finn's head swam. "No."

He didn't have a girlfriend, did he? Good lord. How hard had he hit his head? Sophia made to draw back, but Finn gripped her hand. Sophia looked at him in surprise. Or at least, Finn thought it was surprise; there were three Sophias now, so it was difficult to tell.

"Toronto?" he rasped.

"Yes?"

"Are you really here?"

Sophia's expression softened. "I'm here."

"Ms. Huntington?" a voice called.

Someone in a green scrub cap appeared. Finn grinned. This guy looked exactly like Derek Shepherd from "Grey's Anatomy." What were the odds? Gemma would love that. His sister loved that show. He'd have to tell her, whenever he got...

Finn frowned. Somewhere.

Where was he, again?

Finn giggled. That was a funny word, actually. Where. Where, where, where — it sounded like hair, only different. Wary hair. Hairy where.

Sophia looked alarmed. "What's wrong with him?"

"That's the pain meds kicking in," Derek Shepherd said. "Say a quick goodbye, please. We need to get him in there."

Sophia's grip tightened. "Can you give us a moment?"

Derek Shepherd disappeared. Sophia swallowed, and the movement was oddly mesmerizing. Finn wanted to reach up and touch the slender column of her throat. To feel it move under his fingers.

"I'll be waiting outside the whole time," Sophia said.

Finn nodded. Sophia's eyes were the same shade as dark chocolate, dissolving into caramel near the pupils. He wanted to fall into that sea of chocolate. To bathe in it. It suddenly seemed imperative to tell her so.

"You have the prettiest eyes," Finn slurred. "Like chocolate."

Sophia smiled. "Want to know a secret?" She leaned in so that her lips brushed his ear. "I'm in love with you, Finn Hoag."

Warmth filled his chest. Finn felt that this was significant somehow, but he didn't know why. He wanted to hold the words to his chest. To tattoo them in his memory. But they were already slipping away, like grains of sand through his fingers.

Sophia stepped back. "Okay, doctor. He's all yours."

Finn sunk back on the gurney, breathing slowly. There was a crushing pain in his side, and white noise roared in his ears. Could Sophia come into surgery with him? He wanted her to hold his hand. To be there with him if things went wrong.

I love you, too, Finn thought. Always.

Sophia was living at the hospital.

She knew every quirk and secret hack by now; if you arrived at the cafeteria before nine in the morning, for example, the banana bread was still hot. You had to hit the vending machine twice to get the bottle of water to fall out. And if you asked a nurse nicely, you could get extra TV channels.

Not that she spent much time watching TV.

Every thought — every breath — was focused on Finn. She couldn't stop thinking about that fall, the groan of the crowd. She'd been too far away to hear the sickening crunch when he hit the ground, but she could hear it in her dreams sometimes.

"He'll be okay," Tabby said.

She was sitting on the window ledge of the hospital room, painting her nails a shocking neon orange. Sophia looked up from her crossword.

"Do you think it's normal?" she asked.

Tabby painted her thumb. "What?"

"That he hasn't woken up for..." Sophia's eyes flicked to the clock. "Thirty-three hours?"

Sophia knew the answer: technically, yes. Every doctor had assured her that Finn was dehydrated and exhausted, and his body needed the rest. Broken ribs were, apparently, a nightmare to heal. But still. She wanted to hear Tabby say it.

Her friend shrugged. "Finn's been through worse."

Sophia slumped back in her chair. Well. That wasn't an answer. Nor, she reflected, was it particularly reassuring; a raft with holes in it was even more likely to sink. And Finn's raft had a lot of holes.

"I don't know what'll hurt more," Tabby continued. "The broken ribs or missing the Calgary Stampede next month."

"He'll still ride," Sophia said.

Tabby looked up sharply, the nail polish cap hovering. "You're joking."

"Have you met him?"

"The doctors won't clear him."

"It's Finn," Sophia sighed. "He rides bucking horses for a living. When has he ever listened to sensible advice?"

She turned back to her crossword. Seven letters, famous Victorian serialized author. Eliot? Gaskell? Her pen hovered over the page. The small squares had started to blur together, turning into a jumble of dominos, and she suddenly wished that Ophelia was here. Her cousin would know what the word was.

"You should go home," Tabby said softly. "Have a hot shower."

Sophia didn't look up. "I don't think I've ever had a hot shower at your place. The water there makes the Arctic look tropical."

"To Calgary, I mean," Tabby said. "Doesn't Kit miss you?"

Sophia gripped the pencil. "Kit doesn't care what I do."

He'd texted to ask how long she was staying in Ponoka, and then again to remind her of their upcoming Estrella meeting. But he didn't miss her, Sophia reflected; hell, Kit would be enjoying the freedom. Tabby set down the nail polish.

"Soph..."

A wave of wariness filled her. "Just leave it, Tabby."

"Why are you with him?" Tabby asked.

"You wouldn't get it."

"You're not happy," Tabby said. "I can see it on your face. Just break up with him, Sophia. You don't have to—" She broke off, inhaling sharply. "Oh, my god."

Sophia's heart stuttered.

Finn's eyelids flickered. Sophia watched, mouth dry, as he rubbed at his face, shifting in the narrow bed. His cheeks were flushed with sleep, his golden hair rumpled against the white sheets. She rose on wobbly legs.

"Hoag? Are you in pain?"

Tabby jumped to her feet. "I'll get the nurse."

She scurried from the room. Finn twisted in the bed, freezing when his eyes landed on her. A hurricane of emotions flitted across his face. Pain. Relief. And acceptance; she saw that, too. As if it was inevitable that she was here. Of course, Finn seemed to say. Of course you came. We'll always find each other. You know that.

"Sophia?" His voice was raspy.

She swallowed. "Hi."

"You're actually here." Finn shook his head. "I thought..." His brow furrowed. "Am I dreaming right now?"

"No." She sunk onto the edge of his bed. "I'm really here."

"How...?"

"I was in Ponoka," Sophia said. "Watching you compete. I saw you fall off the horse, and I just..." She plucked at a stray thread on the pillow, her fingers shaking. "For a second, I thought you were dead. You scared the hell out of me, Finn."

His blue eyes searched her face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Did you say that you love me?"