Viola wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and glared down at him as she gritted out, "If I leave this place, I am leaving with you. I have lived as a coward all my life and turned away from Ivy because of it. I will not turn away from my husband now. Do you hear me?" She said it with a resolve that left no room for argument, watching his faintly opened eyes for any response.
"Hmm...husband...I like the sound of that, honey." He said weakly, and the ghost of something like amusement in his voice even now made her chest ache in a way she couldn't put into words. She wouldn't let him die, and nor would she listen to any of his last instructions.
Viola smiled faintly despite everything. "If you like the sound of that and want to hear it more, don't close your eyes again. Now help me by trying to shift." She said, rubbing his fur gently and steadily, trying to calm her anxiety enough to think clearly about what she needed to do next before it was too late.
