Viola didn't wake up from her unconsciousness on the schedule Gilbert had predicted. She remained sleeping even after the tubes were removed, not stirring or turning, lying so still that it worried Sebastian enough that he took it upon himself to personally watch over her through the hours rather than leave her to the care of anyone else.
Meanwhile, Viola was in a dreamland that felt so real that if it had been up to her she would have chosen to stay there rather than wake up to a reality that felt so uncertain and filled with overwhelming pain and danger.
The dream became something like a shelter for her, a place where her mind had retreated to cope with everything it couldn't hold while she was conscious. In it she felt emotionally safe and steady in a way she hadn't felt in a very long time. No fear. No pain. No weight on her shoulders.
