'You're back.'
Marsha's voice slipped into her mind the second they reached the hospital, soft at first, still heavy with sleep, like she was stretching awake after being gone far too long. There was a faint groan that followed, laced with complaint. 'You shouldn't have come back so soon.'
Seraphine's lips curved, the emotion hitting deeper than she expected, settling somewhere tender in her chest as relief washed through her. Just hearing Marsha again made everything feel a little steadier, a little more whole. 'I missed you,' she murmured inwardly, her tone quieter than usual, almost fragile despite herself. 'So much.'
'You got me now,' Marsha shot back, her voice sharpening with that familiar bite. 'Though I can't say I missed you. I've been asleep this whole time, living peacefully without your drama.' A pause followed, then her tone flipped completely, alert and suspicious. 'Wait… hold on. Is that him?'
Seraphine didn't need to ask who she meant.
