The room was silent except for the rhythmic hum of medical equipment — until his eyes opened. Emily froze, disbelief flooding her as the heart monitor’s steady beat spiked into a frantic rhythm. She had kissed him — Alexander Reed, the billionaire who had been in a coma for months — and now he was awake, his gaze fixed on her with startling awareness.
For a moment, time itself seemed suspended. The glow from the bedside monitor cast a soft light across his face, bringing color to features that had been lifeless for so long. His lips parted, his voice rough and uncertain, as though he were trying to find his place in a world that had moved on without him.
“Mr. Reed,” Emily whispered, her training instinctively taking over even as her heart pounded. “You’re in the hospital. You were in an accident, but you’re safe now.”
He blinked slowly, the confusion in his eyes giving way to faint recognition. The sound of her voice anchored him — calm, reassuring, familiar. He tried again to speak, his voice fragile but determined. “What… happened?”
“You were in a car crash,” she explained gently, forcing her voice to stay steady. “You’ve been unconscious for several months. But you’re awake now, and that’s what matters.”
His gaze lingered on her, filled with questions he couldn’t yet form. Emily busied herself checking his vitals, desperate to hide the tremor in her hands. She hadn’t meant for any of this — the late-night conversations, the whispered reassurances, and certainly not that impulsive kiss that had somehow bridged the gap between duty and emotion.
Yet as she stood there, caught between shock and relief, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something extraordinary had just happened — something neither medicine nor logic could explain.