Chapter 1006 Rather Shattered Than Tainted (17)

• Watching Madison Sawyer get wheeled out of the intensive care unit, Chadwick Fullner finally let out a breath. She was still out cold, yeah, but at least now he could see her every day and sit by her side. The last few days had been straight-up torture—so close yet worlds apart. He could only stare at her through the little window on the door, or rush through a few minutes of visiting time without getting close or saying a word. That feeling? Brutal.
• But now, in the VIP ward, he could stay with Madison for real. He could be there, see how she was doing, feel every small change, and finally stop walking on eggshells. And from everything he’d read these days, with cases like Madison’s, more contact with the outside world helps—sensory stuff speeds up waking.
• Seeing Madison this close for the first time, her parents couldn’t hold back their tears. Chad couldn’t either. The girl who used to be so alive, bright, and playful now lay still in a bed, every function of her body kept going by machines. Madison’s mom reached out again and again, wanting to touch her arm where the bandages wrapped layer over layer, but she didn’t dare. She just sobbed softly and whispered her name.