He’s dead. It’s over.

The doctor checks me over and removes some of the tubes, then talks some more to Mom.

I don’t have to hide anymore. I don’t have to be paranoid or look over my shoulder or be terrified of screwing up or hide who I really am.

As the doctor leaves, there’s a knock on the door, and my breath hitches. It’s Aiden.

Mom leans down near my ear. “He’s been here every moment he’s been allowed. Your other friends have been popping in as well, all harassing me for updates.”

I feel giddy as I take in his handsome face, the concern etched into his features. He enters the room, and as his broad frame shifts, I see Annalisa following him.

“Thea,” Aiden breathes, rushing over to me.

He takes my face in both hands and leans his forehead against mine. It’s sweet and tender, and even though I’m not usually a crier, my eyes begin to tear. I never thought I’d have a moment like this with Aiden again. I thought I would never see him again, his betrayed face the last thing I would see. But it’s not. He’s here; he’s still with me.

“I should yell at you for being so damn stubborn and doing this all on your own, but I’m just too fucking happy that you’re okay,” he says, his deep voice filling me with warmth. “You really had me scared there for a bit.” His eyes stare deep into mine, searching.

“How are you feeling?” Annalisa asks from where she’s standing beside Aiden, and he straightens up, but our connection is still there, even though he’s not touching me. I can feel him everywhere.

Mom clears her throat. “I’m going to get more coffee. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Okay,” I murmur, grateful that she’s giving me some time alone with my friends, and soon she’s out of the room.

I try to sort through all my emotions and feelings so I can express them properly. “Anna, how are you feeling?” Last I saw her, she was unconscious, bleeding out, her hand cold in mine.

“I’m fine, just a concussion and some stitches.” She waves me off. “But seriously, are you okay? I saw you get shot!”

“How—” I glance between her and Aiden. Aiden’s jaw tics. I continue. “How did you see that? How were you there? You saved me.”

She shakes her head. “No. You saved me. I did a shit job saving you.”

I disagree with that, but I press on for answers. “How did you find me?”

She’s not wearing any makeup, and it’s so weird to see her eyes without the smoky black eyeshadow and eyeliner enhancing them, her lips without the blood-red tinge. She looks okay. No noticeable bruises or cuts anywhere on her face, though she seems paler than usual.

“I followed you,” she says without a hint of remorse. “You were acting all weird and the stuff you were saying about witness protection and my father and that weird good-bye made me suspicious and worried about you, so I followed you from a distance. It was easy since you took back roads. No one really takes them, and the trees hid me a bit. I had just turned the corner when I saw him shoot you.”