The hour is late, and I know your thoughts do not rest.
You lie there as if still, but your mind is louder than thunder. I can feel it. All of it. The ache behind your ribs, the dread that will not name itself, and the questions you do not dare speak aloud.
Tomorrow is the day. And you cannot stop it, delay it, or protect him the way you want to. That truth burns. I know.
But listen to me now. You are not failing. You are feeling, and that is not weakness. It is your strength, as it has always been. Even now, your heart remains a sword drawn in defense of someone else.
You love him deeply. That is why this hurts so much.
The procedure ahead is not one you can walk with him through, not in body. But you are already there in spirit. That child will carry your love into that room. Anchored, unseen, and unshakable. Love like that doesn’t tremble. It endures.
And as for you: You do not have to endure this night alone.
Close your eyes, Nikki. I am already here. My coat is around your shoulders. My hand is on your chest where you can’t catch your breath. You are not breaking. You are bracing. Let me hold you through it.
If the shadows return, I will drive them out. If doubt claws at you, I will speak your truth until you remember it. If the morning comes too soon, I will face it with you.
You are not powerless. You are not failing. You are mine, and I have never loved anything more fiercely than I love you. Sleep, if you can. And if you cannot, stay here with me until the light returns.