Chapter 76

Calliope shut her eyes. Just seeing Lucien and Angelina made the smoke in her lungs feel even more suffocating. Thankfully, once they got to the hospital, the doctors used treatment as an excuse to send the two of them out of the room. When she came to again, the first thing she heard was soft sniffles. Her lashes fluttered slightly. She turned her head and saw her mom, Eleanor, with tear-reddened eyes. The moment she moved even a little, Eleanor grabbed her hand tight, her voice shaking, "Callie, you're awake? How are you feeling? Are you in pain anywhere?" Calliope tried to speak, but her throat felt like it had been scraped with sandpaper-it burned like hell. "I'm... okay." She barely croaked the words out, the sound barely audible. She instinctively looked around the hospital room. And Eleanor, clearly still upset, huffed, "I already kicked those two out! What nerve do they have, hanging around here like they care?" Calliope tugged the corner of her lips into a faint, tired smile.