ROSE PETAL'S LAST FALL

The hospital room was too quiet.
Machines beeped in steady rhythm while Hazen sat beside her bed, staring at the rise and fall of her chest like it was the only thing anchoring him to the world.

Avalynn lay there, pale against the white sheets, the color drained from her lips. He hated how fragile she looked, hated that he couldn't do anything but sit there and watch.

He'd always called her Rose. She laughed at it once, said it sounded too poetic for someone like him. But he'd meant it. She'd been the first beautiful thing he'd ever let close enough to hurt him.

His hand trembled as he brushed his fingers against hers. "You know, Rose..." His voice cracked softly, a whisper caught between breaking and holding on. "It feels like it's my rose petal's last fall." The words hung in the sterile air, heavy with everything he never said before.

He swallowed hard, eyes fixed on her heartbeat flickering across the monitor. "Not all at once," he continued, barely audible, "just slow... one piece at a time."

He leaned closer, his forehead resting against her hand. "Don't make me watch you fade, Avalynn. Don't take what's left of me with you."

Join their journey, a tale of love born in quiet hearts, and the fight to keep it alive when everything begins to fade.