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The nurse adjusted her IV line and administered the medication while the doctor continued explaining what they needed to do.

“She needs fluids, rest, and food. Her body cannot handle any unnecessary physical stress right now.”

Azaria looked peaceful while she slept, which didn’t match the woman who had been screaming at me ten minutes ago.

The doctor glanced in my direction. “You can step out if you’d like.”

“I’m fine here.”

He didn’t argue with me.

Hours passed while I sat in the chair beside her bed with my jacket off and my sleeves rolled up. My staff brought me entrecôte steak and frites with a small glass of cognac, something they knew I usually ate when I was in Monaco. By the time I remembered the food was there, the steak had gone cold.

The nurse checked Azaria’s vitals every hour. Her breathing stayed steady, and every now and then she moved enough to remind me she was still in there. Once, she made a low sound in her sleep before settling back into the pillows.

I watched every movement.

She looked smaller when she wasn’t angry and fighting everybody around her. I had five girlfriends who loved my money, my power, and everything that came with being connected to me. Not one of them had ever made me sit in a chair for six hours to make sure they kept breathing.

Eventually, I got up and went onto the balcony. Night had fallen over Monaco, and the sea stretched beyond the hills while I lit a blunt.

“She’s fucking crazy,” I muttered.

She had argued with me while she could barely stand, then ran down a hill barefoot with no food in her system. There was no explaining that shit.

Still, I hadn’t left.

The balcony door opened behind me, and the nurse stepped outside.

“Her blood pressure is stabilizing.”

“Good.”

“She will likely sleep through the night. You can go to bed, and we’ll call you if anything changes.”

“I’m staying up. I’ll sleep in here.”

She looked at me for a second before going back inside.

Sometime after midnight, I heard movement and got out of the chair. The nurse was helping Azaria out of bed.

“Relax,” she whispered. “She needs the bathroom.”

Azaria moved slowly with most of her weight against the nurse. Her eyes were open, but she looked half asleep.

“She doesn’t even know I’m here.”

The nurse shook her head. “She’ll remember you later.”

Azaria stopped near the bathroom and blinked a few times before the nurse guided her inside. A few minutes later, they came back out, and Azaria dropped into the bed before the nurse covered her again.

“See?” the nurse said. “She needs rest.”

I already knew that.

Morning came, then afternoon. Azaria slept for almost twenty-four hours, with the nurse waking her long enough for water, medication, bathroom trips, and vitals. As the hours passed, her breathing became stronger and some color started coming back into her face.

The doctor eventually returned and went through her chart before checking her IV and examining her again.