Three days later, Walter opened his eyes to soft light filtering through the curtains. The world was warm again. His throat felt dry, but his heart was steady. He turned his head slowly and froze. There, sitting on the blanket by his arm, was the little orange cat. Its eyes blinked slowly, its tail curled neatly around its paws. When it saw him move, it let out a soft meow as if to say, “You’re awake.” A nurse appeared in the doorway, smiling. “She hasn’t left since you got here,”

she said. “Every time we try to take her out, she scratches the door until we let her back in.” Walter stared, his eyes wet. “You mean… she stayed? All this time?” The nurse nodded. “I think she knows what she did.” Over the next few days, the two became inseparable. Walter named her Angel. Whenever he sat up, she climbed into his lap. Whenever he slept, she curled by his side. The hospital staff started calling them “the miracle pair.” When Walter was finally strong enough to leave, Angel trotted proudly beside his wheelchair as if she’d been waiting for that moment all along.

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