INT. ICU HALLWAY — AFTERNOON

Link slows as he reaches Jo’s door.

Ndugu stands just outside, chart in hand.
He looks tired. The kind of tired that follows something going right. Focused. Finished.

NDUGU
She did well.

Link exhales, but doesn’t step closer yet.

LINK
Define well.

Ndugu meets him evenly. Surgeon to surgeon.

NDUGU
The Impella 5.5 is in.
(a beat)
We’re getting good flows.
Her left ventricle is unloading the way we want.

Link nods, tracking every word.

NDUGU (CONT’D)
Pressures stabilized quickly.
No arrhythmias.
(a beat)
She woke up enough to follow commands…
so we extubated in PACU.

That lands.

LINK
So she’s breathing on her own again.

NDUGU
With oxygen support for now.

Link nods. 

NDUGU (CONT’D)
She’s exhausted. 
That’s expected.
(a beat)
But her heart's not working as hard anymore.
We’re already seeing the difference.

A small shift in tone. 

NDUGU (CONT’D)
This gives the myocardium a better chance to recover.
That’s what we needed. 

Link finally lets himself breathe.

LINK
Can I see her?
Is she awake?

NDUGU
In and out.
(a beat, soft)
Don’t expect much tonight.

Link manages a faint smile.

LINK
Yeah…
I’ll take that.

Ndugu meets his eyes.

Then, more gently…

NDUGU
She’s going to sleep a lot.
That’s not a setback.
(a beat)
She’s stable.

Simple.

NDUGU (CONT’D)
That’s the win today.

Link nods once.

He reaches out, rests a hand on Ndugu’s shoulder. Brief. Grounding.

LINK
Thank you.

NDUGU
You’re welcome.

Link opens the door.

INT. ICU ROOM — CONTINUOUS

The room is dim.
Jo lies in bed, pale but peaceful.
No tube. Oxygen cannula in place.

Monitors hum softly.

Link steps inside slowly.
He stops at her bedside.
Just looks at her.
Alive.
Here.
He takes her hand carefully, mindful of lines and IVs.

LINK
(soft)
Hey.

Nothing at first.
Then, a flicker.

Jo’s eyelids flutter.
Not fully awake.
Heavy. Struggling.

She finds him. 

JO
(hoarse, barely there)
…You’re here.

It’s not a question. 

LINK
I am.

Her fingers tighten weakly around his.

JO
It’s… done?

LINK
Yeah.
(a beat)
It’s done.
And everything went well.

She exhales. Shallow.
Relief more than breath.

JO
Okay…

Her eyes try to hold him.
They can’t.
Too heavy.
 
JO
I’m… so tired.

That one lands deeper.
Link softens immediately.

LINK
I know.
(a beat)
You did great.

He presses a soft kiss on her forehead.

LINK
(gentle)
Sleep.

His thumb brushes over her knuckles.
Grounding.

LINK (CONT’D)
I’m right here.

Link pulls the chair closer and sits.
He doesn’t let go of her hand.

Her eyes close almost immediately.
No fight left.
Sleep takes her fast.

Link stays still. Watching.
Counting her breathing without meaning to. 
He leans forward, resting his forehead briefly against the edge of the bed.
For a second. Eyes closing. 
Not sleep.
Release.
Watching her again. 
Making sure she’s still breathing. 

Time stretches.

After a while, he reaches for his phone.
Types slowly.

TEXT — LINK (TO MAUREEN):
Everything went well.
Jo’s out. She’s resting.
The babies did so well today.
Tell Scout and Luna I love them. We both do.
I’ll call tomorrow. I promise.

More messages waiting.
He doesn’t open them. Not yet.

He sets the phone down.

He looks back at Jo.
Her chest rises. Falls. Steady.

For now, this is enough.

FADE OUT.