Just time.
Toby pressed play.
At first there was only static.
Then David’s voice filled the room.
Not the silence of the hospital bed.
Not the stillness everyone had grown accustomed to.
His real voice.
Warm. Alive. Familiar.
The recording had been created weeks earlier as part of a surprise anniversary message for Sophie. In it, David spoke about his love for his family, the strain of work consuming too much of his attention, and promises he hoped to keep once life slowed down again.
Sophie broke down hearing him.
