The hospital room was quiet, the steady beep of monitors the only sound breaking the silence. Stacey sat in the hard plastic chair beside Brent’s bed, her hands folded in her lap as his eyelids finally fluttering open. "Hey," she said, brushing his damp hair back from his forehead.
Brent winced as he tried to shift, pain flashing across his features. "Did we win?".
Stacey’s smile was faint but genuine. "Yeah. Marcus stepped up."
"Of course he did," he muttered bitterly, the words carrying more weight than Stacey expected.
Her smile faded, but she didn’t say anything. She just sat there, her fingers brushing lightly over his hand as the tension settled heavily between them.
***
Later, Betty arrived, slipping into the room with a quiet knock. Brent glanced at her but didn’t say anything, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"Hey," Betty said. "How are you feeling?"
Brent let out a hollow laugh. "Like I’m supposed to be anywhere but here."
Betty’s brow furrowed, and she exchanged a glance with Stacey, who sighed and stood.
"I’ll grab some coffee," Stacey said, giving Betty’s arm a reassuring squeeze before slipping out of the room.
Betty turned back to Brent. He looked more frustrated than injured.
"You’re all acting like this is fine," he said suddenly. "But it’s not! I was supposed to lead them to that win—not him."
"Brent," Betty began, but he cut her off, his anger spilling over.
"Do you know how it feels to work for something, to give everything you have, only to watch someone else take it at the last second?"
Betty took a step closer. "Marcus didn’t take your place—he had your back. There’s a difference."
Brent scoffed, looking away. "It doesn’t feel that way."
"You know what?" Betty said, her tone sharp. "Maybe it’s time you stopped wallowing and started thinking about the bigger picture. You’re the one who built that team. You’re the reason they were even in that position to begin with."
Brent’s eyes flickered to her.
"You’re allowed to be upset," Betty said more gently, moving to sit in the chair Stacey had left. "But don’t turn this into something it’s not. Marcus didn’t replace you. He stepped in because he cares about the team—and about you."
Brent let out a long breath.
"I don’t know how to feel." he admitted.
"Start by feeling proud. Because they’re proud of you, Brent. All of them."