Chapter 67 KEEPING HER WARM
Jaxon’s POV
We were halfway down the road when I noticed her eyes slowly flutter shut. A second later, her body began to tremble even harder than before.
I pulled over immediately.
The moment the engine went silent, I heard it clearly — the faint, uncontrollable chatter of her teeth. She was shaking so badly it sounded painful.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and rushed to her side. Her weak eyes lifted to meet mine, glassy and unfocused. I pressed my hand to her forehead again — and froze.
She was burning.
The heat of her skin almost scorched my palm. It felt wrong. Unnatural. Like her body was fighting something vicious inside her.
“You’re burning up. We need to go to the hospital,” I said firmly.
She shook her head almost instantly.
“No… no hospital. I’ve had enough of hospitals for today. I just need something warm to drink. I’ll be fine,” she whispered, her voice trembling — barely steady enough to form the words.
She wasn’t fine.
Anyone with eyes could see that.
I wanted to argue. Wanted to ignore her protest and turn the car around. But she looked so exhausted, so drained… and stubborn. God, even half-conscious she was stubborn.
Fine.
I would call Troy. He could reach his doctor friend and have them meet us at the hotel.
After watching her for a few more seconds — memorizing the way her breathing hitched, the way her fingers trembled — I helped her into the front passenger seat so I could keep a closer eye on her.
We drove off again.
I dialed Troy.
No answer.
I tried again.
Still nothing.
By the third call, Nancy’s breathing suddenly changed.
It turned harsh. Shallow. Like she was struggling to drag air into her lungs.
My heart dropped.
“Nancy?” I called, glancing at her.
Before I could even pull over, her body went limp.
Her head fell to the side.
She had passed out.
But the trembling didn’t stop. It only grew worse. Her skin felt even hotter — impossibly hotter — like the fever was rising by the second.
Panic slammed into me.
I dialed Troy again.
No answer.
Turning back wasn’t an option. The hotel I’d booked was far from the city, and we were miles away from the nearest hospital.
Why the hell isn’t he picking up?
“Nancy! Nancy, wake up!” I called, shaking her gently.
No response.
Her head lolled again, lifeless against the seat.
My chest tightened painfully. Fear clawed at my insides, sharp and suffocating.
I pressed harder on the accelerator.
The speedometer climbed as rain streaked across the windshield. My fingers gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white, yet I kept dialing Troy with my other hand.
Pick up. Just pick up.
If I couldn’t reach him, then hopefully there would be a doctor on standby at the hotel.
Because right now—
I had no idea what else to do.
Troy’s POV
I was somewhere between dreamland and reality when my phone began buzzing nonstop beside me. The vibration jolted me awake so violently that I rolled off the couch and hit the floor with a loud thud.
“Ouch… ahh… fuck,” I groaned, pain shooting through my shoulder as I forced my eyes open.
I can’t believe I fell asleep in the living room. Not like Jaxon would let me share a room with him anyway.
My phone buzzed again from the couch. I pushed myself up and grabbed it.
Six missed calls from Jaxon.
Why on earth is he calling me when he knows I’m here? Did he think I left?
Before I could process it, a message popped up on my screen.
Why aren’t you picking up your fucking calls?
My stomach tightened.
What the hell is going on?
I scrambled to my feet and hurried toward Jaxon’s room.
“Jaxon!” I called out as I pushed the door open.
Empty.
The bed untouched.
The bathroom light off.
Where is he?
Jaxon isn’t the type to drive out in the rain — and it was still pouring outside, thunder rumbling in the distance.
A bad feeling crept up my spine.
I dialed his number immediately.
He picked up on the first ring.
“Why weren’t you taking your calls?” he barked, his voice sharp and strained.
“Calm down. I was asleep — I didn’t hear my phone,” I shot back, still trying to wake up fully.
“I need you to call that doctor friend of yours,” he cut in, his tone urgent.
I straightened instantly.
“Wait — you mean Jasper?”
“Just call him, Troy. Give him the hotel address. It’s urgent. Now.”
The edge in his voice made my pulse spike.
“Okay, okay — I heard you. But are you okay? What’s going on? Are you hurt?” I asked, worry settling heavily in my chest.
There was a brief pause on the other end.
And somehow, that silence scared me more than his shouting.
“I’m fine. Just call the doctor. Nancy passed out.”
My eyes widened.
Nancy passed out?
For a split second, I had forgotten that we came here with her. Everything had happened so fast. Now my pulse was racing.
What on earth happened to her?
I immediately called Jasper. By some miracle, he was still in town — and after hearing the urgency in my voice, he agreed to come right away. He asked to speak directly with Jaxon so he could better understand Nancy’s condition.
I merged the call.
“She might’ve stood in the rain too long and caught a severe chill,” Jaxon explained, and the panic in his voice was unmistakable. “She was shivering and running a temperature. I changed her out of her wet dress into something dry and turned the heater on, but she just passed out. She’s burning up — really bad.”
“First, I need to know where you are right now,” Jasper said calmly.
“I’m almost at the hotel.”
“Check if there are any medical facilities close to you,” Jasper instructed.
I paced the room anxiously, dragging a hand through my hair as I waited. Every second felt longer than the last.
“None on the GPS,” Jaxon replied.
Then I heard a sudden screeching sound — tires against wet pavement.
“I just arrived at the hotel.”
I didn’t waste another second. I rushed out of the room and toward the elevator.
Moments later, the doors slid open.
Jaxon stepped out, drenched from the rain, Nancy unconscious in his arms.
My stomach twisted at the sight of her limp body.
We hurried back to his room. He laid her gently on the bed, running a shaking hand through his hair as he tried to steady himself.
“I’m here. Tell me what to do until you get here,” Jaxon said into the phone.
“Good. I’m already on my way, but it’ll take fifteen to twenty minutes. You need to keep her warm until then,” Jasper replied. Then he added, “How close are you with her?”
Jaxon and I exchanged confused looks.
“How does that question help right now?” Jaxon snapped, frustration bleeding into his voice.
“Because you’ll need to use body heat to warm her until I arrive. I don’t know if you understand what I mean.”
My mouth nearly fell open.
Jaxon froze for a few seconds, clearly processing what Jasper was suggesting.
“There’s no other way? Nothing that doesn’t involve crossing her privacy?” he asked, raking a hand through his hair again, distress evident in every movement.
“I’m sorry, but that’s the safest option. You can’t put her in a hot bath — she’s unconscious, and that’s dangerous. Blankets alone won’t raise her body temperature quickly enough. Body heat will. Is there someone else she’s close to who can help with that?”
Jasper’s question hung heavily in the room.
Jaxon’s eyes met mine.
The answer was obvious.
“No,” he said firmly, turning his attention back to the phone. “Tell me what to do.”