Chapter 68 KEEPING HER WARM 2
Jaxon’s POV
“Start by removing her clothes. You can leave her in her underwear, and do the same with yourself — you can keep your pants on, but she needs the warmth from your chest and abdomen. Lay her on her side — make sure she stays on her side. We don’t want her choking; that could be very dangerous.
Then cover both of you with a thick blanket or duvet and get under it with her. Hold her as close as possible while monitoring her temperature until I get there.
You can also put socks on her feet to help warm them. I’ll be there in less than fifteen minutes.
Do you think you can do that?” the doctor asked.
“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.
“Okay. I’m hanging up now, but keep monitoring her temperature.”
The line went dead.
I turned to Troy, who was staring at me like he had no idea what to do next.
“Troy, get me the thermometer,” I ordered, already moving toward Nancy and starting to work on her clothes.
He left and came back almost immediately, handing me the glass thermometer.
I pulled the hoodie over her head and tossed it aside.
“Uh… I’m just going to head downstairs. Call me if you need anything,” Troy muttered before leaving the room.
I didn’t know if I was fully prepared for this. But I knew one thing — if I didn’t act fast, her life could be at risk.
I rushed to the wardrobe, grabbed the neatly folded duvet and a pair of my socks, and hurried back to her.
Her feet were ice-cold — a stark contrast to the burning heat radiating from the rest of her body. I quickly slid the socks onto her feet, then pulled the duvet over her.
My hands moved faster than my thoughts.
I gently removed the joggers she was wearing, leaving her in the T-shirt. Pulling the duvet up to her chest, I carefully lifted the shirt over her head and set it aside before positioning her on her side, just as the doctor instructed.
Then I pulled my own shirt off.
I slid under the heavy duvet. The cold air of the room bit at my bare chest for only a second before I pulled Nancy against me.
I settled behind her, curving my body along the line of hers.
She felt so small.
Her skin was burning against mine — scorching — and yet she was still shivering violently. The tremors ran through her nonstop, shaking both of us.
I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist and pulled her closer until there wasn’t even an inch of space between us.
Lifting her arm carefully, I placed the thermometer under her armpit and held her arm gently against her side, counting the seconds.
Three minutes felt like forever.
When I finally removed the thermometer, my fingers were trembling. I held it up under the dim bedside lamp, tilting it until the thin silver line of mercury caught the light.
I held my breath.
104.9°F. 40.3°C.
Still dangerously high.
I immediately dialed the doctor. He picked up on the first ring.
“How is she?” he asked.
“She’s under the duvet. I’m keeping her warm, but she’s still shaking, and her temperature is 40.3°C,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
“That’s high. Keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll be there soon.”
The call ended.
I tightened my hold on her.
Her body continued to tremble against mine, and I pressed my forehead lightly against the back of her head, silently urging her to fight through it.
Minutes dragged by.
Ten.
Maybe twelve.
Gradually — slowly — the shaking began to lessen.
It wasn’t gone.
But it wasn’t as violent as before.
Hope flickered inside my chest.
I reached for the thermometer again to check her temperature. Her skin was still hot — painfully so — but when I read the numbers this time, it had dropped to 103.5°F.
Still a fever.
Still high enough to terrify me.
But lower than 104.9.
I let out a rough, shaky breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
How did it get to this?
I never should have left her alone last night.
Troy’s POV
I paced around the living room, not knowing what to do with myself. My eyes were glued to my phone as I watched the minutes crawl by, each second stretching my nerves tighter.
I kept waiting for the doorbell to ring.
When it finally did, I practically sprinted to the door and pulled it open.
“What took you so long? You’re late,” I snapped as I let Jasper in.
“Nice to see you too,” he replied with an easy smile. “And I’m only one minute late.”
“You never change,” I muttered under my breath.
“Please, take me to Mr. Lennox,” he said, his tone shifting into something more professional.
I led him quickly down the hallway to Jaxon’s room.
Jaxon was still in bed with Nancy, holding her close under the duvet, doing everything he could to keep her warm.
It wasn’t exactly a normal sight.
Those two were like cat and dog. I’d never seen them agree on anything without it turning into a clash of tempers — especially Nancy.
And now this.
“Hi, Jaxon,” Jasper greeted, smiling as if they were old friends.
I rolled my eyes.
Of course he looked pleased. Jaxon had rejected his offer to be his personal doctor more times than I could count. Now here he was, finally needing him.
What a twist of fate.
Jaxon’s POV
“Status,” the doctor ordered, snapping on a pair of latex gloves as he stepped closer to the bed.
He immediately reached for the thermometer, checking her temperature again while I filled him in.
“She was at 104.9,” I said, my grip tightening instinctively around Nancy’s waist. “I brought it down to 103.5. She’s still shaking — but not as badly as before.”
He leaned over us, his shadow stretching across the wall.
He didn’t tell me to move.
He didn’t tell me to get out of the bed.
Instead, he pressed his fingers gently against the side of Nancy’s neck, checking her pulse. With his other hand, he pulled a penlight from his pocket and shone it across her half-closed eyes.
“Good. You kept her on her side,” he murmured, almost to himself.
He slipped the stethoscope from around his neck.
“Lean back just an inch — don’t break contact. Just give me enough space.”
I obeyed immediately. My muscles ached from the tension, but I adjusted carefully, keeping my body pressed to hers.
The cold metal of the stethoscope touched her back.
Nancy let out a weak, fragile moan.
It was the first sound she’d made since she lost consciousness.
My heart nearly stopped.
“Her lungs are congested, but she’s still moving air,” Jasper said, his expression focused and unreadable. “She’s dehydrated. Her skin’s tenting. If we don’t get fluids and an antipyretic into her now, that fever is going to spike right back into the danger zone.”
He turned toward his bag, moving with sharp efficiency.
“Troy! Stop hovering and hold the light. I need to find a vein — she’s constricted.”
Troy rushed forward, his face pale as he aimed his phone’s flashlight at Nancy’s damp, trembling arm.
The sharp scent of medical alcohol filled the room.
Jasper tore open a sterile pack, pulling out a clear IV line and a gleaming needle.
“Hold her steady,” he warned quietly. “She may flinch when the needle goes in. If she moves and I blow the vein, we’ll have a problem.”
I shifted my weight, pressing her shoulder gently but firmly against my chest. I wrapped my arm securely around her bicep, holding her arm in place against the mattress.
“I’ve got her,” I whispered against her heated skin, my heartbeat pounding wildly against her back. “I’m not letting go.”
Jasper didn’t hesitate.
With practiced precision, he inserted the needle into the crook of her elbow.
Nancy’s body tensed slightly, but I held her steady.
“Done,” Jasper said calmly.
Then he glanced at Troy.
“Get me the IV kit from the side pocket of my bag. Now.”
He began setting up the IV almost immediately, inserting the catheter into her hand with careful precision before securing it in place with medical tape.
He grabbed a plastic hanger from the hotel closet, looped the IV bag through it, and hooked it over the decorative molding of the headboard. The clear fluid began to drip steadily through the line, traveling down the tube and into the catheter in her arm.
“The injection I gave her will do the heavy lifting,” Jasper said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “The IV is to replace what the fever drained. She’s been running on empty for hours.”
“How long?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“Thirty minutes. Maybe an hour,” he replied, glancing at his watch. “Once she’s properly hydrated, she’ll start to come around.”
His gaze shifted to me, more serious now.
“But Jaxon, you need to stay right where you are. If you pull away, her body will try to compensate for the sudden loss of heat by shivering again. We cannot risk another spike.”
I nodded, though my arm was already numb from holding her so tightly for so long. I adjusted slightly, careful not to break contact.
“Thank you, Doctor,” I said quietly.
He gave me a small, reassuring smile. “My pleasure. In about twenty minutes, she’ll begin to regain consciousness. She’ll likely be disoriented, and her throat will feel extremely dry — almost burning. Have plain water ready. No ice.”
He began packing up his equipment.
“Troy, see the doctor out and settle with him. Then bring a glass of room-temperature water,” I instructed without looking away from Nancy.
Troy nodded immediately.
Jasper reminded me to call if anything changed, and I gave him a firm nod before he and Troy stepped out of the room, the door closing softly behind them.
The room fell quiet.
For the next twenty minutes, I didn’t move.
I monitored the IV line. Watched her chest rise and fall. Counted her breaths.
Gradually, the tremors stopped completely.
The burning heat beneath my hands began to ease, no longer scorching but warm — manageable.
Her breathing steadied.
Deepened.
Evened out.
Relief washed over me so suddenly it left me lightheaded.
Only then did I realize how exhausted I was.
But I didn’t let go.