Page 21

PIPER

I went to bed, but didn’t actually go to sleep.

I knew Patrick would give me shit if I didn’t leave the room, but I already knew things were about to go from bad to worse.

After fifteen minutes in the room, I snuck back out and peeked in on Patrick.

He was out like a light, but it was the sheen of sweat on his forehead that worried me.

I set another pot of water to boil, then went back to the couch with my supplies and carefully started unwrapping the wound.

The red on his skin had nothing to do with the bleeding and everything to do with the infection running through his veins.

I had no idea how to help him and no supplies to do it with.

I thought back to when I read Outlander , trying to remember any herbs that might have been used as medicine, but that wouldn’t do me much good since I probably wouldn’t be able to spot them if I knew what they looked like.

The only thing I could do right now was keep his fever down.

I went through every cabinet in the house searching for Tylenol or Ibuprofen, but with every door I shut, my hope fell a little more.

I was rummaging through the closet of towels when I finally found a basket of supplies at the back.

Everything was expired. I wasn’t even sure I should give it to him, but it had to be better than nothing.

Once the water was boiled, I set it to cool and poured a glass for him, shaking out a few Tylenol. I hoped this would help. I really didn’t want to be stuck out here all alone with a dying man.

“Hey, Patrick,” I said, shaking him awake.

“Hmm,” he groaned, his eyes fluttering.

“Patrick, I have some medicine for you. I need you to wake up.”

His brows pinched as he struggled to wake up. I shook him harder, but when that didn’t help, I slapped my hand across his face as hard as I could.

“What the fuck,” he muttered, wincing slightly as he tried to sit up.

“I have medicine. I need you to take it.” I held the cup out to him and shoved the medicine into his hand.

“Are you trying to kill me?” he muttered slowly.

“If I was going to do that, I would have left you for the bear.”

Sighing, he took the medicine and fumbled it into his mouth, then took a sip of the water as I held it to his lips. Exhausted, he laid back and his eyes did a slow blink that scared the shit out of me.

“Stay awake with me for a while.”

“Tired,” he muttered.

“But—I’m scared,” I said, desperate to keep him awake. “I need a strong man to keep me safe.”

He snorted at that, though it was more like a low scoff. “You don’t need anyone.”

“Sure I do. Every woman needs a man.”

“Yeah?” His eyes slowly opened and he did his best to stare at me. “Why?”

“Because… nights get cold.”

“I hate cold feet. Fish feet,” he mumbled.

“Then I need someone to hold me.”

The sigh he let out seemed to take all the effort he had. “No more holding.”

“Why? Afraid of letting anyone close?” I asked, taking a rag and wiping down his forehead. I’d have to get some cold water on this.

“Close. Don’t need close.”

I didn’t want to leave and miss anything he might say, but I also really needed a cold rag. “Stay with me, okay? I’m just getting the rag wet.”

He nodded slightly as I hurried into the kitchen and ran the faucet. It was hardly cold water, but it was cooler than the water from the pot. I dug out another pot and filled it with cool water, then returned just as he was drifting off again.

I pressed the rag to his forehead, then wiped along his neck, trying to cool him down. “Patrick, stay with me.”

“‘M here,” he mumbled.

“So, why don’t you get close? Did you have your heart broken?”

“Think so…”

“You think so? Is this because of the woman you fell in love with?”

“She never loved me. Never looked at me. Not like that.”

“Well, any woman would be crazy not to look at you.”

His lips twitched as his eyes drifted shut. “Cuz of my big dick.”

“That too,” I laughed.

His fingers brushed my arm as I rinsed the rag and pressed it to his burning skin again. Slowly, they skimmed up my arm before taking my hand in his and squeezing gently. I had a feeling that was all the energy he had.

“How’s the pain?”

“Piece of cake,” he grumbled. “Hardly feel it.”

That was either very bad or a big, fat lie. Which I couldn’t be sure of. “Just hang in there. We’ll get help.”

“Not goin’ anywhere.”

“Yes, you are.”

He shook his head. “You aren’t. You’ll find…another bear.”

“Probably, but I have a record of taming bears. I think I’ll be fine.”

If help didn’t arrive soon, I’d have to leave and hope I found someone. Staying here would do nothing but keep him dying slowly. I had no idea where we were, but maybe there was a map around here somewhere that would give me an idea of how far we were from civilization.

Besides, we were at a cabin. That had to mean there was a road nearby.

I just had to find the drive in the morning and hike out of here.

Patrick was silent, his chest slowly rising and falling.

I couldn’t stay here and watch him die. That would be more horrible than anything I’d ever experienced, and even watching him suffer like this was unbearable.

I grabbed the pot of water and busied myself with refilling it.

Staring out the window, I took deep breaths, telling myself everything would be fine.

We both would be. We just needed a miracle.

I shut off the water and grabbed the pot, turning to leave when I spotted movement outside the window.

The pot nearly dropped from my hands as I leaned in closer for a better look.

Men were outside. Two of them. I couldn’t be certain since it was so dark, but they moved like Patrick.

It had to be his teammates. And if it wasn’t and they were here to murder me…

well, I’d deal with that like the bear. Running to the door, I flung it open and called out for help, racing down the steps and around the corner, nearly crashing into the figure who stepped out of the darkness.

“Piper?”

My eyes closed in relief at the familiar voice. “Thank God. You have to help. Patrick is delirious and saying weird shit,” I said, tugging him behind me. “His bone is sticking out and I tried to wrap it, but it’s totally fucked up and all I had were his pants?—”

“Piper!” the man shouted, spinning me around to face him. “What are you talking about? What happened?”

“A bear!” I shouted, frustrated that he wasn’t listening. The other man was already storming around us into the house. I hurried after him, explaining on the way. “The bear was going to attack us and Patrick jumped in front of it.”

“Stupid fucker,” the man muttered as we ran into the house behind him.

“The bear swatted him against the tree like a fly. His leg is broken and he has an infection.”

The second man kneeled down beside the couch and started assessing the situation, carefully removing the bandages I’d applied. “He’s burning up.”

“I’ve been trying to keep him cool, but?—”

“The other team should be arriving soon,” the first man said.

I nodded, my eyes closing hard.

“Don’t cry,” the first man said.

“Don’t cry?” I snapped, my eyes popping open. “Listen?—”

“Chase.”

“Listen, Chase. I’m not about to cry. I’m about to kick someone’s ass for leaving me alone with a man in the woods and a bear. Where were you?”

“Dragging Nick’s ass out of a tree,” he muttered, pointing at the other man. “Let’s make a litter and haul ass out of here. The road isn’t too much further. We can meet the team there.”

“They’re on the way?” I said in relief.

Chase nodded. “We ran into some hikers along the way and I used their phone. They should be here within the hour. I need you to keep him cool while we gather what we need. Okay?”

I could do that. We were leaving and that meant civilization, food and water, and most of all, a shower. I’d lost the information along the way that I’d stolen and I no longer had my purse, but all of that I could fix with time.

While the men gathered what they needed, I kept Patrick as cool as possible.

By now, he was out of it, not even responding to my barbs, which worried me more than I wanted to admit.

I’d never seen someone die, and I really hoped he wouldn’t be the first. Having spent the last couple of days with him, surviving a bear attack, and having amazing sex, I didn’t want all that to be further tainted by a funeral at the end.

“Let’s get him loaded,” Nick said, pulling me away from the couch. “We’re gonna be moving fast. Can you keep up?”

My feet ached from stomping around with no shoes on, but the thought of being rescued steeled my spine. “I’m good. I’ll make it.”

“Good.”

Sheer determination pushed me to keep moving even though I was exhausted. I could rest when we got the hell out of here. There was no way I was going to be the one who slowed them down. Not when it could mean the difference between life and death.

They loaded him quickly and then we were out the door.

I didn’t bother looking back at the cabin that had been our shelter.

None of that mattered now. The guys moved at a fast pace like they were just out for a jog.

I did my best to keep up, ignoring the aches and pains as we raced through the trees.

My thighs burned and several times, I felt like I would pass out, but I pushed through. I would not be the reason Patrick died.

“Right up there!” Chase said over his shoulder, pointing to the clearing.

Disappointment shot through me when I saw nothing but a small clearing.

No one was waiting for us. Still, I pushed on.

As soon as we got there, I could rest. Five minutes later, I was huffing and puffing as my legs collapsed from underneath me.

Laying on my back, I stared up at the stars and pressed my hand to the stitch in my side.

“You okay?” Nick asked, kneeling beside me.

I nodded, unable to speak yet.

“You sure?”

I nodded again.

“Because you look like you might puke.”