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CHAPTER NINETEEN

RHYS

Something is wrong.

I know it before my brain fully wakes up.

It’s the kind of knowing that punches through sleep, that drags your body awake before your mind can catch up.

The room is still dim, grey light bleeding through the half-closed curtains. I’m warm under the blanket, curled around Ally, my arm draped over her waist, my face buried in the soft skin of her neck.

And she’s shaking.

At first, I think she’s cold.

Or dreaming.

Maybe she’s crying.

But then I feel it—her entire body jerking violently against mine, stiff and rigid like she’s locked inside her own skin.

“Ally?”

My voice is groggy, half-slurred with sleep and confusion, but panic surges through me so fast it yanks me fully awake.

“Ally—”

She doesn’t answer. Her eyes are open, wide, and glassy, but not seeing me. Her limbs spasm again, a harsh, unnatural movement that sends terror tearing through my chest.

She’s not crying. Not dreaming.

She’s seizing.

I scramble up, heart hammering so loud it feels like it might drown out everything else. My hands fumble as I reach for my phone. My fingers shake so badly I almost drop it, but somehow I hit the call button.

Yasmin.

Yasmin will know what to do and always sleeps with her phone on loud.

She answers on the second ring. Her voice is thick with sleep but sharp with concern. “Rhys?”

“It’s Ally.” My throat feels raw. “She—she’s having a seizure. I don’t know what to do. Yas, I don’t know what to do.”

She doesn’t waste time. “Okay. First, put her on her side. Make sure there’s nothing around her she could hit or choke on. Don’t hold her down, Just let it happen. And start timing it.”

“Okay,” I breathe, nodding like she can see me. I gently roll Ally onto her side, my hands trembling as I shift the pillows and pull the blanket out of the way. Her arms are still twitching, her mouth slack. Her breathing is shallow and uneven. I’ve never felt more helpless.

“How long has it been?” Yasmin asks.

“A minute? Maybe two.” Time feels warped, stretched, twisted, and completely out of reach.

“If it goes past five, you call an ambulance,” she says calmly. “But she’ll probably stop soon. Just stay with her.”

“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I sit beside her, knees pressed to the mattress, hand hovering uselessly over her back. I hesitate to touch her, worried about the consequences. Every instinct in me screams to do something —but all I can do is wait.

Seconds crawl.

And then, mercifully, the shaking starts to fade.

Her limbs go still. Her body slackens, softening like a puppet with its strings cut.

I press my hand gently to her shoulder, then brush the damp strands of hair from her face. Her skin is clammy, her lashes fluttering.

“She’s not awake yet,” I tell Yasmin.

“She’ll come around slowly,” she says. “She’ll probably be out of it, confused, maybe scared. But, Rhys… you need to take her to the hospital. I’ll be there in a minute. Let me just get changed. We can go together.”

“I know.” My voice is rough. “Thanks.”

I hang up and turn back to Ally, my hands shaking as I cup her cheek.

“Ally,” I plea. “Come on, beautiful. I’m here.”

She groans softly. Her lashes lift slowly, and those familiar green eyes—clouded, dazed—blink up at me.

“Rhys?”

The sound of her voice nearly knocks the breath out of me.

I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “Yeah, baby. I’m here.”

Her brows knit together in confusion as she tries to push herself up.

“Easy,” I murmur, gently stopping her. “Just breathe, okay? You’re safe.”

She blinks slowly. “What… what happened?”

I hesitate, throat tightening. “You had a seizure.”

She stiffens, her eyes widening. Her lips part like she’s about to deny it—but she doesn’t.

She just freezes.

“No,” she says. “No, it wasn’t— It can’t?—”

I cup her face again, grounding her. “You need to be checked out. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“I’m fine,” she says automatically, but the tremor in her voice betrays her. “It was probably nothing. I was just tired?—”

“Ally.” My voice cracks—not from anger, but from the sheer weight of fear still crashing through me. “You couldn’t move. You were shaking. You scared the hell out of me.”

Tears well in her eyes. And she doesn’t argue again.

She just leans into me, her body still weak, the fight draining out of her like air from a balloon.

I wrap my arms around her, holding her close, kissing the top of her head. “I’ve got you.”

And then the bedroom door slams open.

Yasmin’s the first in, her expression all business. Behind her, Chase, Arden, Ella, and Ashley fill the doorway, all of them half-dressed and wide-eyed.

“What the hell happened?” Arden asks, his voice sharp.

“She had a seizure,” I say hollowly. “In her sleep.”

The air in the room goes still.

Yasmin rushes to the bed, kneeling beside Ally and checking her pulse. “Hey, honey,” she says softly. “How are you feeling?”

Ally blinks at her. “Tired.”

Ashley exhales sharply, scrubbing a hand down her face. “This… this isn’t the first one.”

My head snaps around. “What?”

The room collectively turns towards her. Ally lets out a soft, miserable sound.

“Ash—”

Ashley crosses her arms. “I saw her have one a few days ago. She made me promise not to say anything.”

I stare at her, then back at Ally. My chest caves in. “You knew?”

“I didn’t know know,” Ally whispers, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I thought maybe it was just a one-off. I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

“You passed out. You had dizzy spells. And now this?” Ella says, her voice tight.

“I was scared,” Ally chokes out. “I didn’t want it to be real.”

My hands tighten around hers. “You aren’t fighting this alone, Ally.”

“We’re taking you to the hospital,” Yasmin says, gentle but firm. “No arguments.”

Chase exhales loudly. “Jesus, Ally.”

Arden nods. “We’ll get the car.”

Ally tries protesting again, but she stops when she sees my expression.

She nods. Just once.

Yasmin squeezes her hand. “We’ll all be there.”

Arden claps me on the shoulder as I help Ally up, steadying her when she stumbles.

She leans into me, fragile like I’ve never seen before.

And I hold her like my life depends on it.

Because right now?

It kind of does.