“That’s enough!” A tug on her elbow yanked her to a stop. The cold fury in Jarrett’s expression told her she’d gone too far.
“Stop telling me how I feel! I’m not in love with Carlie.” He paused, his searing dark eyes holding her captive. “In fact, I never was.”
What was he saying? It didn’t make any sense.
His phone rang, and he gave an exasperated groan. He ripped it from his pocket, his face blanching as he viewed the screen.
“It’s Lottie.”
The fear in his voice was palpable, and icy fingers gripped Rylie’s gut. It was the first time their babysitter had called them since she’d started watching Gabe, and it could only mean bad news.
“This is Jarrett. What’s wrong?”
Rylie watched his face with growing dread as he listened to Lottie’s response.
“We’ll meet you at the hospital.” He disconnected and turned worried eyes Rylie’s direction. “Gabe’s temperature is 103.5. And he’s been crying. Says his stomach hurts.”
She grabbed his hand, and they raced for the car, Jarrett’s limp unmistakable without his running prosthesis.
“He’ll be okay, right?” she asked.
“It’s an infection of some sort.” The strain in his tone matched the expression on his face. “We knew it could happen.”
They made it to the car, climbed in and buckled the seatbelts, the earlier topic forgotten as Jarrett backed out and sped through the parking garage.
“We’ve been so careful.” Rylie braced herself as Jarrett took the turns at breakneck speed. “We washed our hands and used hand disinfectant. We didn’t take him out around people.”
“It was bound to happen eventually.” He rounded the last turn and screeched to a halt at the pay gate. “I got two infections during my initial chemotherapy. But the docs know what to do. He’ll get IV antibiotics.”
Her eyes stung, but she quickly squelched her tears before they could make an appearance. She was back in control. Jarrett needed her to be strong, and so did Gabe.
“So he’ll be okay?” she asked.
He gave a sharp nod, as if he didn’t trust himself to speak. His hand found hers, and their fingers interlaced. She couldn’t help noticing how perfectly their hands fit together, like they were made for each other. Maybe Jarrett was destined to be with Carlie, but right now, he belonged to Rylie. And she needed him.
* * *
As they steppedthrough the hospital doors into the emergency room, the antiseptic smell hit Jarrett in the face. The ensuing surge of nausea was worse than usual, probably because he was already so anxious. Ignoring his swirling gut, he approached the sign-in window, relieved to recognize the nurse on duty.
“Gabe’s in treatment room three, Mr. Alvarez. I’ll open the door for you.”
The young woman, a cancer survivor and amputee like himself, had been a recipient of a Limitless scholarship to attend nursing school. Any other day, he would’ve stopped to chat and ask her about her wedding plans. But today, all he could manage was a weak smile.
“Thanks, Bree,” he said, as she buzzed them through to the back.
Lottie sprang to her feet when he and Rylie walked in. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Alvarez. I didn’t notice he had a fever until I woke him up from his nap. He slept for almost two hours, so I finally went in there, and he was burning up.”
A nurse was setting up an IV bag for Gabe. Lethargic, he barely opened his eyes when Rylie kissed his forehead.
“His skin is scalding,” Rylie said, her frightened blue eyes searching his for reassurance. “What’s his temperature?”
The nurse answered her question. “It was 104.3 about five minutes ago, but we already gave him a fever reducer.”
“Is it dangerous for it to be so high?” Rylie asked, with an almost imperceptible quiver in her chin.
“A fever won’t actually cause harm unless the temperature gets above 108,” she said. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep it under control.”
Jarrett moved beside Rylie and tucked her under his arm. Her body melted against him, filling the space that had felt empty before. In that moment he knew she needed him as much as he needed her. Making her admit it was going to be a challenge. But Jarrett had never let any obstacle stand in his way before.