Recovery | On Hiatus

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

      I WAS STARTING to wonder if I was freezing to death. I probably had hypothermia. What were the symptoms for hypothermia again? I wasn't sure, but I was pretty sure I showed them. I pulled the hood of Hayden's hoodie over my head. It wasn't much help considering my hair was still soaked and nearly turned into icicles, but it was worth a try.

I was worried about Hayden. I didn't want him to come home and find the entire house a mess. The door was still probably wide open, so I could guess the house would be freezing and the bottoms of the stairs coated with snow. I'm sure the pan I threw at Darrin would still be in the floor. Hayden's bedroom door was probably split near the knob, and his window was wide open, so his room was probably coated with snow, too. Not to mention the footprints on his roof, if they were even still there, were probably pretty concerning. And I was missing.

He would have a heart attack if he came home to all of that. If Camille made it home first, she'd probably just collapse on the spot.

      I was pulled from my thoughts by an overwhelming wave of dizziness, my vision spotting black. I was tired, and starting to think I wouldn't make it much longer before I passed out. Maybe I could just sit down and take a break for a minute, then I'd start walking again. I eased myself to the ground against a tree, wincing when I landed in the cold snow. I stared down at my bloodied hands. There were cuts and scrapes on them from the trees and the thorns. My hands were so numb, I couldn't even feel it. My feet were swollen and nearly purple, almost the color of a bruise.

      I laid my back against the cold tree with a wince and watched the snow fall from overhead. It was beautiful, yet painful. I closed my eyes for a second. The darkness behind my eyelids eased the headache I hadn't realized I'd had from all the bright white surrounding me. I wanted to open my eyes, but they felt so heavy, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew I should, that I couldn't give in to how tired I felt, but the lull of sleep was too strong. If I slept, the pain would go away until I woke up. If I woke up.

      So, I kept my eyes closed, and the pain drifted away.

✦

The next time I opened my eyes, I heard voices.

A blurry figure was running towards me, and as he leaned close, I recognized his multicolored eyes. Those eyes looked scared—terrified, actually. I hadn't seen that look on his face since the night he saw his dad's body at the wake. He dropped to his knees beside me, quickly reaching up to pull the hood off my head. His mouth was moving, but it took a moment to process his words. They sounded distant, like we were at opposite ends of a tunnel. "...Scarlet? Can you hear me?" Those bright eyes scanned my body, and his voice cracked on his next words. "Oh, god. Scarlet!"

Warm hands landed on my shoulders and gently started to shake me. The movement made my head pound, but the voices stared to sound closer, less like they were coming from a tunnel. I heard a low groan that I was pretty sure came from me.

Hayden turned to face whoever was with him and started to yell commands. The other person, who I now recognized as David, nodded and started to run. I didn't remember Hayden picking me up, but I was suddenly in his arms as he ran behind David. Within moments, the house came into view and we were rushing through the door. I was so close before, why did I stop?

"What?" Hayden asked, looking down at me. "I couldn't understand you. What happened out there?"

"I was so close," I muttered, tucking my head into Hayden's chest.

David swiped his arms along the kitchen table, knocking anything in the way into the floor. Hayden laid me down on the table immediately and barked an order at David about dry clothes and first aid. David nodded and disappeared a second later.