I ran a finger lightly over his chest. “So what would happen next? In this teaching experiment of ours?”
There was a look of brief confusion in his eyes, but he put it away. “You’re asking me what should happen next?”
“Uh-huh,” I said, and my entire body tensed in anticipation of his response.
“Well”—he leaned down to kiss the tip of my nose—“I would kiss you a lot more, and then I’d reach up”—he brought up his right hand—“and I would do this.” He unbuttoned the top button on my shirt.
I didn’t say anything.
He undid the second button, but still I stayed silent.
Then his fingers hesitated, and I saw the teasing light fall from his eyes. “Juliet, I don’t know how much self-control you think I have, but we are pushing right up against that line.”
“Just kiss me,” I told him, almost not caring what happened next. I just wanted to be with him.
He did as I requested, devastating my mouth and invading all of my senses.
I became aware of a ringing sound. It was my phone. I wanted to ignore it. Given how clever he was with his lips, I really, really wanted to ignore it. But what if it was important? The only people who called me in the evenings were my mom and Shelby.
“Noah, hang on.”
He rolled to his side, and I got up on barely functioning legs to make my way over to where I’d left my phone. I was pulsating with a jittery energy that demanded release. I saw that it was Allan calling. I put my fingers over my well-kissed and slightly throbbing lips and answered it.
“Hello? Allan?”
“Juliet?” He sounded completely distraught, like he’d been crying. I instantly sobered up and turned toward Noah, my eyes wide. He picked up on my distress and sat straight up in the bed.
“What’s wrong?” he mouthed.
“Allan? What’s happening?”
“We were out at dinner, and Shelby said she was feeling dizzy. That she’s been feeling dizzy for the last few days, and we were going to go home, and on our way back to the car she fainted.”
Every last bit of color drained from my face; my heart thunked to my feet. That was exactly what happened when Shelby was diagnosed with leukemia. The dizziness, the fainting. This could not be happening again. It could not.
“What did the doctor say?” I asked.
“We’re still waiting on the test results. They’re going to call her oncologist when they get them back.”
I heard the pain and desperation in his voice; I was feeling the exact same thing. “Where are you?”
“We’re at Patterson Memorial Hospital. We’re in room 1119.”
“I’m on my way.”
Noah was already throwing his shirt back on. “What’s going on?”
“Shelby fainted and has been feeling light-headed. Those were her first symptoms last time, and it’s why she went to the doctor and got diagnosed with cancer. She needs me. I have to get to her.”
“Ray’s still got that blown tire,” Noah said, getting on his phone. “If we can wait half an hour—”
“I can’t wait that long.” The need I felt to be by her side, to support her through this, nearly wrecked me. I got on my phone, too, checking both the Uber and Lyft apps. There were no cars available because of this festival. There was a lump in my throat, but I refused to cry. I had to be strong, to see what the doctor said. “There’s no ride-share cars, either. What are we going to do?”
Determined, he took my hand. “Come with me. I’m going to get you there.”
“How?”
He took me by the shoulders, looking deep into my eyes. I could see how much he meant what he said next. “Trust me. You’re my battle buddy. I’ve got your back, and I promise that I’m going to get you safely to Shelby’s side.”
Some detached part of my brain wanted to ask him what a battle buddy was, but he pulled me after him and I followed. We ran down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator and hurried through the lobby. When we got to the half-circle driveway out front, there were no taxis that I could see, but there was a young woman about to get into her car.
Noah rushed over to her. “Hi. Weird question—are you a Duel of the Fae fan?”
It took a second for her to register who he was, but her mouth dropped open and I understood all too well when she temporarily lost her ability to speak. “You’re . . . you’re . . .”
But he was too impatient to wait for her to get there. “Yes, I play Malec Shadowfire. I’m Noah. What’s your name?”
“I’m Nicole. Wow, it’s so great to meet you!” Her eyes flickered to mine, but she seemed to mentally dismiss me.
He shook her hand. “Is there any chance I could get you to drive me and my friend to the hospital? I could pay you.”
“Are you okay?” she asked, her eyes big. I noticed she didn’t ask if I was okay. To be fair, she probably didn’t care.
“I’m fine. There’s someone there we have to see right away.”
“Of course. I’d love to drive you. And don’t worry about the money. Just having the chance to talk to you would be payment enough!”
She got into her car, and he turned to me. “I’ll sit up front and chat with her.”
It occurred to me as I climbed into the back seat that this woman could be a complete psycho and kidnap us and tie Noah up in her basement while making him read lines from Duel of the Fae. But there was no time to worry.
Nicole didn’t seem all that partial to the speed limit, which was good in our current situation. She and Noah talked in the front seat, mostly about inane movie stuff, while I rocked in the back, promising God that I’d do anything if Shelby would be okay.
I’d even be willing to give up Noah, if that’s what it took. Because for some reason this felt like some personal punishment for me being a liar for so long.
I just kept whispering the word please. She couldn’t die.
We rolled up to the emergency room entrance at the hospital, and both Noah and I opened our doors. I heard him thanking her.
She got out of the car, too. “Wait! Can I get a picture with you?”
I saw the pained look in his eyes. “Go,” he told me. “I’ll catch up.”
Maybe I should have waited, but I couldn’t. Right as I got to the elevator bank, one of the elevators opened, like it had been waiting just for me. I took it up to the eleventh floor and looked for the door numbers until I found Shelby’s.
She was alone in her bed, looking so small. Allan wasn’t in the room.
I rushed to her side. “I’m here.” Noah had gotten me to the hospital, just like he’d promised. “We’ll get through this.”
“Everything’s okay,” she said, putting a hand over her stomach. “I’m just having a baby. Allan’s out calling his parents right now.”
“What?” For some reason that did not compute.
“They got the blood work back and the doctors didn’t see any evidence that my cancer had returned and it’s supposed to be virtually impossible for me to get pregnant naturally, but I am definitely pregnant. That can apparently cause fainting and light-headedness, too. So this is a literal miracle. I’m going to be a mommy.”