A Cold Drive and a Warm Night- Chapter Four

Jenny stared at the page apprehensively and let the computer screen go dark and shimmied back to her original spot before the fire.

Outside a huge thunderclap shook the cabin. It was deafening. She had not heard that kind of thunder since she was in Hawaii on the island of Kauai. There rains happened almost every day, but this thunder-clap was ear-splitting and it felt like it was right down on the ground. Thunder that made your body shake was not thunder to be messed with.

Frightened she instinctively looked for her cell phone and not finding it she realized she had left that too in her rental car.
 

“So far Jenny” she said to herself “you are doing just fine.”

She closed her eyes in a effort to slow down her racing mind, now becoming more and more aware that she was feeling warm, too warm. She was getting sick. He had been right to be concerned, but aside from feeling dizzy, she started to sweat.

“Great she thought. Genius at work here.”

Some time later she became aware of the sound of chopping wood and the cabin door opening.

Don opened the door wood in his arms He put the wood down by the fireplace and carefully undid his parka buttons looking at her thinking that she didn’t look good.

Fever.

 He hung the parka up and was at her side quietly asking: “Can you hear me”

Jenny didn’t answer and she didn’t open her eyes. She was feeling sicker than ever but also she didn’t want to see his face, see what it might reveal what he had found out or found in the car. So she pretended to be asleep and or delirious.
She heard him rise his footfalls going toward the bathroom door again, soon returning with what turned out to be more water.

She felt him gently pull her up enough to put the glass to her lips which caused her to murmur indistinctly.

“Now  drink as much of this as you can" he said "and take a few more of these aspirins.  I think you will need some soup in you as well.”

He then grunted satisfied as she drank a little of the water. And then he took her lips and gently pried them apart and put the aspirin just inside her mouth. She let him into her mouth, without thinking.

The aspirin went down dryly and a bit bitter. He put the glass to her lips again saying “Got to drink just a little more”

She was feeling weaker and she let her self lie back ready just to rest when she felt big arms around her, lifting her up. Jenny had never been lifted in her life. But he lifted her up like she was light as a feather. She could feel his body against her, her chest, lying against her chest, soft breathing, as he took her toward what she knew was the bedroom.

She blanked out then.

End of Four of Eleven