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The warmth of Echo’s hand seeped through the shirt on his back. “Oh,” she said. “I’m so glad we’re here.”
Levi nodded. He eased himself into the room, Echo and Noodle behind him. When he got to the bed, he scooted Mina’s body over enough that he could sit next to her and put a hand on her forehead. “Yep, she’s hot. Help me get some clothes on her, and we’ll get her to the hospital.”
Having a plan of action dampened his worry until he grabbed Mina’s hand. She woke up and immediately started coughing so hard that she curled up around his body. He moved his hand to her back, rubbing lightly as she coughed and shuddered.
Echo returned with some clothes. She’d let her dog off the leash, and instead of sniffing around the room, Noodle was seated at the side of the bed watching the activity. Even though he knew it was stupid, the fact that the dog’s ears were alert made Levi worry all the more.
Getting clothes on Mina took time and patience. Though she was awake, she sniffed and moaned more than helped as they moved her arms around to get a shirt over her head. She didn’t argue with them—or say anything at all—which concerned him more than the fever. Her silence sank in his gut like too much fried food and beer. The pair of pajama bottoms Echo had found went on easier than the shirt.
Once Mina was dressed, Levi dug into his jeans pocket for his keys and gave them to Echo. “I’ll get her downstairs. You get my truck out of the garage and bring it round front.”
“No. I’ll run home, drop off Noodle and get my car. I can drive us to the hospital, and you can sit in the backseat with her.”
“Okay.” Her suggestion made sense, especially since the goal was helping Mina. And as much as Levi hated being a passenger, he liked the idea of holding Mina more.
Noodle’s light and quick feet hit the floor between Echo’s heavier footfalls as they both ran down the stairs and out the front door.
Levi turned his attention back to the sick woman collapsed against him. “Mina, honey. Can you get up?”
She shook her head, then convulsed with coughs. “I can.”
“Okay. On the count of three, we’re going to stand. One...”
“I don’t want to,” she said. Her voice was so small, barely audible above his breathing.
He tucked her head against him, running his hand down her damp, sweaty hair. “We’ve got to get you to the hospital. You’re burning up.”
“Okay.” She said the words, but she didn’t make any effort to stand.
“I’ll carry you down.”
“That’s better,” she said, her body seeming to lose more muscle control the longer they sat at the side of the bed. As she sank deeper into his arms, Levi wondered if she would eventually melt into a puddle on the floor.
“Do you have a coat downstairs?” She would need more clothes to go outside, and he didn’t think he’d be able to get a sweatshirt over her head without Echo’s help.
“In the closet.”
“Okay. We’ll get you to the couch and then get that coat on you. Echo’s driving us to the hospital.”
“Echo. I was supposed to go walking with Echo. I didn’t call her.”
“I know. She knows that you’re sick. It’s okay. She understands.”
Mina’s head looked heavy as she nodded in understanding. She also looked like her bones were no longer doing their job holding her upright. Before he stood, he nudged her around so that she was leaning against her headboard. Then he gathered another set of clothes and some toiletries he found in the bathroom into the gym bag on the top of her dresser and set it on the bed.
Mina was dead weight when he gathered her into his arms, and he got hot just touching her. Before he bent down for her overnight bag, he dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. He took the stairs one careful step at a time, checking that he’d placed his weight properly before shifting down. The rag doll in his arms was precious and worth all the time he would ever need to take for her.
By the time he got her coat on her and got her back in his arms and out the door, Echo was waiting at the curb, her car running.
Once in the car with the heater on high, Mina showed more life. Besides coughing, she pulled at the neck of her shirt and complained about being hot.
