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Leo made a face. “Do you have any idea how much bacteria is in that lake? She has an open wound, Cap. If you’d like to invite further infection—”

“Fine, fine,” Cade grunted, looking irritable, and Leo rolled his eyes in response. “Keep your pants on.”

Before I could ask him what the fuck his problem was, he set the tub beside the metal table and left without looking at anyone. Neither he nor Asha had checked up on Claire since we got there, and that was probably for the best. Kimmy tensed every time she was near Cade, and I was pissed off enough at Asha that I still might’ve killed her if she rubbed me the wrong way.

We emptied the buckets into the tub, and then we had the terrible task of moving Claire. I stripped away the remainder of her clothes as carefully as I could, then slipped my arms underneath her body. I shuddered at how clammy her skin was, even as she was radiating heat like a furnace. Kimmy held the chest tube, trying to keep it level as I lifted her gingerly into my arms. Moving slowly, I lowered Claire into the water, which was shallow enough that it only reached her hips.

Her reaction to the lukewarm water was instant and violent, like we’d dropped her into a vat of acid. She thrashed, then vomited over the side of the tub, though there wasn’t much left in her stomach. My own stomach heaved, but what broke my heart was that she started crying. Dry, miserable little sobs, her eyes glazed and unfocused.

“Where am I?” she whispered, fear lacing her voice. “What am I doing here? Who are you?”

She was delirious from fever. She had no idea what the fuck was going on, or who we were. She might be hallucinating. My chest was so tight I thought it might burst, but I tapped into my outrider training, knowing that freaking out would make things worse. I crouched beside her head and reached out to lay my palm against her bright red cheek.

“Hey, beautiful,” I murmured, my voice breaking. “Look at me.”

Her glassy eyes met mine, and to my relief, she visibly calmed.

“John,” she said quietly, and my heart squeezed. Even through the haze of her fever, she recognized me. She knew my touch, and it soothed her.

“I’m here,” I said, stroking my thumb over her cheek. “You’re safe. Rest, my heart.”

Claire sighed and leaned back against the edge of the tub, into my hand. Her eyelids fell shut. Leo and Kimmy took advantage of her being still and got to work. Leo cleaned the vomit from the floor while Kimmy soaked cloths in the water and pressed them all over Claire’s body to cool her. I stayed where I was, letting her use my hand as a pillow. I’d meant to help them, but she was calm because she knew I was there, and I wasn’t going to take that away from her.

Some time later, Leo popped a thermometer into Claire’s mouth, and gave a grim nod.

“The fever’s down a couple degrees,” he said. “We’ve bought her some time. Now, we wait for the medication to do its work.”

“How long do you think that’ll take?” Kimmy asked, and I hated how anxious she sounded. It meant things were still really fucking dire, in spite of what we were doing.

“It could be as much as another day,” Leo replied, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t know how I would take another day of this. “But it could also be hours. 24 to 48 hours is the typical wait time, but her fever was high enough that further intervention was necessary.”

Kimmy nodded. “Thank you, Leo.”

He shifted uncomfortably, but then nodded back. “Do you need help moving her?”

“We’re fine,” I said shortly, not wanting him—or anyone else—to touch her unless it was necessary. Her being in this state made my protective instincts extra prickly. Not sleeping for a couple days probably didn’t help.

With Kimmy’s help, I dried Claire off with a clean cloth. We moved her onto the bed at the back of the cabin, making sure the bucket for her lung drainage was properly placed.

“So,” Kimmy blew out with a breath, after we’d taken a seat in the wooden chairs next to Claire’s bed. “Are you ever going to sleep again?”

I gave a low, dry chuckle. “Good question.”

I held Claire’s hand over the covers, rubbing her knuckles with my thumb.

“Have you seen Asha?” I asked, suddenly desperate for a change of subject. Kimmy had been in and out of the infirmary since we’d arrived, sleeping for a while in one of the spare cabins because Leo had offered and I’d insisted on it. She couldn’t help Claire if she was half-dead.

Kimmy’s mouth tightened into a thin line. “Yeah. She asked how Claire was.”

“What did you tell her?”

“To go fuck herself,” she replied, not missing a beat, and I smiled weakly. “She’s the reason we’re here. She doesn’t get to act like she gives a damn now, especially with her new man walking around like he fucking owns the place.”

“Kind of seems like he does,” I pointed out, and Kimmy scowled.

“So what?” she spat. “I don’t see what’s so great about him. What he has that I don’t. Besides a penis, I guess, but she didn’t seem to mind that when I was—”

“Kim,” I broke in, silently begging her not to finish her sentence. “Maybe it’s not about you. You said she was already hung up on this guy while she was with you, right?”