Cold.
I was so cold.
I burrowed as deep as I could into the worn mattress and pulled the covers as tight around me as physically possible, but it still wasn't enough.
"Joanna."
"Opa?" My eyes opened and I saw him there, his dark black hair peppered with grey and blue eyes twinkling down at me from the end of my bed. "Opa?" I asked again in disbelief.
"Oh, my Joanna." He smiled down kindly at me. "I have missed you so very much."
"Opa. Are you going to take me home?" My voice was small and childlike to my own ears. His blue eyes turned sad.
"I'm sorry my Joanna, I can't, not yet." He replied, his voice heavy with regret.
"Why not?" I felt tears prickle at the corner of my eyes.
"You haven't completed your mission yet." He smiled sadly. "You have to complete your mission."
"But, what is my mission?" I asked.
"I can't tell you that." He frowned. "You're going to have to figure that out for yourself."
I whimpered as my body became wracked with chills and my muscles strained against my skin. I pulled my blanket up and over my head in an attempt to stop the escape of heat from my body. I closed my eyes curled into the fetal position.
"Joanna." My Opa called. "Joanna, you need to uncover yourself."
"No." I moaned and tried to burrow deeper into the mattress, pulling the covers from where they were tucked into the end of the bed and twisting them around my feet.
"Joanna, you must." He insisted.
"It's too cold, Opa." I groaned. "Too cold."
"Joanna, you need to cool yourself off, now." His voice held an edge of urgency.
"No," I mumbled and curled in on myself even tighter.
"Joanna Benally that is an order." I opened my eyes and saw his figure standing over me, a firm expression on his face. I moaned and kicked the covers from my body. I was hit instantly with the chill air of the night that had settled around the room. I glanced at my watch on the bedside table. 0018.
"I'm so cold." I looked up pathetically at my Opa.
"Joanna, listen to me." He bent over so that we were face to face, his worried gaze fixed on my eyes. "Joanna, your temperature is too high, you need to lower it, quick."
"No," I groaned.
"Come on, Joanna." His voice held an undeniable urgency to it forcing me to listen. I moaned and struggled to sit up. I grabbed my bedside table and used it to haul myself up from the bed. "Come on, my Joanna." Opa urged and backed out of the door. I followed him, slowly, forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other which had never been harder for me. I grasped at the bed, the door frame, the wall, anything stabled that could keep me from falling.
"Opa." I moaned and reached out for him as he continued to back up, his eyes sad. "Opa, help me."
I tried to grasp at him, but my hand went through his arm and threw me off balance. I landed hard on the wood floor, gasping for breath and reaching for him.
"Opa." I moaned again and crawled towards his form that now stood in the open doorway of the bathroom.
"Joanna." I felt my knees give out from underneath me and I dropped like a stone to the ground. "Joanna."
"Jo?"
"Joanna."
"JoJo!" A figure stepped through my Opa and dropped to my side. I groaned and turned my head away from their icy cold hands. "Oh, God! Hold on JoJo. I'll be right back." The figure ran through my Opa again. I looked into his blue eyes and reached for him again.
"Opa." I held my hand out to him, wanting to touch him, needing to touch him.
"I'm sorry, my Joanna." The pained expression on his face and the sadness in his voice told me he couldn't help me. I belly crawled further towards the bathroom but my energy drained before I could reach it.
"Opa."
"Joanna."
"Jo!"
"Opa."
"Jo!" I felt cold hands wrap around me and haul me up. "My God, you're burnin' up."
"Whadda we do?" A panicked voice whispered harshly.
"Opa." I reached a hand out over the man's shoulder and tried to grasp at my Opa again.
"No one's there, JoJo." The panicked voice said in my ear.
"Opa."
"She's hallucinating." The first voice said. "We gotta cool her off."
He started to move me towards the bathroom and a glimmer of hope filled my chest as I was brought closer and closer to my Opa. Visions of my childhood spent in the Colorado Rockies on his ranch filled my mind. Riding horses on the mountain trails, playing baseball with the ranch hands, falling asleep in my Opa's arms as he told me great stories of cowboys conquering villains and rescuing damsel then riding off into the sunset. I reached for him, I was so closed to touching him, could already feel the warmth his embrace would envelope me in.
"Opa."
"It's alright, Jo. I've got ya." The man said as he turned and instead of taking me to my Opa, walked into the bathroom door.
"No." I moaned. "No, you're going the wrong way." I tried to struggle from the cold grip of the man. "You're going the wrong way."
"Jo," The man said. "Everything's gonna be alright." I stopped my struggle as a calm settled over me.
"Don't forget your mission, my Joanna. Only when it's complete can you come home."I glanced back at my Opa. He smiled sadly at me before turning and vanishing down the hall as the other man closed the bathroom door.
"Opa." I moaned as tears burned their way down my cheeks. "Opa."
"Shh, it's okay, Jo." The man said as he sat me on the closed toilet seat. He turned his head to address the other man as he held me steady. "Turn da water on in da shower, cool but not cold." He turned back to me and I saw his familiar features for the first time. "Can you move, Jo?"
The words didn't register to me as he slipped a thermometer under my tongue, all I could do was sit and stare at the lovely shade of blue-grey that colored his irises.
"Jo, do ya understand what I'm sayin'?" He asked. I just stared. He checked his watch then pulled the thermometer from my mouth and cursed.
"What's it say?" The panicked voice asked.
"105." He muttered.
"Whadda we do?" The panicked voice muttered.
"Keep calm. Check da water." He ordered. "How does it feel?"
"Cool."
"Not cold?"
"No."
"Good." He took off my jacket and started to unbutton my shirt. "We have ta get her temperature down." He pulled my shirt off and tossed it to the floor. "Come here, help me stand her up."
The other man came over and my mind told me I knew him, but it refused to bring the name of either of them up. The man helped me stand as the other finished undressing me, leaving me in my boxers and the bandage that wrapped my chest. I looked at the second man and tried as hard as I could to bring his name up, but it just wouldn't come.
"Ow." I moaned as the feeling of being hit in the back if the head with a shovel overwhelmed my senses and I dropped heavily into his arms.
"JoJo!" He cried as he caught me. "Doc!"
"It's alright," He grabbed me from the second man and picked me up. I watched his stern looking face intently as he shifted me and stepped into the shower.
Cold, freezing cold like I had never felt before.
I moaned and struggled in the man's arms as he set my feet on the cold porcelain floor of the claw-foot tub. I struggled and pushed myself into his chest as I sought to steal his body heat and get away from the stream of icy cold water that fell on my back.
"Shh. It's alright, Jo. I'm here." He whispered.
"Cold." I cried, the sound muted as I buried my head into his neck. "Opa."
"It's okay Jo." He mumbled into my hair. "I know it's cold now, but it'll get betta, I promise." I moaned again into his neck. "Shh, I'm here. I've got you."
I don't know how long it was, but I finally felt my body start to shiver again, a sensation that I realized had been oddly lacking while I was under the ice cold water.
"Dere we go." He whispered and I lifted my head to look up at him.
"G-G-Ge-ne." I chattered as my mind finally recognized his face.
"Hey, dere you are." He smiled softly.
"G-G-Ge-ne." I said again.
"It's okay, Jo. I've got you." He mumbled as he held me under the stream of water.
"C-c-c-co-ld." I chattered.
"I know, Jo. I know." He said. "It'll get betta, I promise." I nodded, trusting completely in his words and laid my head on his chest. His hands curled around my shoulders and pressed me closer to him. "I'm here, Jo. It's all gonna be okay."
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I wasn't sure how long it took before the water no longer felt cold against my skin, but once it did I felt my mind start to clear. I heard the soft French words Gene whispered into hair as he traced a line across my back with his callused fingers. I gently eased head away from his chest, blinking at the harsh light that assaulted me eyes. I was finally able to focus and my eyes found Gene's, blue-grey and full of concern.
"Jo?" He asked. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." I nodded, my voice a harsh whisper as my throat burned.
"Good," He smiled.
"JoJo?" I turned and saw the worried expression of my best friend.
"George." I answered.
"Jo, if you ever do that to me again, I'll. Will. Fucking. Kill. You." He growled, but his face betrayed his relief.
"Sorry." I mumbled.
"I brought you the clean clothes from your room." He said, pointing to a folded pile of ODs that sat on the toilet tank.
"Thank you." I mumbled.
"You're welcome, JoJo." He smiled a tight smile at me.
"Could you hand me that thermometer from my shirt pocket." Gene asked George. I turned and noticed for the first time that he was in a state of undress that was comparable to mine, boxers and an undershirt only. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks against my will.
"Here." George said as he handed Gene the thermometer. Gene unwrapped one of his hands from my shoulder and took the instrument. My arms were still curled between our bodies and his other hand held me firm in place, so I opened my mouth and allowed him to slip the thermometer under my tongue.
"Two minutes." He said to George who held Gene's watch in his hands. I stood there, my eyes darting back and forth between the two as the seconds seemed to tick by at a snail's pace. Gene offered me a small smile of comfort and I had to resist pressing my head back into his chest.
"Alright." George said, lifting his gaze from the watch. Gene nodded and took the thermometer from my mouth.
"101." He said with a sigh of relief.
"Thank God." George whispered as he leant heavily against the bathroom sink, looking utterly exhausted.
"Alright, Jo. Let's get you otta here." Gene said.
"Wait." I mumbled and he raised a questioning eyebrow. "Since I'm already in here, I might as well take a shower."
"I dunno if dat's a good idea." Gene said, a shadow of doubt passing over his features.
"I'm alright now." I replied. "I'll feel better once I'm clean." He sighed deeply and I felt his chest rise and fall against me.
"Alright, as long as you can stand up." I nodded and he gently eased away from me. I instantly regretted the loss of comfort, but scolded myself mentally. Without his support, my legs felt wobbly and burned as if I had run a marathon. In fact, all my muscles were starting to burn but I held my ground.
"Okay." He said dubiously as he stepped out of the tub. "But we'll be right outside the door, just call if you need anything."
I nodded and closed the shower curtain, waiting until I heard the door open and shut before I removed my bandage and boxers and tossed them out onto the tile floor. I stepped so my head fell under the stream of cool water and let the rhythmic beating of it against me skull calm my nerves. I grabbed the bar of soap that hung from the faucet and lathered it into my hair and all over my soiled body. I rinsed off, but still felt the grime, so I lathered myself up again. When I finally felt clean, I turned the taps off and gingerly stepped out of the tub using the toilet tank to help me keep my balance. I briefly dried myself with one of the towels before quickly tying the clean bandage around my chest then pulled on the rest of my clothes. I gathered up my dirty boxers and bandage, the rest having been grabbed by one of the guys and shuffled my way towards the door, holding up my pants as they slid down my hips, the bony crests peaking out through the skin like razor blades. I opened the door and came face to face with Gene who stood on the opposite wall, his face contorted with thought as he rubbed his thumb back and forth beneath his lower lip.
"Gene?" I asked, breaking him from his stupor.
"Jo." He managed a small smile. "Feelin betta?"
"Yeah, thanks to you." I smiled quickly then frowned as I looked up and down the hall. "Where's George?"
"I sent him ta bed." Gene replied. "He looked 'bout ready ta pass out." I nodded and turned to shuffle my way down to my room, Gene gently grabbing my arm and guiding me.
"Did you do that?" I asked as I we entered my room. My covers, which had been knocked to the ground during my fevered hallucination were tucked neatly into my bed and turned back just enough to allow me to slide in-between them.
"Wasn't me." Gene replied as he guided me into bed. George's face flashed across my mind and I smiled at the thought of my best friend. He had taken care of me since my rather abrupt entry into this world and continued to take care of me through all the hardships we had faced.
I pulled my legs up and shuffled them under the covers. Gene handed me a couple aspirin he had pulled from his pocket and helped me hold the glass water as I swallowed them down. I scooted myself down until was able to lie comfortably in the bed. Gene pulled the covers up and around my body, tucking them tightly around my shoulders.
"Get some sleep," He smoothed his hand across my forehead and smiled quickly at me before turning out the light and walking to the door.
"Eugene." I called out.
"Hmm?" I could see his figure, illuminated by the hall light, turn and face me his hand resting on the doorknob.
"Thank you." He nodded and I felt more then saw the smile he sent my way.
"You're welcome, Jo." He pulled the door too behind him as he left and I fell into an easy, dreamless sleep.
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So, a little bit of a look into what's ahead in the future with the first part of this chapter, a little bit of Jo torture, and a little bit of Luz and Roe's caring instincts. Hope you all liked it! The next chapter is going to be up on Wednesday!
So, Harlequin Sequins has out an amazing story I've been lucky enough to help her with. It's called The Colour of December, and it is a wonderful read, so go check it out!
I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has reviewed this chapter, my loyal reviewers EmmyMK, Lift the Wings, britt, VendingMachine, Azrael's Darkest Secrets, Harlequin Sequins, CP2girls, Ashlynn, and my brand new reviewers, Master of Wishes, and Dizzy! Thank you all so very much!
britt- If you liked the sweet and caring Roe in last chapter, then you must have got overloaded with it in this chapter. Why are you nervous with the Speirs/Jo interactions? I still like to keep people guessing as to who the love interest is. It makes it fun. Wow, as real as a fictional character can get? That is one of the best compliments I could ever get for this story! The part of the extra character is yours! Just need a name, first and last, and a brief description, looks and personality sort of thing, and I'll get you in there! Thank you so much for the review, it always brightens my day!
Ashlynn- I'm flattered that you got up early just to read the last chapter! I really like to keep everyone guessing as to who the love interest is going to be. Pneumonia is never fun and but torturing Jo sure is. ;) And I love your description of Luz, too perfect! Yes, everyone loves a caring Roe. All little mysteries will be revealed in time! Thank you so much for the review!
Dizzy- Welcome to the story! I'm glad you've liked what you've rsead so far, and I'm very happy to hear that you like Jo and the men. Thank you so much for the review. It's always a pleasure to hear from new readers!
As for everyone else who has read the story and not reviewed, please let me know what you think of this story, good, bad, not so bad, just let me know what you like or don't and any suggestions for improvement you may have!
Please take the time to leave me a review, it is always greatly appreciated!
Amanda
Edited 7/22/17