Chapter 686


    Panting, Dorothy retraced her steps to the hospital room door, timing herself perfectly to arrive at


    the ten-minute mark. She pushed the door open.


    True to his word, Everett hadn''t locked it from the inside.


    He emerged from the bathroom, drenched from head to toe, leaving puddles in his wake.


    Dorothy knew he wasn''t in the mood to talk, so she briskly went to the wardrobe, grabbed a change


    of clothes, and without waiting for his consent, began peeling off his soaked garments.


    Everett didn''t say a word, passively letting her strip away his wet clothes and dress him in fresh


    ones.


    Once she was done, Dorothy felt nearly spent.


    She wrapped her arms around Everett''s waist and whispered, "How about you lie down for a bit,


    huh?"


    "You''re not gonna ask?"


    "I''m not asking." She rested her cheek against his chest. "Whatever you found out there, I won''t pry.


    Just tell me if you''re hurt, let me put some ointment on, okay?"


    He shook his head, hisrge hand pressing hers firmly against his heart.


    "It hurts here."


    "Should I call Dr. Quincy to check on you?"


    "Only you can fix me."


    Dorothy had a sinking feeling that his troubles had something to do with her, but she dared not ask.


    With only a few days left in her one-month agreement with Jonathan, she didn''t want to tear open


    wounds to peek into the future. She wanted to savor thesest days with Everett.


    She led him back to the bed and tucked him under a thickforter, then clung to him tightly,


    sharing her warmth.


    "Try to get some sleep, okay?"


    She didn''t insist on applying medicine, just wanted him to get some rest.


    It was unclear when Everett had left that dawn, but one thing was sure: something had happened to


    him.


    Suddenly, the hand he hadid on her waist tightened, pulling her entirely into his embrace.


    "If I fall asleep, will you leave?"


    "I won''t. I''ll stay right here with you."


    "And afterward?"


    Her lips quivered, eyes cast downward, "Everett, stop hurting yourself. Abigail and Langston are still


    waiting in Swevia Country. If you wear yourself out, they''ll be left without a dad."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Abigail and Langston.


    Yes, they had two kids together.


    Their lives were intertwined in countless ways; it wouldn''t all just end so easily.


    "Dorothy, don''t leave me alone."


    "I won''t." She freed a hand to stroke his hair. "Sleep, and I promise when you wake up, I''ll still be


    here."


    Despair clouded Everett''s eyes, void of their usual spark.


    He gazed at Dorothy, then leaned in for a kiss.


    She didn''t dodge, tilting her head to meet his lips.


    She embraced the kiss, no matter how fierce and wild.


    Everett''s body was chilled from the cold shower, causing him to shiver uncontrobly. Dorothy shed


    her own clothes, using her body to warm him.


    When the kiss ended, and she thought he might take things further, he simplyy there panting,


    moving no more.


    "Everett, you..."


    "I''m going to sleep."


    He closed his eyes, but hisshes still fluttered.


    Dorothy reached out to touch Everett''s face, but he caught her wrist.


    "I''m sorry."


    "What?"


    "Dorothy, I''m sorry."


    He thought he could be Dorothy''s salvation, leading her out of darkness.


    Instead, he became the source of all her disasters.