Chapter 13

            In the middle of the night, Jen woke up to the sound of Drew's voice.  Apparently, he was having a nightmare and talking in his sleep.  She gently touched his shoulder, but he woke with a start.

            "Baby, what's wrong?"  Jen asked as she wiped the sweat off his forehead.

            Drew rested his head underneath her neck and said, "I had a really bad dream.  It was so real that I thought it was actually happening."

            "What could be so bad that it would make you think it was real?"

            "I can't tell you."  Jen shot him a look and waited for his answer.  Drew began with, "You were really mad at me for some reason, and ran out before I got a chance to explain.  A few hours later, I was looking for you and I found you in the woods under a pile of snow.  I tried so hard to bring you back, but you were dead."

            Jen held him close as he cried in her arms.  "Shhhh . . .  Baby, I promise that will never happen," she assured him.  She kissed the top of Drew's head and cradled him back to sleep.

The Next Morning

            Waking up to Drew's arms around her body, Jen could feel his warmth throughout.  She turned around and watched him as he slept peacefully.  Getting out of bed, she walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

            A short time later, Drew woke up.  He staggered out of bed and began to put his clothes on.  There was a coffee shop across the street he wanted to go to and contemplate his dream.  Jen would be angry if he left without telling her, but he wanted to be alone.  His hand brushed the bed sheet so he could soak in the feeling.

            Drew felt good about what he had done with Jen the night before and didn't regret anything about it.  All he wanted to do was make her happy, which he did very well.  But there was something wrong.  He never heeded the warnings that Jen was giving him.  She must have told him a hundred times over that she'd never sleep with anyone before she was married.  Drew felt as if he had betrayed her.

            He walked out of the room and down the stairs to the coffee shop.  Sitting down in a booth next to the large window, he looked out towards the street and began to watch the people walk around the small town aimlessly.  Drew felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up.  Standing in front of him was his cousin.

            "Stephanie, what are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.

            "Well, I got off of work early and decided to drop in for the rest of the week.  I also wanted to know who you brought up with you," she answered.  "Is it your girlfriend?"

            "Yeah, her name's Jen, and she's 16.  I know it sounds like a big difference, me being 24, but I love her with all my heart.  I swear to God, I want to spend the rest of my life with her," Drew explained.  "I have feelings for her I can't describe.  I get this really good feeling whenever I feel her hand touch mine.  I don't know how to tell you what she means to me."

            "Wow, you really are in love with girl.  I hope she loves you too," Stephanie replied.  She sat down next to him and waited for someone to break the silence.

            "I know she loves me," Drew quietly spoke up.  "And I know that she'll say yes when I asked her to marry me."

            "Drew!  She's only 16!  How could you ask her to marry you at such a young age?"

            "I'm not planning to ask her to marry me any time soon.  I only said that I know she'd say yes if I ever did," he protested.  He turned around and looked Stephanie straight in the eyes.

            "Drew," she began, "you're weird."

            "I know, and I like it," he laughed.  She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze.  He kissed the top of her head.

            "Drew!" came a shrill cry from the other end of the coffee shop.  "How could you?"

            Drew turned around to find Jen, her eyes clouded with tears.  He quickly loosened his grip on Stephanie and stood up.

            "Who is she?"  Jen demanded.

            "She's . . . ," Drew started.

            "She's your new girlfriend, right?  God, Drew.  How could you do this to me?  No, wait, before you say anything, I'm saying . . . no, I'm telling you it's over between us!  All you wanted was a good fuck out of me, and when you got it, you moved on.  I should have listened to Jeff.  He was right about you," she broke down.

            "But, Jen, it's not what you think," he tried again.

            "Shut up, Drew!  I'm never going to listen to you.  I hate you and I never want to see you again!  We're through!"  Jen cried.  She ran out of the coffee shop and disappeared into a crowd of people.

            Like the night before, everyone stared at him as if it was all his fault.

            "Smart one, Drew.  Forget to tell her I was your cousin?"  Stephanie retorted.  "And how could you fuck her?  She's only 16."

            "But, Steph, I swear, she . . . oh, what the hell.  It's all my fault."  Suddenly, he remembered the dream he had that night and ran out of the coffee shop leaving Stephanie behind.  All he could think about was finding Jen.

            Not to far ahead of him, Drew could see the shadows of the forest approaching.  There was a set of footprints leading into it, and he knew instantly they were Jen's.  Dark clouds hung in the sky, indicating a storm approaching.  If he didn't find her soon, they would be lost.  Every direction he looked, all Drew could see was a tangled mess of branches and trees.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see something moving to the left.  Unfortunately, it was only a deer.

            Drew searched for another 20 minutes as the snow began to fall.  It blew in for all directions, making his search more painstaking.  Suddenly, he stumbled upon something and fell to the ground.  Laying next to him in a pile of snow was Jen.  Her skin was a pale white and her lips were blue, but she was still breathing.  Drew took off his coat and wrapped it around her.

            Jen's eyes slightly opened.  "I knew you'd come for me," she whispered, then fell unconscious.

            Drew picked her up and began to run out of the woods.  He emerged five minutes later about a few feet away from the lodge.  Opening the door, he found Stephanie sitting in the lobby reading a book.

            "Oh, my God!  What the hell happened?" she yelled as she looked at Jen.

            "No . . . time . . . to . . . explain," Drew said out of breath.  He ran upstairs to his room with Stephanie following closely behind.

            "Drew, she needs a doctor," she said.

            "I know, but have you taken a recent look outside?  It's hell out there," he protested.  "Nobody can get through that."

            "No, you idiot, I'm a doctor.  Well, pediatrician, but I'm still a doctor."

            "Steph, you're a lifesaver," Drew praised.  He opened the door and laid Jen on the bed.  Without warning, her body began to shake violently.

            "Stephanie!" he hollered.

            She came into the room and quickly glanced at Jen.  "Hold her down.  She's having a seizer."

            A few seconds later, Jen stopped shaking.  Drew rushed to her side and took her hand.  He looked at her with his soft brown eyes.  "What's wrong with her?" he asked in a concerned voice.

            "I honestly have no idea.  Do you know anything about her medical history?"  Stephanie answered.

            "All I know is that she had an accident months back, and that's all," Drew replied.  He was extremely concerned about Jen living through this.  "Please help her.  I'm begging you."

            "Okay.  Let me get my bags from downstairs.  Meanwhile, you get her out of those wet clothes.  She has hypothermia and I don't want it to get any worse," she said.

            Drew nodded and Stephanie left the room.  He began peeling off Jen's jacket when a small bottle fell out of one of the pockets.  It contained a bunch of pills.  He tired to read the prescription, but didn't understand a word on it.  Instead, he put the bottle on the nightstand and waited for Stephanie to tell him what it was.  Drew took the rest of Jen's clothes off and wrapped her cold body with a blanket.

            Stephanie came back holding a suitcase and backpack.  Drew handed her the bottle of pills that dropped out of Jen's pocket.  She quickly read the prescription and asked, "Where did you get these?"

            "They fell out of Jen's coat.  What are they?"  Drew answered.

            "These are the newest drugs for epileptic seizures.  They're the best for treating them," Stephanie explained.  She handed the bottle back to him and added, "That explains her shaking.  Jen has epilepsy.  Why didn't you tell me this before, Drew?"

            "Because she never told me."  Drew sat down in a chair and began to think.  "Is she going to die?" he quietly asked.

            "It depends on how severe the hypothermia is," she said.

            "Please, Steph, don't let Jen die.  She means the world to me," Drew pleaded as he began to cry.

            Stephanie bent down and wrapped her arms around him for a comforting hug.  "I promise I'll do whatever I can to keep Jen alive," she told him.