Love's Second Chance novel Chapter 13

Then again, Hayden's temperature seemed a bit higher than usual.

He seemed to be having a fever.

Zara felt a little pleased when she saw Hayden so worried and anxious about her.

"Zar? Zar!" he called.

Zara came back to her senses when she heard him calling her name. "Yeah?" she asked.

This was the first time she had looked at him so earnestly.

Hayden's cool demeanor seemed to have disappeared. "You didn't answer me when I said your name earlier. Didn't you hear me? Are you really that scared?"

There was no point in lying to him about this, and the answer was obvious anyway, so Zara answered, "Yeah."

Hayden said seriously, "If you really can't do it, you don't have to. I'll drive you anywhere you want. I'll be your driver."

However, Zara did not want to give up just like that.

After all, she'd already taken the most important step. If she did not continue, she would've been terrified for no reason earlier.

When she heard Hayden's determined tone, she smiled, exasperated.

He was the one who told her to overcome her trauma in the first place. Now, he was the one who was distressed on her behalf.

"Fine," Hayden sighed. "Don't worry. I'll be by your side."

After trying several more times, Zara still only managed a short distance.

Every 100 meters, she would have to slam on the brakes.

Hayden had been expecting this. During the last attempt, when Zara had managed to drive the full distance of 100 meters, he thought that Zara had finally managed to overcome her fear, so he began encouraging her.

However, it didn't last long. Almost immediately, Zara slammed on the brakes again.

The inertia was stronger than in the previous instances. Hayden, who had taken off his seatbelt, lurched forward and back again, slamming against the back of his seat.

The injury on his back wasn't fully recovered, and his bones weren't completely healed yet.

He grunted in pain but didn't say anything as Zara looked happy.

He just continued practicing with Zara.

However, Zara soon noticed something wrong with him. She hadn't forgotten his abnormally high body temperature earlier.

"Hayden, are you feeling unwell?" she asked.

Hayden's brows were furrowed, but he forced out a smile and leaned closer to Zara. "I'm tired, Zar," he said into her ear.

Zara reached out immediately and placed a hand on his forehead. He really had a fever.

"When did the fever start?"

Hayden thought back and said, "This morning, I think."

Hearing this, Zara was angry. "Why didn't you say so earlier? You didn't need to be here in the rain with me!"

Hayden lowered his head sadly. "I promised you yesterday that I would accompany you. I can't break my promise."

"Not at the cost of your own health. I can practice driving anytime I want. It's not like I can overcome my fear in just one rainy day."

Then, she drove straight back home without hesitation. Hayden wasn't even sure if this was purely out of anger, or if she had actually managed to overcome her fear.

Before he got out of the car, he asked, "Can we count this as a success?"

Zara did not care about overcoming her trauma at the moment.

She found him some aspirin. "Here, take these."

Then, she grabbed a thermometer and checked his temperature. She was shocked by the result.

Hayden had a fever of 103°F.

Worried that the aspirin wouldn't be able to help with a fever that high, Zara suggested going to the hospital.

Hayden didn't want her to find out that his back was also starting to hurt, so he refused to go to the hospital. "I'm fine. I just need some sleep."

Zara looked at him. Even though she was worried, she still trusted him, so she allowed him to go to bed.

Hayden slept until noon the next day.

When the housekeeper finished cooking dinner, Zara took the thermometer and checked Hayden's temperature again.

His fever had gotten worse.

Zara shouldn't have trusted him.

Heart pounding with anxiety, she shook Hayden awake.

His fever was at 104°F now. She was afraid that the high temperature would cook Hayden's brain.

Hayden woke up, but he was still bleary with sleep. He also kept moaning in pain.

At first, Zara didn't know where he was hurt. Then, she came into contact with Hayden's back and realized that the injury on his back was still unhealed.

She remembered how she had slammed on the brakes last night in the car. Hayden hadn't put on his seatbelt then.

So, he was hurt and ill again because of her?

Tears fell from Zara's eyes suddenly. She didn't know what to do now.

Hayden looked groggy. Zara wasn't sure if that was because of the fever or not.

He felt tears dripping on him. When he looked up, he saw Zara's reddened eyes and became upset. "Stop crying, Zar," he said as Zara wiped her eyes hastily. "It hurts more when you cry."

Zara thought that his injury was acting up again. She remembered that Hayden's butler, Tom Brown, was outside, so she called him in.

Then, Hayden pointed at his chest with a blank and earnest look. "It hurts here."

Zara stared at his chest dazedly. Her tears began flowing again.

Tom realized what had happened when he entered and saw this. "Don't worry, Ms. Cardellini. Mr. Gavino has always been like this when he's sick. When his fever gets higher than 100°F, he becomes dazed and a little dumb. He'll return to normal once the fever recedes. He won't stay dumb forever."

Zara was relieved to hear that. She helped Hayden out of bed so that she could take him to the hospital.

Without shoes, Hayden stepped onto the cold ground barefooted. "The floor is cold, Zar. Will you hold me while I sleep?"

If it were before, Zara would've replied, "You should just sleep on the floor. The only person I'll hold while sleeping is my son."

However, now that Hayden was sick and not in his right mind, Zara wiped her tears away and said softly, "I'll hold you when we get to the hospital, okay?"

Hayden pouted, looking close to tears.