She gazed at me for a minute, and then turned her head towards the road and shrugged. She pushed my hands off her shoulders and turned around, beginning to move forward again.
What the fuck? Obviously, she wasn’t thinking clearly; if she was thinking at all. Without another thought, I lunged forward and, in one motion, spun her around and flung her over my shoulder. I heard her gasp of shock and pain as she hit my shoulder, but I was past caring. She wasn’t going anywhere; she was coming back to the house with me. I strode through the snow holding Rabbit closely so I didn’t jostle her any more than I had to. The entire time we closed the distance back to the truck, I berated her. What the fuck was she thinking? There was no way in hell I would let her just … leave. Did she really think I could act as if I didn’t care and stand here and watch her walk away? Did she not realize she would die before she reached the main road? It was fucking freezing out and she wasn’t even dressed properly! Where the fuck was her common sense? By the time we got to the truck, I had finished my tirade, Rabbit not once interrupting me. I opened the truck door and literally flung her on the seat, slamming the door behind her. I went around the truck and let Bear into the back. I began to climb in the driver’s seat, only to see her scramble out of the truck and begin walking back towards the house. “What the fuck are you doing?” I bellowed, chasing after her. “Get back in the fucking truck, Rabbit! Now!”
She kept moving. I caught up to her and spun her around. Tears were pouring down her face. “Leave me alone, Joshua,” she pleaded. “Just leave me alone. I can’t … I can’t …” her voice trailed off into deep chest-ripping sobs. My anger drained away. Intense longing tore through me. The need to comfort, to care and to claim the sobbing woman in front of me overwhelmed my senses and I dragged her into my arms. I rained kisses over her wet face, struggling to keep her close. She twisted and pulled, trying to get away from me. I refused to let her out of the cage of my embrace and eventually she fell forward, burrowed into my chest, her body shaking with emotion and cold. I picked her up, gently this time, and carried her to the truck. I kept her trembling form in my arms, across my lap as I drove the truck back to the house. My lips never left her skin. They brushed soft kisses and gentle caresses over her cheeks, forehead, and the crown of her head; anywhere they could reach. I could feel the deep cold in her body as she shook in my arms, not saying a word, her sobs tearing at my heart.
Once inside the house, I moved as quickly as I could. I carried her to the basement and sat her down on the stool. Bear sat beside her, whining deep in his throat, sensing her distress. She was shaking violently and I knew I had to warm her up, albeit slowly. I hastily removed my clothes, leaving my boxers on and then knelt in front of her, removing her frozen shoes and socks. Her feet were like ice. I rubbed them, trying to stimulate circulation and then reached up and pulled off her jacket. The entire time I bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming at her again. I doubted she would have even made it to the end of the drive, she was so cold. The thoughts of what could have happened kept playing over and over in my head. Gently, I stood her up and lifted her chin. “I’m taking off your clothes, Rabbit. I need to warm you up, okay?” I spoke calmly and kept eye contact with her, making sure she understood what I was saying. She continued to stare at me and I quickly pulled her shirt off, followed by her sodden pants, leaving her in just her underwear. Her skin was freezing cold to the touch, with a slight bluish tinge to it. I braced myself for the next part. Lifting her up, I walked over to the exercise pool. I looked down at her. “Hold tight, Rabbit. This isn’t going to feel good at first, but we need to do this.” I stepped into the lukewarm water and submerged us both quickly. Rabbit gasped at the shock and struggled in my arms. I held her tightly.
“I know it feels like you’re burning, Rabbit. Your body needs to warm up slowly. It’s okay. It will pass.” I whispered quietly into her ear, continuing to hold her as the chills raced through her body. She whimpered but stopped struggling and I sat down on the ledge in the pool and loosened my hold. I ran one hand up and down her legs and arms, trying to add more warmth to her body. I stroked her hair, grazed her cheeks with my lips and hummed lovingly into her ear to distract her. I have no idea how long we were sitting before I was satisfied she was back to a more normal temperature, and her sobs had silenced. Then I stood up and carried her over to the hot tub and, once again lowered us both into the water. This time she simply sighed and relaxed in my arms, welcoming the heat. Her head fell against my shoulder and I stroked her hair as I leaned back and allowed myself to relax.
Minutes passed, the only sound in the room that of the bubbling water. Rabbit’s unexpected apology was spoken softly.