Surrogacy

Chapter 9

09.

Zane felt a hand on his shoulder and jolted awake immediately. He looked up and saw Cleo standing next to him.

"You look tired. I made the other spare room for you, go and get some rest. I'll stay with her."

He shook his head no.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. I want to stay with Rikki."

Cleo sighed.

"How's Ariana?" Zane asked in an attempt to change the topic.

"She's fine. In her cot and asleep." The brunette answered softly.

He nodded not knowing what else to say. Cleo glanced at Rikki one last time and walked out of the room.

Rikki was with fever the whole night and it didn't go away even in the daylight.

She was getting worse.

Zane put his palm on her forehead.

"She's burning up. Her fever's getting worse." He told Lewis and Cleo.

Lewis handed Zane a towel in a bowl with cold water. Zane gently put the cold towel on her forehead. Seconds later her tail appeared. Zane lowered his arm and took her hand in his.

"Sitting down and waiting helplessly is killing me." He said bitterly. "Isn't there something, anything we can do?"

Lewis shook his head.

"I've been up most of the night researching but I couldn't find anything. Besides we don't even know what exactly is wrong with her.."

Zane dropped Rikki's hand burying his face in his hands. He then reached and took out his phone from his pocket.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Was the only thing he said, but just before he could dial the number Cleo took out the phone from his hands.

"Zane, we can't. What if they find out our secret?! Rikki's life will be in danger."

"Her life is in danger right now!"

He sounded really angry.

"We haven't tried everything yet. Let's get her to the bathtub and fill it with cold water. It might help get her temperature down."

"Fine. But if it doesn't work we're taking her to a hospital."

Lewis and Cleo shared a look, but no one said anything. Zane lifted Rikki in his arms and took her into the bathroom where Cleo had filled the bathtub with cold water. He gently put the curly blond inside.

Now they could only wait.

"I'm going to make some breakfast." Cleo said, determined to keep herself occupied with something. "Zane do you want anything?"

"No, I'm not hungry." Was his response.

Cleo sighed but nodded slightly and walked away from the bathroom, closing the door.

Zane fondled Rikki's forehead.

"We'll take down your temperature and you're going to be fine." He said.

He sat there for about an hour until tiredness took over him and he fell asleep with his hands on the edge of the bathtub and head leaned against the curly blonde's shoulder.

After some time Rikki's eyelids started blinking and she tiredly lifted them to look around. She frowned realizing she's in the bathtub as she had no memory of getting there, the last thing she remembered was the picnic. Then she noticed Zane asleep with head on her shoulder. Rikki lifted her hand and touched his head, running her fingers through his hair. He moved a bit, but didn't wake up.