Chasing Sofia

Chapter 13 - The Fever

Sofia

I wait until exactly 7:30am to check on Adrian. I think that is the time he usually wakes up so I hope it won't look odd that I'm going into his room.

I knock on his door before letting myself in. I quickly realize he wouldn't have heard me anyway because he's completely out of it, sprawled across the bed. I almost feel like I'm invading his privacy as I've never actually been inside his room before, and now I'm sitting down on his bed looking over him while he's asleep.

I touch his forehead and he's still burning up. He's much hotter than last night, which is very worrisome because he was already running high then. His entire face feels clammy and when I bring the covers down I notice he's sweating up a storm.

"Adrian, wake up."

I try to ignore the sight of his almost naked body and shake him, but he's not moving at all. "Adrian, can you hear me?"

His eyes flutter and he murmurs something unintelligible. I slap his cheeks to try to get some reaction out of him, but his eyelids only continue to flutter. His vision is entirely unfocused and that's when I realize we need to take him to the hospital.

"Nico!" I suddenly yell in panic.

I run down the hallway towards his room, wondering how the hell I'm going to explain this one. I don't even bother knocking on his door and barge inside, much like I've done in the past when I've woken up with nightmares scared out of my mind.

"Nico! Wake up!"

He's sleeping profoundly on his stomach, one of his arms hugging his pillow in a way that only guys find comfortable for some reason. I pull on his arm and try to drag him out of bed. I know he's gonna be pissed at me because he usually doesn't wake up until after 8am.

"What the hell, Sofia?" he mumbles trying to swat my arm away. "You know the drill. Just get in on the other side and keep your feet away from me."

"Nico, please! It's Adrian. We have to take him to the emergency room."

He suddenly bolts up looking at me with one eye open. "What happened?"

"He has a really high fever. Like dangerously high. He's practically unconscious," I try not to lose my voice.

"Shit. Give me a minute." It literally takes him 30 seconds though, as he pulls on some jeans and a t-shirt lying on his floor and slips on some shoes. Even though I just witnessed it, I'll never understand how boys can get ready so quickly.

Nico follows me to Adrian's bedroom and takes in his bad shape. "Yo, dipshit. Wake up!" he yells.

I look at him appalled. I know they call each other names as part of their friendly banter but that was a bit harsh. "Nico! Yelling at him is not gonna work. We need to get him to the car. Can you carry him?"

"Yeah, yeah. Can you dress him first? I don't think he would appreciate showing up to the ER in his boxers. It might give some of the nurses a whirl, but I don't think he has time for that."

"Okay, just cut the jokes and help me." I head to Adrian's closet to get some clothes. Unlike Nico, he doesn't have any lying around and I secretly scold him for being a tidy person as ironic as that sounds. After searching through his drawers, I come back with some gym shorts, a t-shirt, and some sneakers.

"Carter. Seriously, get up. We're taking you to the hospital," Nico tells him, grabbing his arms to pull him up. He manages to get him in a sitting position on the bed so I quickly put the t-shirt over his head and with some maneuvering manage to bring his arms through the sleeves. It's a bit more difficult to get the shorts on him, but once Nico stands him fully against him I manage to push them up over his hips.