The dim orange light in the sky grew brighter with each passing second. The adrenaline had worn off, and I couldn't move a single limb. 

Every part of my body throbbed as I lay on the floor of the shed, waiting for something—anything—to happen.

My head began to fog with the familiar weight of exhaustion, but I fought against it.

I wanted to be awake when Ben arrived. I needed to see his face, even if he was angry with me.

For once, the slow ticking of time didn't bother me. I was content, knowing that I had, quite literally, made it out of the woods.

The finality of this new chapter in my life seemed to plant a seed of patience that had never been there before. Or maybe it was the fever, pushing me into a false calm, a serene haze that dulled my senses.

Either way, it was nice not to worry for a moment. I knew this peace wouldn't last, so I stayed still, savoring it while I could.

The cold air clung to me as I lay still, my breath barely audible beneath the creaks of the wind brushing against the shed's fragile walls. My heart thumped slowly, as if every beat was stretched out by the stillness. Then, cutting through the quiet, I heard it—the squeal of brakes. Ben.

I strained to listen. The faint hum of his car engine faded, replaced by the slam of a car door. I couldn't see him yet, but I pictured his familiar, lumbering walk, the sound of his boots crunching on gravel. Every step seemed louder in the silence, each one closer, pulling me out of the strange calm I had found.

I bit my lip, torn between wanting to stay hidden and needing him to find me. What would he think? Would he be angry?

I didn't have much time to think about that as the door opened slowly in front of me, flooding the dim shed with a burst of light.

Ben stepped inside, his broad frame filling the doorway. At first, he didn't see me, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. But then they landed on me, crumpled on the floor, and his whole body jerked in shock.

"Miss?" His voice was sharp with disbelief, his eyes wide. He stepped forward quickly, his gaze darting over me as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I tried to sit up, but my limbs felt like lead. "I... I had to hide," I mumbled, my voice weak.

His face paled, a mixture of alarm and confusion settling in. He knelt beside me, his hand reaching out to touch my forehead, then pulling back as if he didn't quite know what to do.

"Hide? Hide from who?" His voice cracked, a mix of frustration and worry.

I shook my head, not having the energy to explain it.

"Are you okay? Oh my—We couldn't find you; we were looking for you all night an—" He stopped himself, his eyes dropping to my leg. His expression shifted, all alarm melting away into pure concern. "God, your leg... what happened?"

"I fell... It's not as bad as it looks," I mumbled, my throat dry. But we both knew I was lying. My leg hadn't stopped throbbing since I hit the ground. The swelling was worse, and the fever... I could feel it burning me from the inside out.

Ben's eyes flicked back to my face, filled with a mix of anger and concern. "You should've come home. Why didn't you come home? We've been looking for you for days." His words came out rough, frustration bleeding through the worry.

"I couldn't..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

Ben shook his head, clearly struggling to make sense of it all. "Miss, you—" He stopped short, his gaze dropping back to my leg. "We can talk about this later. This is infected. We need to go to the hospital."

I tried to protest, but my body betrayed me. The dizziness was getting worse, and I knew he was right. Still, the thought of going to the hospital—of explaining everything—made my stomach twist. I shook my head weakly.

"I'm not asking," Ben said quietly, his tone leaving no room for argument. He carefully slid his arms under me and lifted me from the floor. I winced, biting back a groan as pain shot through my leg.

"Ben, please—"

"No," he cut me off, carrying me out of the shed. "We're going to the hospital, Jane. I'm not losing you over this."

His words struck me harder than I expected. The cold air hit my face as we stepped outside, making the fever feel sharper, more real. I leaned against him, too tired to argue anymore, my body surrendering to his decision.

He set me gently in the backseat of his car, his hands quick and deliberate as he buckled me in. The leather was cool against my burning skin, but it did nothing to quiet the fever or the ache in my leg.

Ben climbed into the driver's seat, glancing back at me through the rearview mirror. "We'll be there soon," he said softly, but his voice was tight, like he was trying to reassure himself more than me.

I stared out the window, watching as the trees blurred by, the woods I had fled from slipping further and further away. The fear that had driven me to hide was still there, gnawing at me, but Ben's presence made it easier to breathe. For now.

The car moved fast, the hum of the engine vibrating beneath me. My body was so heavy, the exhaustion so deep that even the fear of the hospital couldn't keep me awake any longer.

I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, the car had stopped. The bright fluorescent lights of the hospital parking lot pierced through the haze of fever and pain, waking me enough to feel the anxiety clawing its way back to the surface.

Ben pulled up in front of the entrance, and he was out of the car and pulling at me before I realized he had exited. He held me up as I slumped against him, whispering soft, encouraging words.

A woman stepped in front of us, seemingly about to say something about not being allowed to park here. But she stopped as soon as she looked at me, and suddenly, she was taking me into her arms, shouting orders at people behind her as they all collectively pushed me inside the building.