Ashley stirred in warm sheets. There was a low beep that occasionally chimed above her. She opened her eyes to white walls which could only belong to a hospital. A nurse was entering her room with a smile on her face. Her dad was sitting at her bedside asleep in a chair. His watch said it was 4:23AM.

  “Dad…” she said slowly as she reached for his hand. At the slightest nudge he snorted loudly and his eyes came open. He looked at her hand and then moved forward slowly to hug her.

  “Hey honey. How are you feeling?”

  “Sore.” Ashley sneezed on the bed. “And…a cold.” Her words came out slurred and heavy. She tried to feel her head but was having difficulty lifting her arms. The nurse gently held her hand and brought it back to the bed.

  “You were out in the cold,” she said. “You’ll probably be disoriented and stiff for a bit, but that will pass. You were covered well so we don’t have to worry about frostbite. You’re very lucky.”

  “How…” she bit her lip trying to form the words. “Who…” She looked to her dad frustrated. He nodded.

  “When you didn’t come home we went out looking for you. Nobody could find you. Then around midnight Nathaniel brought you into the hospital. His family heard the announcement that you were missing and they went out. They know the mountain better than anyone I guess.”

  Ashley’s vision was blurring all the while. She felt sick and understood barely anything her dad had told her. Nathaniel. Nathaniel? He was the one who found her. Her head lurched away from her dad and the nurse cried out in surprise as Ashley vomited over the side of her bed. She tried to clear her mouth but wasn’t sure where her hands were. The last she remembered was the nurse calling for help and her dad standing up. Then everything went dark again.

  *

  When she opened her eyes again it was daytime. The clock near her bed said noon. Her dad wasn’t in the room, but somebody else was. She was much less disoriented than when she’d first woken up and her head wasn’t pounding nearly as bad.

  “Good morning,” said Nathaniel.

  Nathaniel leaned forward in his chair and closed the book he’d been reading. For the first time, Ashley felt she could honestly tell how Nathaniel was feeling. He didn’t seem as aggressive as when he was at school. His eyes were warm and filled with concern for her. They had bags under them like he hadn’t slept. As she turned over in bed to sit up something had fallen off of her. It was his tan jacket.

  “You kept throwing your blankets off. I guess the jacket was light enough you didn’t mind so I let you have it.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Keep it. I’ve got a lot of coats.”

  “No. I mean thank you. You saved my life.” He smiled sadly.

  “I’m just glad I found you.”

  “How did you know where I was?”

  “I know you like to go walking in the mountains. With what happened at school yesterday I figured you needed time alone. Only so many places you could’ve gone. But I found you because of this.” He put his book down and pulled something out of his bag.

  “My jacket? How’d you get it?”

  “When you left school yesterday you left this in class. I found it and was going to bring it back to you. Then I found out you were missing.”

  “So how did you find me with my jacket?”

  “My family has a lot of dogs. I went to where I figured you’d be and found your jeep. Then I followed the dogs. Once we found you, I carried you back down to the car and we drove you to the hospital.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t be. I would’ve come after you even if we had a blizzard.”

  “Why?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I didn’t even think you liked me. I’m just surprised you’d risk yourself for me. Not many people would.” He leaned forward and tapped her on the head lightly. Her head was really sore and the light poke sent her back to her pillow.

  “Don’t ever say that again. A lot of people went looking for you. I just happened to be the person who found you.” Someone knocked on the door and in came a nurse.

  “Oh good you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

  “Hungry and my head hurts.”

  “That’s to be expected. Now that you’re warmed up your body needs to eat again to replenish your lost strength. I’ll bring you some warm soup.”

  “Thank you. Do you know where my dad went?”

  “Oh he went home to get some sleep. He was here all night you know. We told him you were fine and he could go. He was very worried about you. If you’d like I can call him and let him know you’re awake.”

  “Yes please.”

  “Alright. Be right back.” They watched the nurse leave and she closed the door. Nathaniel grinned.

  “Nice lady. She’s been very watchful over you. Especially since you gave that mess to the other one.” Ashley went red from embarrassment.

  “I thought that was all a dream.”

  “Nope. You made quite the mess from what I heard.”

  They sat in silence staring at each other. He had the most brilliant blue eyes. She tried not to stare, but she wasn’t sure what else to do. The nurse came back in and she was thankful for the distraction. She put the soup on a small table in front of her.

  “There we are dear. Need help with anything else?”

  “No, thank you so much.”

  “Okay. It’s good to see you have such good friends. Nathaniel’s been here since your dad left.” With that, she bustled out of the room.

  Ashley went red again. They were hardly friends. She felt terrible. Had he truly been there since early morning? If he had found her in the middle of the night, when did he sleep? Suddenly the bags under Nathaniel’s eyes made sense. Ashley tried not to think about it as she went for the soup. Her arms were still stiff and her fingers didn’t work as well as she’d hoped. She grappled with the spoon for a second.

  “Need help?” he asked.

  “No,” she muttered angrily.

  She put the spoon in the bowl and watched as the soup pooled in. Breathing slowly, Ashley brought it out shakily and tried to bring it to her mouth. Her hand shook and most of the soup spilled onto her blanket. Muffling an annoyed growl, she tried to wipe it away while avoiding Nathaniel’s eyes.

  “Damn it,” she said angrily. Then she felt the spoon come off her blanket. When she looked up it was back in front of her face. Nathaniel was holding the bowl in one hand and holding a full spoon out to her.

  “Eat,” he said softly. She stared at him stubbornly. “Hypothermia isn’t easy to deal with. Neither is that knock you got on the head. It takes a bit to recover. Now if you want your strength back as well as your dignity, eat.” She opened her mouth and leaned forward. He kept a steady hand as she slurped the soup off the spoon. It tasted bland, but it was warm and she hadn’t eaten anything in over a day. “See, that’s not so bad.”

  “Just shut up Nathaniel,” she laughed.

  He fed her more and more until the bowl was empty. He even cleaned the mess off her bed and got her another bowl of soup. She was beginning to like him more and more. This wasn’t the boy she thought he was. He was kind, considerate, and caring. He seemed so worried about her she didn’t know what to say so she let him do most of the talking. Most of the rumors she had heard about him seemed completely untrue. He lived in a house out in the hills where he grew up with dogs and snow and loved both. He said he used to race his dogs through the hills as a child and that’s why he was such a good runner. The more he talked the more animated he became, and the more she became entranced by his tales. She felt like she had so little to offer back to the conversation. The side that Liz was always talking about was now right in front of her. He was so different from when she’d last seen him on the track field.

  “Hey Nathaniel, why did you hit Mark the other day?” Nathaniel stopped stirring her soup and looked down.

  “He insulted my family. He couldn’t even say it to my face. I backed off because of you and he couldn’t leave it at that.”

  “Did you really hear him?”

  “Yeah. Every last word.”

  “What did he say?” He started to stir the soup again.

  “He said, damn freak kid and his family trying to one up me.” Ashley wondered if that was true. Mark certainly would never tell her.

  “Why do people make fun of your family?”

  “I don’t know. They just do. I’ve seen people try and pick fights with my brother and sister for no reason. I won’t stand for it.”

  Ashley saw his hands tense up as he tried to strangle the spoon. She frowned and put her hand on his. He relaxed and looked at her.

  “I still want to finish that you know.”

  “I’m sorry. I just get tired of people making jokes at my family.”

  “I think I know how you feel.” He fed her another spoonful and frowned.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know how you’re dealing with it, but what you’ve been through can’t be easy. Monica shouldn’t have insulted your family that way. It was a low blow. If it makes you feel any better, she’s got a nice bruise going across her chin. I think you’ve successfully dampened her good looks for a bit.”

  “You think she looks good?” she asked interested.

  “Sort of. I won’t lie and say she’s not pretty. But if you ask me, she’s got something stuck up her butt and needs to get rid of it.” Ashley laughed so hard she almost spit up her soup. He gave a small laugh and watched her struggle. She caught herself and waved for him to continue. “I thought you might like that. Yeah she’s a bit too arrogant for my likes. I think it’s kind of funny a girl actually stood up to her.”

  “Well I’m glad I have your approval.”

  “Anytime. How are you feeling now?” Ashley relaxed and felt the warmth of soup spread through her body. She tried to stifle the oncoming yawn, but it made it out just in time.

  “Warm and sleepy. Don’t worry, I won’t fall asleep on you.”

  “Go for it. You need sleep to get better.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “But what about you? You came here and have been sitting by my side this whole time.”

  “I can sit a bit longer. Honestly I could use a nap myself.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Get some sleep, I promise you I won’t go anywhere.”

  Ashley rolled back over and collapsed in her pillow. She tried to understand everything that was beginning to change, but was already falling fast asleep. In her dreams she was falling in the snow again. Only this time she didn’t fall unconscious, but hurt her leg. Nathaniel broke through the foliage and carried her away to safety. It was done in such a cheesy fashion she woke up smiling.

  The door creaked open, startling Ashley awake as Liz and Kara came into the room. She started to say hello when Liz held a finger to her lips. Ashley stared at her confused when both girls pointed to her bed. She looked down and realized Nathaniel was asleep with his head on her bed. He was still sitting in his chair but had slumped over to rest on her legs. He was breathing softly and her hand was on the back of his head. She sat dumbstruck unsure of what to do. Liz held out her hand and made a scratching motion. Ashley looked at her like she was crazy but nodded. She curled her fingers in Nathaniel’s hair and scratched lightly. Nathaniel groaned slightly and rolled his head the other way. Ashley stifled a laugh as Liz and Kara came to sit next to her.

  “Good to see you’re obviously doing okay,” whispered Liz.

  “A little too okay,” said Kara in her normal tone. Both Ashley and Liz eyed her to be quiet, but Kara was focused on Nathaniel.

  “How long has he been here?” asked Liz.

  “Since this morning,” said Ashley. “I’m not sure what time he got here.”

  “Is it true he was the one who pulled you off the mountain and carried you in?” Ashley nodded. “How’d you get lucky enough to be found by him?”

  “Lucky?” asked Kara. “She could’ve died out there and you’re girling out over a boy? Give it a rest.”

  “I think luck can come in many forms. Ashley was found and that’s great, but to be found by him is an added bonus.”

  “I don’t even have anything to say to that.” Kara shook her head. “Ashley, how are you feeling?”

  “I’m alright,” she chuckled. “My head hurts, but I’ll be okay. Give me a few days and I’ll be back.”

  “Good to hear,” said Liz. “You gave all of us a good scare, Monica included. I don’t think she’ll ever get over it.”

  “Good,” said Kara. “She deserved it. I don’t think the school is even going to trouble you. At the moment you’re free of punishment.”

  “Somehow I think that was the least of my concerns, but I’m glad to hear it.” Ashley looked down and realized she was unconsciously scratching Nathaniel’s head again. “I can’t believe he hasn’t woken up.”

  “Yeah he does that,” said Liz. “As long as we’re quiet and nobody makes any sudden moves, he’ll stay asleep. Scratch his head like that and he’ll definitely stay asleep.” Ashley and Kara regarded her with raised eyes. “What? He’s fallen asleep at my house before and in class. I know how he is.”

  “Right…” said Kara.

  “Oh stop it. You know we’re not that way.”

  “You wish,” whispered Ashley. Liz blushed.

  “Doesn’t look like it matters. I think we all know where he lies now.”

  “Should I go?” asked Nathaniel. Ashley jumped a little in surprise, bouncing Nathaniel’s head on her leg. She immediately rubbed it.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” He sat up shaking his head.

  “How long have you been awake?” asked Kara with crossed arms.

  “Since you started talking. Liz is pretty quiet, but I don’t think you’ve ever learned how to whisper.” He shot Kara a grin and she returned it. He stood up and stretched.

  “You can go back to sleep you know,” said Liz, winking at Ashley. Ashley glared at her but couldn’t scrounge up a scary enough face to get her to stop. “I’m sure you were comfy.”

  “I was, but I think I’ll let you have girl time. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten so I think I’ll go.”

  “Didn’t you eat while I was asleep?” asked Ashley.

  “I said I wouldn’t leave your side and I haven’t.” Ashley was taken aback. If he was telling the truth he hadn’t eaten all day. “I’ll come back later to make sure you aren’t alone. Ladies.” He bowed to the three of them and started to head for the door. Kara didn’t react. Liz gave a curtsy from her seat.

  “Hey.” Nathaniel turned around. Ashley was holding out both arms to him. Both Liz and Kara raised their eyes. “Where’s my hug?” Nathaniel smiled and walked back, bending over the hospital bed to give her a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and held on.

  “Get better.”

  “I will.” She let go of him and he left the room. She looked at her friends and smiled. “What?”

  “Miss I don’t give hugs is breaking her habit,” said Kara.

  “Yeah what did we miss with you?” asked Liz.

  “Shut up,” she said playfully. “He saved my life and he’s been with me all morning. He deserved it.”

  “He deserved it or you wanted it?” asked Liz.

  “I’m supposed to be resting here! Not being agitated by you two!” The three of them laughed.

  Ashley began to fill in all their questions and made sure to squash any rumors while she had the chance. It’d been less than a day and already they were flying. Some people were even saying things like Nathaniel was the one who brought her out into the cold and not the one who saved her. She was beginning to understand Nathaniel’s frustration a little more. The people really did think he and his family were weird or up to something. She told them all the truth, or what she knew of it. The pair stayed for about an hour before they had to leave.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” asked Liz.

  “Yeah I’ll be fine. Just don’t touch my head.” They both gave her hugs and left.

  It didn’t take her long to realize why people in the hospital always wanted visitors. There was nothing to do. She took the time alone to use the shower and clean up a little. Alex must’ve brought her new clothes and putting them on made her instantly feel more comfy. She laid back in bed and snuggled up to be warm. She was cold and hospitals are always kept colder than they should be. Alex called and said he’d be there soon. A few minutes later someone came knocking. She was buried in blankets with the TV on and expected her dad to walk in, but it was Nathaniel again.

  “Hey,” she said from beneath her blankets.

  “Hi,” he said, “how are you doing?

  “Good. Cold.”

  “Sorry. I tried to get them to turn up the heater but they wouldn’t. You just get extra blankets and my jacket for now.”

  The food must’ve done him wonders because Nathaniel looked alive. It was like he’d had dinner, slept for all night, and woken up refreshed in the last hour. His energy was infectious, warming her from across the room. When he sat next to her bed those blue eyes captured hers and her body relaxed into bed. It felt like nothing bad could happen as long as those eyes were on her.

  “I can’t believe you watch this stuff.” She broke out of his trance as he spoke and looked at the TV. Some daytime drama was playing that she’d never heard of.

  “The joys of hospital TV,” she said. “If there was ever a good show on, it’s not now. They don’t exactly have cable.”

  “We’ll have to find you something better than this. That or I’m going to have to entertain you because this is just terrible.”

  They laughed and he started to go through the channels. It went from one bad program to the next. Half of the shows weren’t even in English. It became more of a game as they tried to find a show that was worse than the previous. They cracked jokes at how terrible the plot, characters, or setting was. Just once though, they had reached for the remote at the same time. Nathaniel had it first but Ashley’s hand had still wrapped around his. She let go of him quickly but he hadn’t flinched. He smiled at her and kept trying to find a worse channel. He was so warm. She didn’t know if it was because she was sick or how he always was, but she liked it.

  Her second meal came a while later and Nathaniel helped her with it again. Her hands were feeling steadier, but she let him do it anyway. Ashley made sure to give him a stern look before every bite she took. He matched it with a smile.

  “Yes I know. The tough girl being spoon fed. How terrible.”

  “So when do you have to go home?”

  “When you do or somebody else comes to stay with you.”

  “Kara and Liz did come stay with me for a bit.”

  “And I came back and you were alone.”

  “I managed. I thought you just left because Kara was here.”

  “Why?”

  “You know she doesn’t like you. She says something is wrong with you.” Ashley felt bad for blurting that out suddenly, but Nathaniel didn’t seem to care.

  “Why does she say that?”

  “I don’t know. I tried to ask her once before, but she never did answer me. Either way, she was probably happy you left.”

  “Unlike Liz,” laughed Nathaniel. “She never seems to miss a chance to say hi.”

  She wondered if Nathaniel knew how true a statement that was. Feeling she had nothing to lose, she decided to step up the conversation.

  “Can I ask what is going on between you two?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You two are such good friends. You’re always so close to each other, but you never seem that interested in her. She used to tell me she had this huge crush on you, but she acts just like a friend around you. Yet the way you two walk together and act I would’ve said you two were dating.” Nathaniel sighed and spooned her some more soup.

  “Liz and I are old friends. I love her like one of my sisters, but I know we can never be more than that. She’s there for me and I’m there for her. Not a lot of people understand it. I’d never give up the bond we share.” Ashley could feel the hurt tone in his voice.

  “Is that why you never dated?”

  “Sort of. Girls don’t tend to understand stuff like that. They would say I’d cheat or never care for them the same. Truth is I’d do just fine. I just never got the chance. They want me to choose them or her, never both. I’ve considered asking her out, but I know there’s no point. We aren’t right for each other, at least not that way.”

  “That’s sad. You two would make a cute couple.”

  “So I’ve been told, but it would fail. I would rather have her as a friend than risk losing her through a stupid relationship. I’d rather wait until I can find a girl I know is right for me.”

  Ashley couldn’t help but think that was sweet. She’d never heard that from a guy before. Every boy she’d ever met was thinking more with their hormones than their heart.

  “What about you? Why aren’t you dating someone?” Ashley gave him a mean look. “What? You can’t interrogate me without expecting the same question back. I’m sure you’ve dated before.”

  “I have, nothing serious. The last boyfriend I had lasted for three weeks.”

  “What happened there?” Ashley smirked.

  “I wanted to spend more time with my friends and not become his little slave. He said I wasn’t worth the effort.” Nathaniel started laughing. “What?”

  “Sounds like you picked a winner.”

  “Shut up. At least I wasn’t stupid enough to stick with him.”

  “True. It’s his loss, not yours.”

  Ashley started to ask why but he put another spoonful of soup in her mouth. The look in his eyes gave her the answer she wanted. He thought much more of her than she’d ever realized before. He was here because he cared about her more than a friend. She swallowed the soup and wondered what she should say.

  A distraction came in the form of knocking at the door. Nathaniel leaned away from Ashley.

  “Come in,” he said. The door popped open and in walked Ashley’s dad.

  “Hi dad,” she said. She was happy to see him but disappointed at his timing.

  “Hello Mr. Jameson,” said Nathaniel.

  “Hey you two.” Her dad came over and hugged her. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. I need something better to eat than soup and bad hospital food.”

  “You’re in luck because I’m signing you out. All you need now is rest and you can do that for free at home. If you’re feeling strong enough, we can go out to dinner.”

  “Yes please. Let’s go.”

  “I still need to check you out. Think of what you want for dinner while I do that.” He stepped back out of the room and called for the nurse. Ashley beamed at Nathaniel.

  “I was wondering how long I was going to be stuck here.”

  “I could’ve told you’d be leaving today. You weren’t that bad off. We just had to make sure you were okay.” She rubbed his hand.

  “Thank you. I might not be here if it wasn’t for you.”

  “Anytime, just don’t do it again.” She laughed and took her hand back as her dad came in.

  “You’re good to go. What would you like for dinner?”

  “Honestly I’d be happy if we just got pizza and went home. I just want to be home in my own bed.”

  “Anything you’d like.”

  Ashley stood and had to stretch for a minute and shake the life back into her limbs. She pulled on her coat and her dad grabbed her bag.

  “Ready.” He was giving her an odd look. She looked down and realized she wasn’t wearing her coat, but Nathaniel’s. Nathaniel waved at her to go.

  “I told you you can keep it and I meant it.”

  “Can he come too?” Ashley smiled a little as it looked like both Nathaniel and her dad had been slapped in the face. Nathaniel looked at her in surprise with just a hint of discomfort as Alex looked at him. Her dad slowly smiled

  “It’s up to him. Do you want some pizza, Nathaniel? It’s the least I can do.”

  “Thank you, but no.” Ashley’s smile faded. “I’m exhausted and have a few things I need to do at home.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” Nathaniel let out a long yawn. “I need some sleep.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come?” begged Ashley.

  “Yes. Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you again soon.” He wrapped his arms around her. She put her face in his chest and frowned. His body was warm and she didn’t want him to go. It reminded her of how cold she still was. He let go of her and winked.

  “Okay,” she said sadly. She watched him leave with lonely eyes. Then she noticed her dad watching her and changed her expression. “What?”

  “Nothing,” he said with a grin.

  He turned and headed out of the door. She followed after him and looked for Nathaniel in the hallway, but he was already gone. He must’ve either ran for it as soon as he was out of the door or knew a way out she didn’t. The second was more likely. She’d never been in this hospital before. A nurse came up to her with a wheelchair.

  “Oh, no thank you.”

  “Sorry,” said the nurse, “it’s hospital policy. We have to wheel you out.” Ashley looked at Alex for help but he pointed to the chair. She sighed and sat down in it.

  “It’s for insurance reasons Ashley,” said Alex as they headed down the hall. “I’m going to call for that pizza.” It was already getting cold again outside of the bed. She wrapped Nathaniel’s jacket around her a little tighter. It was warm and smelled like him.

  When they got outside it was still bright out. Ashley expected to see snow on the ground and trees, but there was none. It felt freezing but there wasn’t the smallest hint that it had stormed. She asked Alex about it.

  “That was an early freak storm. It’s been just a bit too warm for any snow to stay so it’s all melted.”

  “So you’re saying the snow came at the worst possible time for me.”

  “Yes. It’s why you have to be careful out there. The weather can be unpredictable at times and there’s no guarantees on the mountain.”

  They stopped at his truck and he opened the door for her. She got inside, buckled in, and tried to sit in a ball. She hated being cold. Alex got in the other side and turned on the truck. He let it sit for a moment and thankfully turned on the heater. Ashley quickly put her hands to the hot vents.

  “You have no idea how glad I am that you’re safe Ashley.”

  “What happened last night?” Alex sighed loudly.

  “It was a long night…”