The Ex-Wife's Burning Elegance novel Chapter 2141

Laurel's expression shifted drastically. "Joshua, are you okay?"

Stella finally snapped to attention.

Joshua was a man of razor-sharp instincts. The fact that he hadn't reacted to them entering his bedroom was terrifyingly abnormal.

Stella rushed to his side and pressed a hand against his forehead.

He was burning up.

He had a fever!

"Laurel, he's burning up," Stella said frantically. "Call an ambulance right now."

Realizing he was just sick with a fever, Laurel finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

She pulled out her phone and dialed for emergency services.

...

After emergency treatment, he was wheeled into a private hospital room.

From what the doctors told them, he had been running a high fever for three straight days.

A heavy boulder settled onto Stella's chest.

Guilt gnawed at her. "He only got wet that day because of me, and then he slept on my couch all night... He must have caught a chill after getting soaked and sleeping in the living room.

He left in the morning before the rain even stopped.

I shouldn't have let him sleep on the couch. I should have made him wait out the storm."

Laurel couldn't help but ask, "You two are already... spending the night together?"

"It was just a terrible storm, and he was soaked to the bone," Stella explained defensively. "I was worried he'd get sick, so I let him come up to take a shower..."

Her voice trailed off.

She suddenly realized her explanation only made things sound worse.

Soaking wet. Shower. Spending the night.

Laurel's gaze was solemn. "The doctor said if we found you a day later, even with your constitution, your life would have been in danger.

Putting yourself in the hospital just to chase a woman... Joshua, since you care about her so much, why can't you take better care of yourself? Why do you have to ruin your own body?"

Laurel wasn't the least bit surprised he would do something like this.

No matter how sane he appeared, the trademark madness of the Gardners was coded into his DNA.

He just hid it better than the rest of them, keeping it bottled up beneath the surface.

Back then, he had willingly thrown himself into harm's way just to get close to Stella. A brief hospital stay was child's play in comparison.

"Care about her?" he repeated softly, meeting her eyes with a half-smile.

"I'm certainly interested in her, and I do plan on pursuing her, but 'caring' about her... I think we're still a long way from that.

I've known her for less than three months. Why are you making it sound like I'm deeply in love with someone?"

Laurel stared at his impassive, handsome face and enunciated every word. "Joshua, did you remember something?"