Jamison hadn’t called her at lunchtime–he was probably swamped with work.

Given that, Ivy didn’t want to bother him. She decided to tough it out on her own.

Thunder cracked outside, each rumble tearing through the sky like some furious gods were at war, shredding the clouds to pieces.

The noise was terrifying, making Ivy flinch with every crash. The pain in her body only made things worse; she felt so weak, she thought she might pass out at any moment.

If only Katrina were here.

At least then she wouldn’t be alone.

She’d thought that after facing life and death, she’d be unbreakable. But right now, Ivy realized she was still fragile.

Without thinking, she grabbed her phone and dialed Jamison’s number.

It rang and rang. No answer.

Eventually, the line went dead.

She let the phone slip from her hand. Staring at the blurry screen, she only then noticed the tears sliding down her cheeks.

What am I crying for? It’s just cramps. No one ever died from that.

And thunder never killed anyone either.

Setting her phone aside, she tried to comfort herself, but everything slowly faded into a haze…

At the hospital.

By the time Jamison stepped off the operating table, it was already two in the afternoon.

Back in his office, his assistant brought in a boxed lunch.

He didn’t have time to eat. Reaching into his desk, he pulled out his phone, planning to call Ivy first.

But the moment he unlocked it, he saw a missed call from her.

His nerves tightened, dread prickling at the base of his spine. Ivy never called him unless something was wrong.

Without hesitation, Jamison called back, heart pounding, anxiety rising.

The call rang and rang. Still, no answer.

His worry mounting, he tried again.

No luck.

Jaw tightening, Jamison jumped up and strode out of the office, calling over his assistant. “I need to leave–something urgent’s come up. If anything happens, have Dr. Clark handle it, or call me directly.”

His assistant, startled by Jamison’s urgent tone, nodded quickly. “Of course, Professor.”

Jamison hurried away, barely hearing as his assistant called after him, “Professor Ludwig, it’s pouring outside!”

But he was already gone, vanishing around the corner.

Ivy had fallen into a deep, unconscious sleep.

Her phone kept ringing at her ear, again and again.

Eventually, she shuddered awake, blinking groggily at the buzzing device.

When she finally realized the phone was ringing, she picked it up, her gaze clearing a little.

“Hello…”

Hearing her voice, Jamison felt like he could finally breathe again; he rushed out, “What’s wrong? I tried calling you over and over! Are you feeling sick?”

“Yeah… the usual,” Ivy mumbled.

Her hands and feet were icy cold, as if she were lying in a freezer, except for the patch of warmth from the heating pad pressed to her stomach.

The moment she mentioned “the usual,” Jamison understood and let out a small sigh of relief. “Alright, I’m on my way. I should be there in half an hour.”

“You’re off work already?” Ivy asked, surprised.

“No. When I couldn’t reach you, I thought something happened–I couldn’t focus on anything else,” he replied.

Ivy’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’m fine… I fell asleep and didn’t hear it.”

He grunted softly, but he knew she hadn’t just fallen asleep–she’d passed out from the pain.

He remembered the last time, when Micah had to “rescue” her; she’d blacked out then, too.

“You’re home alone?”

“Yeah. Katrina’s out of town with her advisor–she hasn’t come back yet.”

Jamison’s voice was heavy with guilt. “I shouldn’t have left you alone. That was careless of me.”

Ivy managed a silent laugh and even found the energy to tease him, “So what are you going to do–carry me around on your belt like a keychain?”