He blinks like he can’t quite understand the words. “Focus… on her.”
“I am,” I say, fierce. “And now I’m focusing on you. Because she needs you to live, too.”
That gets through.
Barely.
He slumps forward, forehead nearly hitting my shoulder before someone catches him—the large hands of Ranger Tom lifting him from the floor like dead weight.
“We need to get him warm,” Tom says. “He’s hypothermic.”
They haul Jax onto the cot opposite Violet. Blankets, heat packs, a monitor clipped to a blue-tinged finger. His whole body trembles uncontrollably, jolting like each shiver is its own battle.
Violet tries to lift her head. “Is… he gonna be okay?”
I’m suddenly beside her again, smoothing her hair back, kissing her temple.
“Yes,” I promise, even though I’ve never prayed harder in my life. “He’s going to be just fine.”
Jax’s lashes flutter. His lips move, barely a whisper:
“Is she… okay?”
A laugh breaks out of me—a wet, broken thing I’ve been holding back for hours.
“She’s going to yell at you for scaring her,” I say gently. “You’ll deserve it.”
His eyes slip closed. Relief loosens his whole body like someone finally allowed it.
I look between them—my daughter breathing deeper under warm air, color sliding back into her cheeks… and Jax, a man who would walk into the teeth of this mountain without hesitation if it meant one more heartbeat for her.
A man who has been half-dead inside for years, still trying to save everyone but himself.
And I know right then—if this storm came for us again tomorrow, he would do it all over.
And I would not let him do it alone.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jax
Warmth.
The first sensation is warmth. Then comes sound.
Low voices. The soft whir of heat lamps. The rhythmic beeping of a monitor keeping score.
I blink, eyelids glued together with exhaustion, then try again.When I turn my head, tiny hairs lift on the back of my neck.
Violet.
She’s curled up in a too-small chair beside my bed, blanket tucked around her shoulders. Soft snores puff past her lips. Her backpack is clutched to her chest like she’s guarding treasure.
Alive.
Relief hits so hard I have to shut my eyes again.
“Jax?”
