Chapter 25 Chapter 25 65 vouchers " Come on , pull her shirt a little wider . Don't touch the wound . Hold her steady so she doesn't move , the doctor instructed . Snapped out of his thoughts , Payton quickly followed instructions , helping the doctor clean the inflamed wound . Though Kayla was unconscious , her brows were furrowed in pain . Her lips were tightly clenched , pale from the fever and pain . A thin line of blood appeared where she bit down too hard . Seeing this , Payton moved on instinct . He pressed his wrist to her lips and said , " Don't bite your lip . Just bite me instead . " Still half - conscious and burning with fever , Kayla had no idea what she was doing . She opened her mouth and sank her teeth into his wrist . The pain hit hard . Payton clenched his jaw , and veins bulged on his forehead . He let out a low groan but didn't pull away . He didn't move at all . By the time the doctor finished treating her wound , Kayla was soaked in sweat and completely out of energy . The fever had knocked her out cold . The doctor glanced at Payton's wrist , where Kayla's bite had left deep marks and a few droplets of blood . She let out a chuckle and joked , " Tsk , what a devoted boy . You were right not to let her bite her lips , but did she have to chew through your arm ? That must hurt like hell . " Payton rotated his wrist slowly . Of course it hurt a lot . But when his eyes drifted back to the girl lying unconscious on the bed and when he saw her face pale and her faintly drawn brows , he didn't feel hurt at all . He clenched his jaw , thinking , ' If this hurts me so much , how the hell did she endure a wound that deep for so long ? If I hadn't run into her today , I don't even want to think about what would've happened . Payton shook his head . " I'm fine . Thanks , ma'am . " The doctor just shook her head and replied , " Well . By the way , her fever's still coming down . Once she's done with the IV and her temperature drops , she can leave . But if it spikes again , get her to the hospital . No more delays , okay ? " With that , the doctor left the room and closed the door , leaving Payton and the unconscious Kayla in silence . After a long while , Kayla's fever began to case , Color returned to her face little by little , and the tension in her body softened . When she finally opened her eyes , the first thing she saw was Payton's face - still sharp and impossibly handsome , though tinged with fatigue . He'd fallen asleep beside her bed , his head resting near her arm . In the warm light of the room , even the little mole behind his ear looked soft . 9:13 Tue , Oct 14 Chapter 25 : 86 55 vouchers Kayla had wanted nothing more than to stay far away from Payton and to never drag him into her mess again . But today , if it weren't for him , no one would've even found her on that rooftop . The thought made her heart twist . A pang of guilt hit her for how cold she had been to him earlier . As she stared at him in a daze , Payton stirred . He opened his eyes slowly and lifted his head . Then , their eyes met . For one brief moment , something silent passed between them . Then , the softness and guilt on Kayla's face disappeared in a blink , replaced by cool indifference . " Thanks for everything , " she said , her voice calm but distant . It was like a breeze slicing through the winter night with no warmth or emotion . Now , Kayla had already made her choice not to involve Payton in her life , and there was no turning back . After all , the path she was on was one of isolation , thorns , and danger . She wouldn't risk dragging anyone else down with her . But just as she was about to look away , something struck her . Kayla suddenly sat up , her face sharp with urgency . Ignoring the pain in her shoulder , she threw the blanket aside and swung her legs off the bed . " Hey , what are you doing ? " Payton stood up immediately . " You're still doing the IV . You can't just leave ." Kayla didn't even hesitate . She yanked the needle out of her arm , and blood immediately welled up from the tiny puncture . " I've got something important to do ," she replied without looking back .