Xavier staggered back to his Minnesota apartment after turning around from California the same day, physically spent and feverish. Samantha opened the door, pulled him inside, and embraced him. She noted how pale and hot he was, while Xavier, disoriented and aching, clung to her and admitted he could not rest unless he was with her.

Samantha led Xavier to his bedroom, where he saw she had cleaned the apartment. As he wavered on the edge of the bed, he asked for a pulse oximeter and thermometer. The readings showed 85% oxygen and a 103-degree fever, prompting Xavier to insist he needed the hospital. Samantha hurried to help him dress and tried to take charge of driving, refusing to let him drive himself despite his protests.

At the hospital, Xavier was admitted with double pneumonia and placed on antibiotics, steroids, oxygen, and breathing treatments. Samantha stayed at his side holding his hand, angry and scared that he had flown twice while this sick. Xavier lamented not being able to do things for her, and Samantha replied that what she needed was for him to break up with her, revealing her fear that the relationship was hurting him.

Xavier refused to end the relationship, insisting he loved her and would never be happier without her. Samantha pressed that they could not continue like this and asked him to promise to stop overworking and sacrificing his health, even if it meant they would see each other less often. She told him she wanted him to have a life in Minnesota—friends, gym, sleep, and his rescue work—if he could not be with her in California.

They acknowledged how unhappy and strained they both were: Samantha was overwhelmed by her mother Lisa’s decline, family turmoil, unemployment, and the lack of everyday moments with Xavier, while their rare time together was marred by crises. She asserted that nothing about their situation was likely to change soon, and confessed guilt for not being strong enough to end things for his sake.

Despite the pain, they chose each other. Samantha climbed into Xavier’s hospital bed, and they held each other, finding relief in their closeness. She described the life they dreamed of—goats, a garden, waking up together, possibly children—and hoped that, regardless of the forgotten details of life, she would remember that it was a love story about him. Xavier, in tears, recognized this as the hardest challenge he had ever faced, one that might break them and strengthen them at the same time.