Page 109 of Find Me on the Ice

“Mor—Nikki was attacked by her ex-boyfriend. The cops are here; the Feds are here. It’s a long story. But she’s okay. I’m okay. I just might be gone a few more days,” I tell him.

“Holy shit, Cam. That’s insane. Did they catch the guy at least?” Kos asks, and I hear Brett in the background, telling him to put the phone on speaker.

“Well, kind of. He’s dead now. They have to fish his body out of a lake.”

“Oh my God, you killed him? Do you need me to send a lawyer? Money?” Kos asks, jumping into dad mode.

I laugh. “No. The piece of shit came up behind me and hit me in the back of the head. Long story short, Nikki took off from him, but he caught her, and they fell into the frozen pond. She managed to shoot him and get out. That’s when I found her, passed out on the ice. She was so cold. I don’t know how she’s alive. She felt…dead.” My voice cracks on the last word.

I almost lost her. In a matter of minutes, she could have never woken up. Terror racks my body at the thought.

“I’m so sorry, man. She’s okay now though?” Brett asks.

“Yeah. She’s awake. I went and grabbed food for them, and her best friend is there with her now,” I tell them, my voice returning to normal.

“Take as much time as you need. I’ll let Coach know. But you might want to shoot him a text or something too,” Kos says.

“I just need to make sure she stays awake and alert. I wish I could bring her back with me,” I say, feeling my chest tighten at the thought of leaving her here.

“Do it!” Brett shouts excitedly.

Sighing, I say, “She’s got her business here. It’s not that easy.”

“You guys will figure it out,” Kos says, sounding so sure.

“Yeah,” I say, tucking the bag in my coat and walking into the hospital. “I’m just getting back. I’ll update you in a bit.”

“All right, man. Tell her hi for us,” Kos says, and Brett says, “Bye, Costy.”

Hanging up, I walk back to her room, and when I walk in, her face lights up.

Kos was right. I could bring her back with me. But that’s a conversation we need to have later. Although I’m exhausted and in emotional overdrive, I’ve never thought so clearly about her. I love Morgan with everything I have, and I’m never letting her go.

26

Morgan

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Cam asks me again as my thumb hovers over my mom’s phone number.

With a trembling breath, I answer, “Yes, I’m sure.”

I never thought this day would come. I hope they aren’t mad at what I had to do, that I lied to them and made them think I was dead. But I think, more than anything, they’ll be happy that I’m actually alive.

When I press the Call button, my stomach flutters as the most intense nerves quiver through my body.

Oh my God, what if I’m not ready?

When I look at Cam, my heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest.

You got this, he mouths to me.

The second ring sounds ten times louder than the last. I wipe my sweaty hand on my blanket.

He’s right. I’ve got this.

“Hello?” my mom’s voice sings through my phone.

Breathtaking sobs tear through me. Trying to catch my breath, I hear her gasp.

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