Page 79 of One Last Shot

Seraphina kept her voice low. “He’s not really awake, more in a semi-sleep status. But if you talk to him, he can hear you.”

Oaken wanted to turn and walk out. He barely knew Mike, really. But he’d seen the look Seraphina gave him when she hugged him—she needed someone to be here to celebrate this. To share this miracle with her. So he walked up to Mike and bent down.

“Hey, Mike. This is Oaken Fox. You might not remember me, but we had a couple days together out there in the bush. Thank you for not dying on me.”

Mike’s eyelids flickered.

Oaken looked at Seraphina. She nodded, as if he should keep talking.

“I’m doing a new reality show with the people that rescued you. I think you’d like it. I rescued a girl from a river tonight.”

Mike’s eyes fought to open.

“Keep fighting, bro. Your wife and kids need you.”

Mike’s eyes opened. Wide-eyed, almost zombielike, he stared straight ahead. Oaken froze.

Then Mike’s attention turned to him. He just blinked at Oaken.

“Hey,” Oaken said. “I might not look familiar to you, but I promise, we’re friends.”

Mike seemed to focus on him now. Took a breath.

Then he tried to speak. It came out whispered and garbled.

“Babe, do you need a drink?” Seraphina turned to the nurse andasked for water.

The nurse left, and Seraphina stepped close and moved her head down to his mouth. “Say again?”

He seemed to try again, and even as he spoke, Seraphina stiffened. She looked at Oaken, then back at Mike. “Are you sure?”

The nurse returned with water in a cup, with a straw. “Don’t let him drink too much, or too fast.”

Seraphina took the water and fed the straw into his mouth. He took a drink, and she pulled it away before he had too much.

He sighed, lay back, and closed his eyes.

“What did he say?”

She squeezed Mike’s hand, then motioned for Oaken to leave. “I’ll take care of it, honey.”

They stepped outside the door and she pulled off her mask.

Oaken did the same. Seraphina walked to the windows, stared out.

Now she was freaking him out. “What’s going on?”

She took a breath. “He said that someone tried to kill him.”

“What?”

She turned to him. “Actually, he said, ‘He tried to kill me.’” Her eyes had turned cold.

Oaken just stared at her as her words crested over him. “Wait. You think I tried to kill Mike? After dragging him through the woods for two days and nearly dying myself?”

Her eyes filled, and the coldness vanished. “I’m sorry. You’re right. That’s stupid. Mike’s clearly confused. But...” She wrapped her arms around herself. “It doesn’t sound like him—to accuse someone of that. He’s such a personal-responsibility guy. He’d never blame someone for an accident if he didn’t think, or know, that something wasn’t right.”

Yes, that sounded like Mike. “I’ll talk to the police.”