The next morning, Allison was jolted awake by the shrill ring of her phone. She was still half asleep as she fumbled to answer. Her voice sounded heavy with sleep. "Hello? Who's this?"
"Allison, you need to get to the hospital. It's Shawn," Colt's voice crackled through, laced with urgency and worry. "He almost died, did you know that?"
Just hearing Shawn’s name was enough to set Allison off. She was already worn out from the night before and hadn't had nearly enough sleep. Being woken up for something she considered trivial only added fuel to her irritation, especially since it was about Shawn.
Annoyed, Allison snapped back, "If he kicks the bucket, just handle the body and let me know when the funeral is. I’ll send a generous condolence gift to his mom for old times' sake."
Without waiting for Colt's response, she hung up and flipped her phone to silent mode.
Beside her, Joshua stirred from the commotion, wrapping his arms around her tighter. His deep, soothing voice rumbled, "Stay with me a little longer."
Allison snuggled closer to Joshua, like a clingy kitten seeking warmth. The two of them lay wrapped up together in the cozy bed, lost in their own little world.
Outside, the blizzard could howl all it wanted, but it was nothing to them.
---
While Colt made the call, Shawn had already regained consciousness. The call was Colt's idea, knowing exactly what was eating at Shawn.
Shawn harbored a flicker of unrealistic hope. He longed to know if Allison would be concerned or make an appearance if she knew he’d nearly died. So, he asked Colt to put the call on speaker.
However, instead of the concern he hoped for, Allison's words were ice-cold.
Shawn’s hands balled into tight fists, veins popping on his pale skin. His face was ghostly, all color drained away.
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