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I try to speak but my throat is dry again, like I swallowed sandpaper. Drew brings over the cup and straw so I can take a drink.

“How long have you been here?” I manage to croak out.

“Since Sunday afternoon, so almost twenty-four hours now. You’ve been asleep almost the entire time.”

“It’s Monday afternoon? What happened to the team? How did you get here?”

He smiles sadly at me and recounts what he knows so far. “Nixon found you in your hotel room. He called the ambulance and came here with you. He stayed until I could get here. Funny thing, you remember Becky Miller? She showed up and saw my distress, turns out she has a pilot’s license so she flew me here right away. The team is already back home and hoping you can get there soon too.”

“It was Jason. I was stupid and opened the door without looking and he barged in and corned me and…” my breaths are hitching and monitors start beeping. Drew squeezes my hand tighter.

“Shhh, baby, it’s okay. We know it was Jason and he’s been arrested.”

“How?” I feel relief he won’t be walking in here but I’m still scared he’s going to follow through with his threats.

“There’s cameras in all the hotel’s hallways. It clearly caught him pushing into your room and then leaving quickly about fifteen minutes later. Everything except what happened in the room is on their surveillance camera. The stuff that happened in your room, you caught enough on your phone to keep him in jail without bail. You did a smart thing recording him like that.”

I blink in confusion. “I recorded him?”

“You don’t remember? There’s a short video on your phone, the video is just the ceiling or blankets but you can hear the voices plain as day.”

I recall scrambling across the bed to grab my phone in the hopes I could call 911. I didn’t set up my phone with a lock out code. Drew often gave me shit over that. I must have opened the photo app by accident with all the struggling.

“Did you hear what he wanted me do? Does Austin know?”

“Austin?”

“What exactly was on the recording that could be heard?”

“From what the police have told me, just that you would regret turning him down or something like that before he hit you. Do you remember what he wanted?”

I remember everything that went on in those few minutes. The twenty-four hours of sleep seems to brought it all rushing back with great clarity. I attempt to roll over to face Drew, but then I can’t see him as well because my bad eye is on top. He controls the bed to lift me and gets me comfortable.

“Drew, he…he admitted to hurting you on purpose. He’s been looking for me this whole time. He thought I threw that game because I loved him! He was in gambling debt and now he has something on Austin! He was trying to get money from me to protect him and we need to warn Austin! Drew we need to talk to him!”

“It’s okay, Sam. Jason is in jail, and it sounds like he will be for a while. Austin is okay. We can talk to him when we get home. Really, sweetheart, he’s okay.”

I settle down. What could I really do? If Drew tells me it’s fine, I have to believe him. I peer at him again and grip his hand tightly.

“I told him no, Drew. To his face. I was so fucking scared, but I did it.” I pause. “I’m so glad I stood up to him. He may have hurt me, and I was fortunate to have Nixon find me, but he won’t bother me or anyone else again. I’m done hiding.”

“I wish you could have told me he was going to be at the game. It’s why you were so off before you left, wasn’t it?”

I nod and look at my lap. “I had to do it without you, Drew. I couldn’t ask you to protect me. I had no idea it would end like this, but it had to be my choice.”

DREW

I know what Sam is saying, I really do. I get it.

When I first came in and found her sleeping, her face all shades of purple and red with her eye completely swollen shut on one side, my breath had been ripped from my lungs. I was overwhelmed at seeing this beautiful, vibrant, snarky as hell woman looking helpless and hurt.

My heart was broken and my soul was hurting because I hadn’t told her how I felt. I had pulled up a chair and sat there holding her hand the entire time, waiting for her to wake up.

“I know we moved fast, but you fit in my life perfectly. We keep dancing around things and focusing on what the damn lawyer wants us to do, and I say fuck it. Sam, I love you. I love you so much, I don’t care about a will or hockey or my mentor’s dying wish. Whatever happens, we will make us work, and it will be forever. You are my person, Sam. If you choose to walk away, I would rather live forever remembering how we were than try to find this kind of happiness with someone else.”

I very gently wipe a tear off her bruised face and held my breath, waiting for her response.

She smiles as best she can at me. “I think we are on the same page because I know I can’t live without you either, and I definitely love you.”

“If we weren’t in a hospital with your face all broken, I would bend you over right now.”

Of course, the doctor takes this moment to enter, and we both laugh at his awkward expression.

Life with this woman is going to be amazing.

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