Morgan's body was lying on its back, her head thrown back at an awkward angle. When she'd died, she'd frozen in that stiff position, her slender white neck exposed and her mouth tipped open. She'd been lying like that for ten or fifteen minutes while I'd just been sitting there, shocked, trying to comprehend what had happened.

But then, very, very gently, she moved.

As if she'd been simply sleeping peacefully, she stretched her shoulders. Then she slowly turned onto her side and rested her head on her hands.

"What the-" Bryce turned to me, stunned, then he stared back at Morgan.

I placed a finger on her neck and took her pulse.

"She's alive."

Her pulse was strong and fluttering away normally. Her awful panting hadn't returned. Now she took slow, even breaths and released them without any rasping sound at all. Even some of her color had come back.

I collapsed on top of her and sobbed.

"Morgan," I whispered. "I thought you left me. Don't you ever leave me again."

I still couldn't rouse Morgan to consciousness, but I was almost sure now that she was going to be okay. She suddenly looked extraordinarily healthy, almost angelic.

"Jesus Christ," Bryce whispered. "I've never, ever seen anything like that." He shook his head in disbelief. "I'm no doctor, but maybe the fever just had to break? I thought she was gone."

"So did I," I whispered, holding Morgan's hand.

"I guess you just never know about things like this." Bryce laughed softly, still amazed at what we'd witnessed. "A little while ago I was held up in the hospital overnight. They thought it was dysentery or something. I guess I had a bad chicken taco in El Paso. I was in bad shape. But I woke up feeling totally fine. They wanted to keep me there at the hospital, but I didn't want to have to cancel my concert here in Muldoon. So I just walked out and left."

I laughed. "Remind me not to eat the chicken tacos in El Paso."

I was feeling elated. I hadn't thought that I'd ever laugh again. A moment earlier I honestly wouldn't have cared if I died, but now that Morgan was not only alive but getting better, I had a new hope that maybe things might turn out okay after all.

Bryce was here with me too, and he didn't seem to want to leave. I would have been happy just to sit here talking with him all day about anything other than whatever crazy stuff was happening in Muldoon.

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