Nick slipped and fell,and then struggled to stand again.
"Hold on!," he cried out,"I'm coming!"
He couldn't see AJ in the dark. He could hear wild thrashing,
and AJ calling for him.He moved himself across the ice,shuddering
in the freezing air.His eyes were burning,and he knew the wet,
slick surface was slowing him down.He had found a rope a few feet
away,and was clutching one end of it in his hand.
"AJ?Do you hear me?," Nick called. He heard AJ shout back in reply. Wrapping the rope around his hand,he reached his friend. "Take my hand!," Nick called,dropping to his knees.The ice made a loud cracking noise,and he moved back.
"AJ!Take my hand!," Nick begged.
"I....can't," AJ gasped,clutching the thin sheet of ice for dear
life."Nick,I can't feel my legs anymore.You've got to get me out
of here!"
"I'm trying!I can go get help at the lodge!," Nick answered,turning
to stand.
"No!Don't leave me here!," AJ pleaded.Nick turned back to his friend,
and handed AJ the rope.AJ's hands slipped right off the rope as Nick
tried to pull him out.
"I'm too tired,Nick," AJ whispered,his voice tired and raspy.
"No!We have to get you out of here! I'll just go untie the rope,and
pull you out myself!," Nick cried.As he turned to get the rope and
come back,he realized that the lake had become eerily silent.
"AJ?," the only sound was the echo of Nick's voice against the distant mountains."AJ!," the last thing Nick remembered was diving in after him.
Brian shot up out of his chair.In the bed next to him,Nick was screaming.
He went to put his hands on Nick's shoulders,and Nick shot out at him.Brian
jumped back as Nick looked at him,confused.
"Nick?Are you okay?," Brian asked. Nick put his hands to his face,saying,
"Oh my God,oh my God," over and over.
"Nick!What's wrong?," Brian asked.He sat down on the edge of the bed as
Nick's hands dropped to his lap.
"It was like a bad dream," Nick gasped,shuddering. He closed his eyes,and
Brian continued to listen.
"No matter how much I tried,I couldn't reach him,"Nick whispered.Brian knew right away that Nick was talking about AJ."I just couldn't reach him. And then he stopped talking to me-I knew he had gone under.And I couldn't find him in time.I thought he was dead.I thought we would both die that night.Oh my God," Nick began to sob,as Brian put his arms around his friend.
"I couldn't reach him," Nick said.Brian just nodded,and cried with his friend. Then he pulled back,and looked Nick in the eye.
"You did everything you could.You got him out of there.Now it's up to the
doctors," Brian said. Nick just shook his head.
"What if getting him out of that lake wasn't enough?What if the doctor's
can't save him?What if-," but Brian cut him off.
"That's enough.They're doing everything they can for him,just like they
did for you," Brian answered.Nick's eyes filled with tears as he stared
past Brian.
"It was like that night in the street....when I had your blood all over
my hands.There was nothing I could do,and I knew it. I was helpless.I
felt like I was all by myself,right there with you," he choked out.Brian
had tears in his own eyes as he said," I'm fine,Nick.Look at me-I'm fine.
You did what you could to help me,just like you helped AJ.Now all we
can do is pray that he lives through this.And I have faith that he will."
Nick leaned back against the bed,and closed his eyes.Brian stared at his friend's face for a long time,before he said,"Nick,what happened that night on the ice?How did you and AJ get out there?"
As Nick began to tell him the story,Kevin,Howie,and Lou gathered in the
room to listen.The story he told was eery,and frightening.And despite
the warm temperature of the room,when Nick was done telling it, the
boys were shivering.
So,what happened out on the ice?How did Nick find AJ,and why
was AJ out there to begin with?Find out in the next chapter.
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