August 2

Lake Muskoka, Muskoka

The only sounds I can hear over the roar of the engine are Ry's shouting, and my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I swim hard, through the tangle of waves caused by our wake, keeping my head above the water, my eyes on Elle and Hud.

Elle reaches him first, she's shouting his name. He's face down in the water, not moving, but his body starts to sink. I watch Elle dive after him to unclip the tether as the pole drags at him while it sinks. She surfaces again, then gently grips his shoulders, using her forearms to brace his neck to turn him over carefully in the water. Her cheek is pressed close to his as she treads water with her legs, hard, to keep them both afloat.

I can hear her talking to him, listening for his breathing, pressing her face as close as she can manage given the awkward position of her arms.

I reach them and carefully slide the lifejacket under Hud's lower back, bringing his hips up slowly to float him in the water. Elle's crying and her face is covered in the blood pouring out of Hud's cheek, which seems to be flayed open. "We need to get to a hospital, Greyson, he's unconscious, breathing but I can't tell how bad the head injury is, there's too much blood."

Fuck. We're in the middle of the lake, surrounded by islands.

Theo and Ry pull up. Elle shouts over the engine, "Ryan, are your parents at home?"

He shakes his head, "I don't think so, let me call Sar." He confirms his parents are at least an hour away, but Sarah's coming to help, however she can.

Theo's low, panicked curse brings Elle's attention to him next. "Theo, call all the parents. Find out who's closest, now. My phone's in the glove compartment. Speed dial one through four for moms and six through ten for dads. Get Sarah to take over when she gets here, I need your help to get him out of the water."

Elle blinks her eyes hard, clearing the water and tears from her eyelashes, visibly struggling to stay calm.

"How can we get him out of the water, Greyson?"

I look around frantically for options. "What about the wakesurf board?"

Elle nods, "Get it, we can use it as a backboard to lift him out." Elle's voice is shaky, but confident, reassuring to everyone, but I can see the panic, the worry in her eyes.

Sarah speeds up in her small boat, slowing down to circle around. She ties her boat to Hud's and scrambles in, Theo grabs her, handing her the phone, repeating Elle's instructions.

I climb out of the boat and grab the big board, snapping the fins off and tossing it in the water before I dive back in. I force it underwater, harder than it looks, then slide it carefully underneath him, pulling the lifejacket out of the way so his back stays flat.

I put the lifejacket under the board to help keep it floating under Hud's dead weight and pull myself up onto the back platform. Elle slowly maneuvers the makeshift, floating backboard, turning it sideways, gripping Hud's shoulders, keeping her forearms pressed tightly to each side of his head. I feel a little sick at the thought that the pole could have hit him so hard his neck might be compromised.

We don't know anything though, she's just being careful, like we were all taught to be.

Shit, how are we going to manage to lift him out, without Elle's grip sliding. We all learned to keep the neck stabilized pretty much above all else in an accident, but how the fuck are we going to manage this?

It takes Theo, Ryan, and me to manage. By the time we've figured it out, I can see Elle tiring, kicking her legs desperately to keep her grip on Hud.

I squat down, hooking my arms under Elle's and gripping the board. I'll lift her and the board this way. Ryan has the other end of the board and Theo's positioned himself on the swim ladder lifting from the middle. All we need to do is get them up onto the platform, then the soft, large stern cushion. Two steps, then deal with the rest.

We lift on three and I push up, hard, straining under the weight of both of them, but Theo manages to slide in, taking the weight of the board, so I can focus on Elle, lifting her without breaking her grip.

The position we're in is so awkward, but I manage to help Elle into a kneeling position, braced on her shaking legs on the large cushioned stern. Her face, neck, and chest are covered in blood.

"You need to stabilize his neck. Do we have any pool noodles? Rope? Even a small bumper?" Ry's voice is tight, worried.

I grab two small bumpers and a spare length of line, helping Elle make a stabilizer of sorts for Hud's neck. She is amazing.

I wrap the rope over Hud's forehead, then secure it carefully under the board and around the bumpers by his head. Combined with Elle's grip, we should be able to boat safely.

"Go to Port Carling, Lincoln Montgomery will meet you there." Sarah's voice is urgent as she leaps into her boat and unties it so she can lead the way.

Elle's dad will be waiting for us. Thank God.

I press someone's t-shirt to Hud's cheek, where a deep gash is seeping blood and Theo accelerates. It takes Ryan, Elle, and me to keep him stable as we bounce slightly through the waves. Elle's cheek is resting against Hud's keeping the t-shirt in place since I need my hands free to stabilize the board. She's speaking quietly to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, streaking through the blood that's drying there.

As promised, Linc is waiting for us, clearing a space on the busy dock for us to park. I can hear him shouting at the boaters lounging on the docks, and they scramble to do as he says. He catches us, tying us off and jumping in immediately.

"Elle, lean up, sweetie, let me see." Elle turns her tear-streaked, bloody face to her dad, and the color drains from his face.

"None of it's her blood." I try to reassure him, but not sure how successful I am, since Hud is also practically a son to him, so it's probably not any great relief.

Linc peels the t-shirt away, grimacing, then swinging into action.

"Use the board, the ambulance can't get here. It's waiting in the parking lot by Nib's restaurant. One of you can ride with Hud, the rest with me."

I climb around, helping Elle stand, lifting the board with Theo carefully. Linc and Ryan guide us off the boat, through the gathering crowd. Hud moans, which I think is a good thing, "Elle?"

My throat tightens as even in his semi-conscious state, she's the first thing he cares about.

"She's fine, Hud. She's right here. Elle, talk to him again."

Elle squeezes his arm, then speaks quietly, constantly to him. Keeping up the soft flow of nonsense until we get to the parking lot.

The stretcher is waiting on the first point of dry land and we lift Hud onto it, board and all. The paramedics speak with Elle, nodding as she explains what's happened and they quickly replace her arms and makeshift brace with a real brace.

Elle rides with Hud, climbing in behind him in only her bikini and I jump in Linc's car with Theo. Ryan and Sarah stay behind. "Go, Grey. We'll take Hud's boat back to our place, we can drop it off at yours later."

By the time we get to the hospital, Elle is already standing in the waiting room, wearing only her bikini. Her arms are wrapped around herself and she's shaking. I pull her into my arms, rubbing her, warming her. She's covered in dried blood, her hair is matted with it and it's streaked across her face, neck, and chest. She looks like she's walked off a horror movie set.

"You okay, Elle? Did he wake up on your ride?"

"I'm fine, just anxious for news. He didn't wake up, not fully, but he was sort of responding."

Linc walks over to us with a spare button-down dress shirt from his car. I step back reluctantly. Linc gently slides his shirt around Elle, who slips her arms into the crisp, probably expensive, white shirt. He clearly doesn't care that she's filthy. Theo and I are both shirtless, and none of us have shoes.

"Sit down, honey, walk me through it, start to finish."

Linc repeats his questions again and again, making sure he has every detail. Elle answers steadily, with Theo and I jumping in here and there.

"Anything else, Elle? Was there any alcohol involved? Any drugs? Anything I should know?"

"No, Dad. I promise."

Nodding, Linc stands, "I'm going to call Geordie and Brooke. You come get me immediately if they come out, okay?"

The three of us just nod, grateful he's here. Grateful he can take over.

I pull Elle into my lap, sitting on the chair next to her and Theo sits beside us, holding her hand. Her whole body is shaking, so I rub my hands up and down her arms and back, trying to warm her, soothe her.

"Here boys, put these on." Elle stirs and stands when her dad tosses some gift shop sweaters at us. I pull it on, glad to have something between me and the air-conditioned waiting room. I offer Elle the third sweater, but she climbs back onto my lap, using it as a blanket on her bare legs instead of wearing it.

What seems like hours later, but is probably less than an hour, the Doctor walks out, greeting Linc, and giving him an update. When Linc shakes his hand, I release a big sigh of relief.

"Any news?" I'm impatient to know how Hud is.

"Twenty-six stitches across his cheek, fractured cheekbone, concussion. They say he was lucky, considering. They'll keep him overnight, maybe two nights. You can go in and see him, tell the nurse you're siblings. Your last name is Rhodes if anyone asks. All of you. Room two-twenty."

Linc walks away to call Geordie and Brooke to give them the latest update.

"Let's go see him." Theo's voice is strained. I pull Elle along with me as I check the room numbers.

Elle pushes ahead of both of us when we pause at the door, hesitating. The room is dark; the monitor beeping quietly. Hud's face is bandaged, the blood mostly wiped away from his forehead and neck.

After only a moment, Elle turns and rushes into the bathroom. I hear a terrible retching sound and walk in after her.

She's kneeling down in front of the toilet, holding herself tightly, crying, gagging, vomiting. I immediately drop down behind her, gathering her matted hair into my hands and rubbing her back.

"Elle? Are you okay?" Theo's voice from the door is uncertain, strained.

"Why don't you sit where you can watch Hud, T? I'll look after Elle."

Instead, Theo just slides down onto the floor, sitting beside the bathroom door, watching Hud, but keeping an eye on Elle and me.

I continue to hold her hair back from her face, rubbing her back, until she calms. "It's okay, Elle. He's okay now. Do you want me to get your dad?"

She shakes her head. She has nothing left in her stomach to throw up, heaving only air, crying, and shaking. I wet a cloth, trying to wipe away some of the blood that's dried onto her skin. I guess she's in shock, or the adrenaline has finally left her system.

She was so strong the whole afternoon, but now, she looks so small, so fragile. I stand to get her a small glass of water, keeping one hand on her shoulder. She takes a few tentative sips when I hold it up to her lips, but pushes it away as she starts to gag again.

"Why don't you lie down with Hud for a bit? Try to calm down, Elle. He's in excellent hands. You got us through the worst of it, it's okay if you shut down for a bit."

When she nods, I lift her into my arms and drop her down on the side of Hud's bed. Her eyes flutter closed, and she curls against him, head resting on his stomach, knees pulled up, one thigh tossed over his shin. Her arm wraps around his thigh, connected to him at as many points as possible.

Even though I tried to clean as much of the dried blood off her face as possible, she's still a mess. Her hair is matted with blood, tangled from drying in the wind.

I watch her sleep for a while, she still hasn't put the sweater on, and it's frosty with the air conditioner. Probably part of the reason, aside from sheer relief, that she's curled so closely to Hud. One of his hands has reached down to tangle in her hair while he sleeps, the other is clutched close to her chest, tucked under her chin.

I stroke my hand over her hip, draping the sweater over her bare legs, wondering if I'll ever be able to offer her even a fraction of the love she seems to offer everyone in spades. Do I even come close to deserving someone like her?

I turn, jolting at all the commotion outside as Brooke and Geordie rush in, stepping to the opposite side of the bed. I offer them a small smile, then walk out of the room to give them some privacy.

I join Theo, who's stretched across five chairs, sleeping awkwardly. Now that I'm alone, I let my thoughts roll over the events of the day. I don't think I've ever been so scared before. The sound of that pole ripping out from the base will probably stay with me forever. Hud's quick reflexes had protected Elle from any harm, but he'd taken quite a blow to the face.

Just the amount of blood had been incredible. Logically, I know heads, faces, extremities; they bleed a lot, but I was absolutely not prepared for what I saw. But Elle was. She'd held it together through everything, never letting go of Hud, not once, never leaving room for uncertainty, pushing us all into action.

Linc walks over, dropping down beside me, putting his arm around my shoulder. I didn't realize how much I'd needed or wanted comfort until now. I lean into him, just for a minute, I tell myself. After a moment of surprise, I think, Linc's arm tightens around me and he kisses the top of my head.

"You did good, Grey. You all did. Hud's lucky you were all there." Linc squeezes my shoulder.

"He's lucky she was there most of all. I don't know what we would have done if she wasn't."

I pull away, the prolonged contact making me edgy. Scrubbing my hands over my face, we sit quietly, waiting for Geordie and Brooke to let us know what's next.

- - -

There's nothing scarier than when someone you love is in danger, or gets hurt. It isn't uncommon for accidents to happen, especially around the water, but boy, this one had me on the edge of my seat as I wrote it! 

Let me know by voting, or sharing your thoughts in the comments how you're enjoying the story so far!

Xx Toria