How To Save A Life

by Andria Large

  I gingerly lie Ferris’ limp body down on the sand and get to my feet. The medic makes a quick assessment and announces that he’s not breathing and barely has a pulse. He starts CPR while the other medics pack and wrap his leg.

  I’m pretty sure I’m on some kind of reality TV show, or The Twilight Zone, because this can’t be happening in real life. Slim arms wrap around my waist from my side. I glance down to see Spencer’s mop of dark wet hair pressed against my chest. Good God, I forgot that he was here. I wrap my arms around him and hug him close.

  “Are you hurt?” I ask him.

  “No,” he whimpers.

  “Ferris saved him,” comes Jesse’s squeak from my other side.

  I glance over at him to see him hugging himself as he stares at what’s going on with Ferris. I hold out my arm, and without hesitation, Jesse tucks himself against my side. I hug him to me, and he immediately tucks his face into my chest. Krista comes to stand with us, her hands covered in Ferris’ blood, her face pale.

  The next few minutes go by in a blur. They load Ferris up and haul ass off the beach. I get the boys moving so we can go to the hospital, too. As we’re coming off the beach, news vans are pulling up. Shit, this is going to be a media nightmare. I quickly steer the boys down a side street so that we can avoid getting stopped by the reporters. I don’t have time for an interview. I need to get to Ferris.

  We get back to the house and I grab a few things. Spencer quickly changes out of his wet bathing suit. Jesse borrows some clothes from Spencer because he insists on coming to the hospital with us. I make him call his parents, though, to let them know that he’s okay and what he’s doing.

  Then we pile into my SUV and I take off for the hospital as fast as I can. My whole body is numb. I can’t feel a thing other than my churning stomach and my pounding heart. The short ride to the hospital is ungodly quiet.

  When we get there, I let them know who I am, and who I am there for. The nurse at the desk is very nice and informs me that they are trying to get him stabilized because they need to MedEvac him to Cooper Hospital, which is the region’s best trauma hospital, then says she will let me know when they are planning on leaving. I thank her and take a seat with the boys in the waiting area. Pulling out my phone, I make the dreaded phone call that I’ve been putting off for as long as possible.

  It rings a few times before the female voice picks up.

  “Hello?”

  “Mrs. Jenkins?”

  “Who's this?" Ferris’ mother asks politely, obviously not knowing who's calling.

  There hasn't been much in the way of reconciliation between Ferris and his parents, but this is serious, and they should know that their son has been gravely injured.

  “It's Ezra, Ferris' boyfriend. Something happened to Ferris at the beach,” I croak, feeling like I'm teetering on the edge of a cliff.

  “What? What happened?” she asks, panic rising in her voice.

  I can’t say the words. I can’t get them out. My throat has closed up and I can barely breath. Spencer and Jesse see me struggling to breathe and take over. Spencer takes my phone from my hand and gives it to Jesse, telling him to talk to his grandmother, while he forces my head between my knees. Holy shit. These kids are stronger than I am.

  “Mrs. Jenkins, it’s Jesse Matthews, Spencer's friend…hi…sorry, Ezra is having a bit of a panic attack at the moment…Ferris was bitten by a shark. We’re at the hospital, and they are trying to stabilize him because they want to transport him to Cooper Hospital…We don’t know what his condition is right now. They haven’t said. All we know is that the bottom of his left leg was shredded, and he lost a lot of blood. They were doing CPR on him when they were getting him off the beach…okay…yes, we will let you know if they leave before you get here…okay, bye.”

  Spencer is whispering to me about taking deep breaths. I think I’m doing it, I don’t know. When I finally feel like I’m not actually going to pass out, I sit up. Spencer is on one side of me and Jesse is on the other. I take both of their hands and squeeze them.

  “I’m so glad you two are okay and you’re being so strong through all of this. Thank you,” I rasp. They squeeze my hands in return and hug me from both sides.

  +

  Three hours later, we are at Cooper Hospital, waiting in a private waiting room. They MedEvac’d Ferris here about an hour after he arrived at the first hospital. I took Jesse home, then after packing overnight bags, Spencer and I made the hour and a half trip to Camden, NJ. Ferris’ parents, brothers, sister, in-laws, and my parents, also made the drive. Now we’re all just twiddling our thumbs while he’s in surgery.

  When we got here, a doctor came in and gave us an update on his condition. They weren’t sure if they were going to be able to save his leg, but they were going to try. They also gave him a blood transfusion because he had lost so much.

  The hours tick by so slowly, and the longer Ferris is in surgery, the higher my anxiety gets. I’m sitting back in my chair, one arm crossed over my chest, while I hold my head in the other one. My knee is bouncing rapidly and my whole body is coiled tight. The night Justine died flashes in my mind. I can’t go through that again. After Justine died, I never thought I’d fall in love again. Then Ferris came along and changed everything. He saved me when I didn’t even know I needed saving. He pulled all of the pieces of my life back together and stitched them up, adding his own patch to it.

  A soft sob escapes me as all of the worry, anxiety, and bone deep fear that I could lose the man I love come to a head. I really don’t want to break down in front of everyone, but I’m not leaving this spot in case the doctor comes in. Soon, I’m full blown falling apart with my face in my hands. Arms and voices surround me, but I’m too far gone to do anything but bawl my eyes out. My world is falling apart again and I don’t know what to do.

  One voice breaks through my thoughts of desolation. Spencer.

  “Dad…Dad, please don’t cry,” he sniffs close to my ear in his sweet but shaky voice. “Ferris is gonna make it. He loves us. He would never leave us without a fight. You know this. You need to be strong for him, and for me. Please, Dad.”

  “I’m…sorry,” I choke and take the tissue box that someone shoves in my direction.

  I slowly pull myself together. After using half the box of tissues, I’m able to look around at everyone, who is now gathered around me. Spencer is sitting on one side of me and my mother is on the other side, both with their arms around me.

  “Shit. I’m really sorry.” I sigh, feeling a little lighter after falling apart like that. “I think that needed to come out because I feel better now.”

  “Thank god. I thought we were going to have to admit you, too,” Casey huffs.

  I shake my head. “I’m okay.”

  I wrap my arm around Spencer’s shoulders and pull him close, giving him a kiss on the forehead. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Dad.”

  Ferris ends up being in surgery for six hours. By the time the surgeon comes out to give us a run down of how it went, we are all exhausted - both physically and emotionally. He says that it went fairly well and he’s hopeful that Ferris will get to keep his leg. He will definitely be needing more surgeries on the leg to help build it back up, since so much of the tissue and flesh were ripped away. He informs us that it should be functional enough for him to be able to walk again, but his days as a lifeguard are over. He lets us know that Ferris is coming out of the anesthesia now, and as soon as he’s in a room, a nurse will come and get us. They are putting him in intensive care because the risk for infection is so high.

  Relief isn’t even a strong enough word for what I’m feeling right now. I know Ferris will be disappointed about not being able to continue as a lifeguard anymore, but I’m sure he’ll be happy that he gets to keep his leg. A huge bullet was dodged today.

  CHAPTER

  SIXTEEN+

  FERRIS

  My mind is so foggy right now. And why is my body so damn heavy? I try to
drag my eyelids open, but they’re not budging. I open my mouth to talk, but I can’t get anything to come out. Where am I, and what the hell is going on?

  “Don’t worry, sweetie, everything is okay,” a female voice says from somewhere on my right side.

  I turn my head toward her and try again to open my eyes. They crack open. Yes! My vision is too blurry to see anything other than colors. There is a lot of white and blobs of blue moving around.

  I try to speak again, but nothing comes out when I move my lips. My throat hurts for some reason. I’m just really confused as to what is going on and where I am. Sleep pulls me under again, and I don’t fight it.

  The next time I open my eyes, I can see much clearer. I pull in a deep breath and stretch a little bit. My whole body aches, especially my left leg. Damn, what the hell happened again?

  “Ferris?”

  I roll my head to the side where the voice came from and see Spencer’s cute face. He’s sitting poised on the edge of the chair next to the bed that I’m in. Suddenly, everything comes rushing back to me - the fin, the shark, the terror. I gasp and sit straight up.

  “Spencer!” I cry, reaching for him.

  He shoots to his feet and throws himself into my arms. “Oh, Jesus! Oh my god! Are you okay?!” I choke, running a shaky hand over his head.

  “I’m fine,” he sniffles, his voice muffled because it’s tucked into the crook of my neck.

  I grab his shoulders and haul him back so I can look him over. “It didn’t get you, did it?”

  He shakes his head as he swipes at the tears running down his face.

  “Good. Now that I know you’re okay, I gotta ask, what the fuck is wrong with you?! What were you thinking coming back for me?! You could have been killed!” I shout at him, shaking him by the grip I have on his shoulders.

  “I wasn’t going to leave you to get eaten by a shark!” he yells at me, his eyebrows cranked down in anger.

  Before I can argue any more, the curtain blocking the doorway gets flung to the side revealing Ezra, who looks completely disheveled. His hair is a mess and he has dark circles under his eyes.

  “Ferris, thank God,” he says with such relief that it breaks my heart. He comes to the opposite side of the bed from Spencer and leans in to give me a tender kiss before dropping his forehead to mine.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” he whispers.

  I reach up and clutch the back of his neck, holding him to me. “Never, baby,” I murmur, giving him another kiss.

  He straightens up and laces his fingers in mine. “What were you just yelling at Spencer for?”

  “This little jerk decided it was a good idea to get into a fist fight with a shark,” I grunt.

  Ezra blinks and I can see the gears turning in his head as he tried to understand what I just said. “What?”

  “I wasn’t going to let Ferris get eaten by a shark, so when I saw him get taken under, I went after him. I remembered seeing something on a show once that if you punch a shark in its eye, it will let go of you. So that’s what I did.” He levels his glowering stare at me. “And it worked.”

  “It could have grabbed you next,” I snap.

  “Well, it didn’t,” Spencer huffs haughtily and crosses his arms over his chest. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

  I gape at him, and when I look to Ezra for some support, I find him fighting back a laugh.

  “Ezra!”

  “I’m sorry,” he says, but I know he’s not really sorry. “I would have done the same thing.”

  “Whatever,” I sneer and lay back. “Shit, that was exhausting.”

  “Yelling at me?” Spencer smirks.

  “Yeah.” I sigh wearily.

  “Well, you’ve been seriously injured. You shouldn’t be exerting yourself,” Ezra says, squeezing my hand that he’s still holding.

  “Oh, right. Hey, do I still have my leg?” I ask with a wince. “I’m afraid to look.”

  “You still have your leg, but you’re probably not going to be able to run or jump with it anymore,” Ezra says sadly.

  I stare at him as the reality of what he said sinks in. “So, you’re saying I can’t be a lifeguard anymore?”

  Ezra shakes his head. “It’s highly doubtful, babe.”

  “And so was getting you into bed, but look what happened there,” I scoff. “You watch; I’m gonna be back on that lifeguard stand before you know it.”

  Ezra smiles. “God, I hope so.”

  “Me, too,” Spencer adds.

  “Alright, get some rest. I’m going to call everyone to let them know you’re awake,” Ezra murmurs.

  “How long have I been out?”

  “A day and a half. Once the doctor gave the okay to take you out of ICU, everyone went home to get some sleep.”

  “Everyone?”

  “Your parents, brothers, sister, and in-laws, and my parents.”

  “Wow, everyone came to the hospital?”

  “They had to give you CPR on the beach and MedEvac you here to Cooper. We weren’t sure if you were going to make it for a little while there. I think your parents may’ve even realized how close they were to losing you for good because they've actually been talking to me.” Ezra frowns.

  I frown, too. Well, shit. “Oh,” is all I can come up with.

  “Come on, Spencer, let Ferris rest. We’ll go grab something to eat in the cafeteria.”

  Ezra squeezes my hand, drawing my attention.

  “We’ll be back, okay?”

  I nod. “Yeah, okay.”

  Spencer skirts the foot of the bed, and I call him as he starts for the door.

  “Hey, Stretch.”

  He looks over his shoulder at me. “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for saving my life.”

  Spencer grins. “You saved mine first, so I think we’re even now.”

  I chuckle. “Okay.”

  Ezra gives me a kiss, and I watch as he follows Spencer out of the room. I couldn’t be any luckier. I have a man who loves me, and a kid who is willing to risk his life for me. I settle back and take a deep breath, letting my eyes slide closed. It’s good to be alive.

  +

  After a couple of skin graft surgeries - which weren't too bad; they felt more like a bad sun burn or rug burn, which was more irritating than painful - I had about a month of recovery time in the hospital, and now I’m finally home. I’m far from being back on my feet, but at least I can work on the rest of my recovery in the comfort of my own home. I’m going to have to go to physical therapy a few times a week and use crutches for God knows how long. The one good thing is that it’s my left leg, so I can still drive, giving me a bit of much needed independence. I don’t like to be babied, and I don’t like to sit around and do nothing. I gotta move. I gotta go out. I gotta do shit. And I don’t want to have to rely on Ezra to be my chauffeur. I’m even planning on getting back to doing my therapy sessions with the kids as soon as I can.

  I was a bit of a local celebrity for about a week after the incident. My story and an interview I did while in the hospital with the local news station got a shit ton of TV time on a crap load of channels. Shark attacks down at the Jersey shore? Yeah, that rarely happens; so when it does, it’s national news.

  My leg looks - there is no nice way to say it - it looks fucked up. It’s deformed from losing some muscle and tissue, plus it’s heavily scarred and skin grafted. It’s ugly as hell. Oh well, at least it’s still there, and I’ll eventually be able to walk on it. It’s like that guy from Monty Python, “it’s just a flesh wound.”

  I’m sitting on the couch with my left foot propped up on the coffee table when an arguing Spencer and Jesse come walking through the door. I frown and look over my shoulder to see why they are fighting. Jesse looks fine, but Spencer has a black eye and a scraped up chin and cheek. The collar of his shirt is also torn.

  “What the hell? What happened?” I squawk and grab my crutches so I can get to my feet.

  “Dumbass didn’t know when to walk
away,” Jesse scoffs. He’s obviously not happy about whatever happened.

  “What does that mean?” I ask, as I hobble behind them while they make their way into the kitchen.

  “He got into a fight with a senior from our school, who has a lot more muscle than he does.” Jesse provides, going right to the freezer to pull out an icepack.

  “A fight?!”

  “They were talking crap about you and Dad,” Spencer huffs.

  “So?” I ask incredulously. “Let them talk shit. I don’t care.”

  “Well, I do. And you don’t know what they were saying. It was really bad,” Spencer replies then thanks Jesse when he hands him the ice pack.

  Spencer puts the ice pack on his eye and hisses in pain.

  “What were they saying?” I ask.

  Spencer just shakes his head, so I cock an eyebrow at Jesse, knowing he’ll tell me.

  He sighs. “They called you shark bait and were saying things like how Dr. Whitmore is going to have to top all of the time because you won’t be able to since you're a cripple now.”

  “Ouch.” I wince. “That’s so not true, though. I’ll be able to top just fine, thank you very much.”

  Jesse barks out a laugh while Spencer just shakes his head and rolls his eye.

  “Really, Spencer. You can’t let those dickwads bother you. It doesn’t mean anything; they are just words,” I say.

  “It just pissed me off.” Spencer sighs.

  “Yeah, I know. Did you at least get some shots in?”

  Jesse tries to hide his grin behind his hand, and Spencer looks up at me with his non-swollen eye. “I gave him a bloody nose and lip.”

  “Ha! Good job! Your dad is probably going to have a fit, though. I’ll try and talk to him before he sees you, soften the blow a little bit.”

  “Thanks,” Spencer says.

  “Why don’t you two go hang out upstairs? Leave the door open, though,” I tell them, sending them each a pointed look, making them both blush.

  I’m not stupid; I know they’ve been fooling around. I see the way they look at each other. Shit, Ezra and I look at each other like that all of the time. I call it the you’re-hot-and-I’m-horny look, and I maaay have hacked into Spencer’s phone to read his text messages a little while back. Look, I’m not proud of it, but it needed to be done. Kids get into all kinds of shit these days. I was just checking to make sure he wasn’t being stupid. He wasn’t. But I did see the texts between him and Jesse about when their next chance to be alone will be, and who’s turn it was to top, so…yeah, they’re getting busy. Honestly, I’m not surprised that a couple of fifteen-year-old boys are having sex. I’m pretty sure that’s the age I lost my virginity, too. And no, I haven’t told Ezra.