Strong

by Natalie Debrabandere

  She had drifted. She was drifting away from the beach quite rapidly now.

  “Marion!” Tyler shouted. “Hang on!”

  But the woman gave no sign that she had heard or even seen her. Gasping, she disappeared under again. This time Tyler had her eyes on her, and she kicked vigorously and dived after her.

  Marion appeared to be unconscious and she was sinking fast. Tyler only just managed to catch up with her. She immediately wrapped one arm around her waist, and they were still sinking. Using her free arm and leg, Tyler started to swim them back toward the surface. It was slow going and a fair way up, and she had expended a huge amount of energy on the way down. Marion was heavy and totally unresponsive. Tyler suddenly realised there was a real possibility that she might not be able to make it. She was running out of oxygen. Refusing to give up, she kicked harder, feeling her lungs burning. By the time she broke through the surface she could see black spots dancing in front of her eyes.

  But they had made it.

  Gasping for air, Tyler looked around and spotted people on the beach. She knew Ashley would be one of them. Help was on the way.

  Dismayed to realise that they had drifted even farther away from the beach, she started to swim them back, fighting against the current that was doing its best to drag them out to sea. It would have been very tempting to just stop and drift, but she needed to get Marion back to shore fast.

  “Hey, can you hear me?” she panted.

  There was no reply.

  “Marion. Come on. Wake up!”

  It took a few seconds, and then Marion started to come round. As soon as she felt her move against her Tyler glanced quickly back. The woman's eyes were still closed but she was showing signs of waking up. Tyler breathed easier all of a sudden. Her energy was coming back.

  “That‘s it,” she said, encouragingly against the woman’s ear. "Keep breathing, that's right.”

  Marion’s eyes fluttered open. Still believing that she was drowning, she gasped and struggled against Tyler.

  “Don't…” Tyler started, only to go silent when Marion inadvertently hit her in the mouth with her elbow.

  Surprised, Tyler lost her grip on her and swallowed a mouthful of water. Then Marion threw her arms around her neck, pushing her down below the surface. For God's sake! Tyler thought. If Marion carried on like this she would be the one drowning. She managed to free herself and as soon as she resurfaced she reached for her again.

  The woman was breathing hard, not completely aware of what she was doing. Tyler struggled to catch her breath, but she did not fight her.

  “Just relax, I’ve got you,” she repeated, as calmly as she could. “Help is on the way. I‘ve got you, okay, Marion?”

  It took a few more seconds before Marion started to calm down. Things came back into focus. She stared at Tyler, and suddenly realised was she was doing.

  It was obvious that the diving instructor was out of breath and struggling to keep them both on the surface.

  “Sorry,“ she exclaimed, sounding panicked. “I’m sorry.”

  She swallowed some more water and Tyler again asked her to calm down.

  “Just hold on to me,” she repeated. “It's okay. Take your time.”

  Marion released her grip a little and Tyler relaxed.

  “You're all right?" she asked.

  She kept a close eye on the woman, whose face was as white as a sheet.

  “You were unconscious, what happened out there?”

  Marion took a hard breath. One minute she was swimming on her own, the next she was holding on to Tyler for dear life. What happened in between was a bit of a blur.

  “I got cramp... I think,” she said. “Swallowed some water. I'm not sure…”

  Ashley caught up with them then.

  “All right Tyler?” she asked immediately.

  Her voice was calm and controlled, but her gaze was sharp as she focused on her friend, her concern for her obvious.

  “I'm hanging out,” Tyler admitted, and Ashley quickly replaced her at Marion’s side.

  “Can you make it back okay on your own if I stay with her?" she asked.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  "Are you sure?"

  Tyler nodded, and Ashley helped an exhausted Marion swim the little distance back to the beach. Someone had called an ambulance and the paramedics took over from her immediately. Ashley ran to retrieve Tyler's prosthetic, shook the sand out of it, and helped her shuffle out of the water slowly.

  "Thanks Ash."

  "No problem. Sure you're all right?"

  "Yes, no worries."

  Tyler sat down and adjusted her prosthetic. Then she leaned back and angled her face toward the sun, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

  Ashley squatted down by her side.

  “Hey, you gotta work on that fitness of yours,” she teased.

  Tyler failed to see the joke in that.

  "Only kidding, Ty. That was an awesome rescue."

  “How is she?"

  “She’s all right. Scared herself I think, but other than that she's okay.”

  “Scared me,“ Tyler murmured. “She could have drowned, Ash.”

  Tyler looked back toward the ambulance, her eyes filling with tears at the thought. Being ignored by Kate and having to stay away and pretend that she was not desperate to talk to her was taking its toll. Her emotions were all over the place.

  “She didn’t drown,” Ashley pointed out gently. “Thanks to you.”

  Tyler rubbed her eyes, feeling the familiar dark thoughts looming over her, taking hold.

  “I almost didn‘t make it,” she said. "Talk about some useless cripple!"

  “Hey, knock it off."

  Ashley's expression was serious as she knelt in front of her friend. She stared hard at her.

  "Useless cripple, my ass. You saved her life. Don’t beat yourself up about what could have been, okay?"

  She could tell by the look in Tyler's eyes that she was not getting through to her.

  She tried to think of ways to help.

  "By the way, Kate was asking after you,” she said eventually.

  Tyler’s hands shook a little at the mention of Kate.

  “Really? Tell her I’m fine."

  Ashley’s expression did not change, but she shook her head a little.

  “You tell her,” she murmured.

  She turned and smiled at Kate, who was standing behind them, a safe distance away, giving them plenty of space.

  "Hi. She's all yours," she said.

  Tyler stood up quickly, nearly losing her balance in the process. Ashley grabbed her and steadied her, shot her a warning look, her trademark "don't you dare fuck this up" look, and then walked away leaving the two of them alone.

  "Hey, Tyler."

  “Hi. How is your friend?” Tyler asked with a quick glance toward the ambulance.

  “She's fine," Kate said with relief. "She said she got cramp in her leg and swallowed some water, and before she knew it she was going down. Skipped breakfast as well which didn't help.”

  “Yeah. That‘s how fast it can happen. Tell her not to go swimming

  alone again, please. It's not safe here.”

  It was the longest conversation Kate had had with Tyler since that first day on the boat, when she had pretty much just ranted at her. Her thoughts drifted back to that morning in Afghanistan when they had first met. She remembered the evening she got shot, and Tyler's forlorn expression that night just before she had fallen asleep in her arms. She had that same look in her eyes now, and Kate felt her heart tighten. It was so hard to keep her distance. The hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life.

  "Marion would have drowned if not for you. Thank you...“

  She hesitated, wondering what else to say and whether Tyler would accept a hug, wanting to touch her but not daring to. Tyler solved the problem for her when she reached for her sunglasses and slipped them on, putting a clear barrier in between them.

  “No problem,” she said
.

  She wanted to cry again and she had no idea why.

  Very softly, Kate asked,

  “How are you?”

  Tyler looked at her and simply nodded. The gentleness in Kate’s voice was unexpected, and just a little bit more of it would be enough to completely rip her composure apart. She was not prepared for it. Her mind went blank, and the only thing that she could think was that she did not want Kate to see her cry.

  She was relieved when she spotted Marion walking out of the ambulance, with Ashley, still looking a little unsteady on her feet.

  “Marion’s being released,” she said, forcing herself to smile. “Make sure she has something to eat, okay? I'll see you later.”

  Marion was tough and she did not stay down for long. After a good breakfast and a nap, she was back diving that very afternoon. She told Kate that she felt fine, albeit extremely foolish.

  "Why?" Kate asked her that evening as they were going back to their hotel after a quiet dinner at a local restaurant.

  "I should have made sure it was safe to go swimming in the first place. Instead of that, I almost drowned, and I almost took Tyler with me. Jesus."

  Kate shivered a little at the thought. She had no answer to this. Marion was right on both counts. She slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

  "Let's not think about that," she said.

  “She always looks so sad, you know.”

  “Who does?”

  “Your friend Tyler.”

  “She’s not my friend."

  Marion snorted. She stared at Kate, looking a little bit shocked.

  “Oh no?" she said. "How do you call someone who saves my life?”

  “I know. That came out all wrong, I’m sorry. I just mean... Tyler is..."

  Kate stumbled on the words as she tried to explain what Tyler meant to her. In the end she simply gave up.

  "Ty made it clear she didn’t want to keep in touch after Staunton," she said. "What happened this morning doesn't change anything.”

  “Are you sure?"

  "Yes."

  "She keeps glancing your way when you are not looking, you know?”

  Kate gave an impatient shrug. If only she had been alone with Marion in Sausset she would have adored every second of it.

  The small fishing village was charming. It was hot, they were making really good progress with their diving. The food was to die for. Of course if she had been alone in Sausset her friend probably would have drowned that very morning.

  She sighed in frustration.

  It had been such a shock to arrive in Provence and find Tyler there. Then for a while all that Kate could feel was anger toward her.

  Why did you leave? she wanted to shout. I spent months worrying about you, wondering what on earth I could have done that made you want to disappear like that. I thought we had something, back there at Cobel. I thought it was more than just friendship. I know you felt it too. I miss you! Why did you run away?

  Marion glanced at her friend and noticed the sadness in her eyes.

  “What did you say to her on that first day on the boat?” she asked softly.

  “Not much. She said she could get us reassigned and I said great. I was angry. I know she wanted to talk, but...”

  “But you told her to stay away?"

  “Pretty much,” Kate murmured, and she winced as she remembered the haunted look in Tyler’s eyes.

  That look she had hated so much at Cobel, now she was responsible for putting it in her eyes. Kate felt a little sick when she thought about it. Yet Tyler had done it, she had stayed away because Kate had asked her to.

  All credits to her.

  “She’s with Ashley now, anyway. There is nothing to talk about.”

  Marion gave a low chuckle.

  “How do you know she’s with Ashley?”

  “Please. It’s obvious.”

  “It’s obvious that they care a lot about each other, just like we do. But it doesn't mean we sleep together. And I don’t get that vibe about them at all.”

  “Marion, can we talk about something else, please?” Kate said impatiently.

  Marion stopped walking at the edge of the pier and glanced toward the catamaran moored at the end of the jetty. There was a single light on the bridge, and she nodded a little toward it.

  “She’ll be on there now,” she remarked lightly.

  “How do you know?”

  “Tyler lives on that boat.”

  “She does? How do you know that?”

  “I had a little talk with Ashley earlier. She came round to see how I was doing.”

  Kate sighed. She ought to have known this would happen. Marion could not leave things alone for a minute.

  "Marion, can we not talk about this please?" she repeated.

  “Ashley said Tyler isn’t doing too good at the minute.”

  Kate tensed.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, suddenly concerned. "What's wrong with her?"

  “I mean that if you go there now, she will not send you packing. In fact I can promise you that. You need to talk to her, mate.”

  “And you got all that from a two minute chat?”

  “It was slightly longer than that,” Marion said.

  She glanced at Kate and laughed a little at her expression.

  "What?" she chuckled, her eyes shining with mirth.

  Kate stared at her in amazement.

  “Did you and Ashley...”

  “Suffice to say I know for sure that she is not Tyler‘s partner,” Marion interrupted, serious once more. “Get yourself on that boat and sort things out, Kate.“

  Kate took a deep breath and turned to observe the boat, her thoughts going back to Cobel and the moments she had shared with Tyler there. Front line stuff, she reminded herself carefully. When you might be dead in an hour, feelings and emotions were on the next level. Everything was more intense. She had felt very strongly about Tyler in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, she still did. Or maybe that was a good thing. She could not decide anymore.

  Kate gave a frustrated sigh and she rolled her shoulders a couple of times.

  Marion burst out laughing and pushed her forward.

  “Go find her,” she said.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kate’s heart was beating hard as she stepped on board and made her way toward the main cabin. It was just after nine. The harbour was quiet and the heat of the day had turned into just comfortable warmth. The boat was silent. She suddenly felt foolish creeping around like this. What if Tyler was not alone?

  “Shit,” she muttered under her breath.

  She hesitated, almost turned around, then realised that she had to do this. She had to talk to her. If she did not, she would always wonder what if.

  So she carried on up toward the upper deck, pausing when she heard the sound of guitar strings being softly strummed. She steadied herself and walked on toward the music, stopping when she spotted Tyler. She sat looking out at the islands of the Frioul in the distance, strumming a slow song that Kate did not recognise. But it was beautiful.

  She was wearing her trademark blue jeans and a white flannel shirt, untucked and with the sleeves rolled up. She looked sexy and strong as she always did. And so desperately alone.

  “Hey captain,” Kate called softly.

  Tyler turned her head and blinked when she saw her standing in the shadow of the bridge. Emotion sparkled in her eyes and she took a sharp breath.

  “Hi,” she said.

  She immediately lowered her guitar down and stood up.

  “What’s the song?” Kate asked.

  “Nothing… Just something I made up.”

  “It was really lovely."

  Tyler nodded silently, observing Kate as she stood some distance in front of her. The ex-medic looked worried, uncertain. Tyler’s heartbeat quickened.

  “Are you okay? Is it Marion?”

  “No, no. Everything’s fine, don‘t worry,” Kate reassured her quickly, realising that she sho
uld at least give her some kind of explanation for just showing up like that. “I just wanted to talk to you. You got a minute?”

  “Sure. Hmm... Kate, I..."

  Tyler stumbled on the words and her eyes filled with tears. For once she did not care whether or not Kate saw them.

  “What? What is it?” Kate asked in alarm.

  "I just hate this so much, you know?" Tyler whispered.

  "What?" Kate asked softly, her heart beating wildly in anticipation.

  She needed Tyler to take this forward now. She had made the first step, coming to the boat, and she needed Tyler to meet her halfway.

  It was as if Tyler had read her mind.

  "This," she said with feeling. "What happened between us... Not talking, pretending we don't know each other. I hate it, Kate. I don‘t want it, I never wanted that."

  Kate started to cry, and she stepped forward to take Tyler in her arms roughly.

  "I am so glad you said that," she exclaimed.

  She started to laugh a little at the same time, and she gripped Tyler harder.

  "I am so glad you said that," she repeated. "I kept trying to think what I could have done to piss you off, to make you want to leave like that..."

  The comment and the intensity of the hurt in her voice hit Tyler hard in the centre of her chest.

  "You didn't do anything Kate. It wasn't you. I am so sorry... I never wanted to hurt you."

  Kate could feel her trembling in her arms. She pulled back a little, and brushed a tear off Tyler's cheek.

  "Please don't get sad. Shall we sit down? Can we talk?"

  "Yes, sure."

  Tyler straddled the bench and sat facing her, her eyes sparkling in the low light reflected off the sea. Kate smiled at her and brushed fresh tears from her eyes.

  Tyler was so close, and all Kate could think about was how much she wanted to kiss her. She could smell her. Fresh coconut shampoo and a hint of sun. She was assaulted by memories of how good her mouth had tasted that night, how soft her skin had felt. She was struggling to get her brain in gear.