What a mess. He loomed closer to the dock. Becca's face was masked into one of worry. She kept glancing at the storm, then back to Hunter.
He had to keep her safe and shelter her, just as he had the very first time. She'd been so young and fragile. Hurt. Scared out of her mind. The realization that they'd lost all of their family hadn't hit her yet. He'd been the one to explain it all to her, and it tore him up. No twelve year old should ever have to explain to an eight year old little girl that had been a stranger to him that they were the only survivors. That had ripped his young innocence away so fast. Life hadn't been the same since. He'd bonded with that sweet young girl in ways no one else could.
Like a motion picture, images of that ordeal flashed in his mind.
"No, I can't go there right now. Focus, focus," he scolded himself. He was losing concentration fast. The boat veered to the left. Too close to the large rocky cliffs. Shit! He pulled the boat the other way and barely missed them. He let out a ragged breath. Another strong gust of wind sent a wave crashing against the boat, pushing it the other way once again. "Damn it!" He had to get control now!
Focus, mind. Stay on task.
He shouldn't have to fight with his inner demons to think straight. What was happening to him? These things kept occurring, ever since he'd lost control that night. No wonder he'd been warned to take a break. Something inside had snapped.
He fought against the storm. The boat tipped and swayed. Hunter attempted to keep his feet planted firmly against the wood, but with the moderately falling rain, it was too slippery. He shouted and gripped the side, but the boat tipped even further. The waves seemed to swallow him as he fell from the boat into the water.
Chapter Four
Terror seized Becca when the boat tipped over. She watched in horror as Hunter slipped and fell overboard, plummeting down to the water. She left everything on the dock and dove in, swimming as fast as she could through the waves and rain to get to him. This storm came on way too fast! He'd come so close to the rocks a few times that she thought he'd crash, but then he managed to get on track. The look of fear on his face mirrored exactly how she felt just before he went down.
"Hunter? HUNTER!" she screamed, searching the nearby waters around the boat for him. Where had he gone? Why hadn't he surfaced? "Hunter, where are you?" Please be okay, please be okay.
She spotted a flash of white behind the boat. Was that him? Why wouldn't he respond? Something was wrong. Becca swam behind the tilting boat. She knew it wouldn't fall over on her, but each time the wind pushed at it, she flinched. Did it get stuck on something? There were a lot of rocks over here and the water wasn't that deep. Oh God, hopefully Hunter wasn't injured from hitting a jagged rock. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She forced herself to keep going, even though she was scared out of her mind. She needed to find Hunter and pull him to shore. Intense lightning bolts struck nearby and often. They were sitting ducks in this water with the storm!
She found Hunter, his arm draped around a large rock. She sighed in relief that she'd found him. How bad was he hurt? She wrapped her arms around him from behind, crying on his shoulder. She felt his chest rise and fall. But he still hadn't moved. "Hunter! Come on, snap out of it. We've got to get out of this water!" She was practically screaming. She could barely hear herself over the wind, thunder, and rain. "Come on. I'm not sure I can pull you to shore without any help." She tilted his head up. Blood dripped from a open wound on the side of his face by his ear. She had to try. She couldn't just sit here and wait for Hunter to come back out of it, not with the impending storm. They needed to be on land. The boat was right there, but no way could she get Hunter over the side.
You have the heart and soul of a strong warrior.
She remembered his words from earlier and used that as her mantra to do whatever it took to get them back to shore. "You saved me, Hunter. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'm going to be that warrior and fight." She sucked in a deep breath, just as a wave slapped her face. She choked on the salty water and spit it out. Cringing, she stared at Hunter for a moment, trying to figure out how to move him and have him rest on her so she could swim safely. This wouldn't be easy. As another long, jagged bolt of lightning spliced through the sky, traveling to the earth, Becca made her choice. Adrenaline took over and she slid in front of Hunter, took his arms and draped them around her. No, this wasn't going to work! His arms slid down. "At least you put your life vest back on," she said softly, as if he could hear her.
Wait. She could find a life preserve ring on the boat. She had spotted it earlier. Becca quickly moved away from Hunter as she lowered his body slowly back down on the rock. She had to hurry, before he fell back into the water. She found the ring right away and tugged on it as hard as she could. One swift yank and it came free, almost knocking her backwards underwater.
"I'm coming back for you, Hunter!" Why did she keep talking out loud when he couldn't hear her? Or could he? Well, it didn't matter. It made her feel better. She made it back to Hunter and slid the ring over his head and down to his midsection. She wasn't sure it would stay, but this was better than nothing. Becca held on to the side of the ring and wrapped an arm around Hunter. She would have to use her legs to swim so that she could hold on to Hunter. "Here we go. Please wake up!" she begged softly as she kicked her legs. The waves were still rough, slamming into both of them with a vengeance. The storm scared her. She silently pleaded for no nearby lightning strikes.
She doubted that they'd have any cell phone service in these conditions. Most of the area had spotty reception anyway. If Hunter's injuries were severe, she had no idea what she could do. Most likely, the first aid kit was on the boat. Did she dare try to get back to it?
After what felt like an eternity, they finally made it to shore. Becca shivered as she stood on shaky legs and pulled Hunter up on the sand. She didn't get far. Her ankle throbbed and her knees were weak and achy. She crumbled to the ground beside him. That didn't matter. They'd made it far enough. They were safe. Well no, not safe completely, but much safer than they'd been in the water.
The blanket wouldn't do any good, but she could at least grab it and clean off the blood. She looked down at Hunter, who was laying still. Was this the panic he'd felt that night when he'd pulled her out of the water? She barely recalled much of the accident.
Had he taken in too much water? Becca remembered the CPR instructions. She had to be certified for teaching. She'd never once had to use it. There came a first time for everything. She bent over him and lowered her face to his, breathing air into his mouth. She pushed on his chest. One, two...
A few minutes of doing this and Hunter coughed, sputtered, as water shot out of his mouth. Becca turned his head so he wouldn't choke. He was alive, but still hadn't completely come out of it.
Thunder rumbled again. Becca tried to sprint over to the dock, but the pain in her ankle kept her from moving too fast. She grabbed everything she'd left there and rushed back to Hunter. Sure enough, everything was wet.
"Hunter! You've got to wake up! We have to get to safety!" Becca darted a glance back at the boat. It bobbed in the water against the rocks. It had to have hit something and got stuck. Did she dare get back in the water and find the first aid kit? What if Hunter woke up and couldn't find her? He might wander off. If he had a bad head injury, she had no idea what he would do.
But if the kit had anything to help...
Becca tore off a corner of the worn fabric on the blanket and cleaned off the blood. The gash didn't look that deep after all. Still, there was a chance of infection, especially with him being in the water.
"Just get there and back," she chided herself. She had no right or wrong choice right now. Taking one last look behind her at Hunter, she threw on the life jacket, sucked in a deep breath and braced herself for the wild waters once again. Who knew what else was on that boat they could use. As long as nothing weighed her down too much, she could grab anything that helped. Oh, why didn't she think to grab it when
she grabbed the float. That would have been the smartest thing to do. She'd seen the wound on Hunter already.
She shoved the nagging voice that sounded far too much like her grandmother aside. No time for negativities. She had a job to do and needed to keep her thoughts positive. The boat still tipped and swayed in the wind. She hoisted herself over the side and climbed in. Wind driven rain pelted her face. She turned her head downward and tried to keep steady. She didn't need to end up like Hunter. She quickly found the first aid kit, tucked away under one of the seats. There wasn't much left on the boat that would end up being useful. Time to get out of there before something else happened. The constant rocking motion made her queasy. Becca huffed and tried to ignore the churning in her stomach.
Clutching the kit, she carefully lowered herself back into the water.
When she arrived back at the shore, Hunter was sitting up. When his confused and startled gaze landed on her, he attempted to get up.
"Becca, you scared me! What do you-?" His gaze traveled to what she held in her hands. "Oh, you sweet, crazy woman! You went all the way back for that?" His voice was filled with awe and wonder.
"Of course I did!" She couldn't believe he was so shocked about it. "Are you okay? What hurts? Can you walk? We've got to find some kind of dry shelter."
"What happened? The last thing I remember was climbing on that boat to bring it back." Hunter reached for her and touched her cheek.
"I'll tell you all about it later, I promise. Let's get your cut cleaned and get out of here," Becca insisted, shivering relentlessly.
"We'll get me cleaned up in a bit. I agree about getting out of this storm though. We can pile the stuff up together and I'll come back for it. Take your purse with you. With us both injured, we might benefit from leaning on each other. How are your ankle and knee doing?"
"They hurt, but I'll manage." She helped Hunter to his feet, almost succumbing to the wet sand as she nearly slipped. Hunter's quick reflexes kept her from falling. "Are you sure about leaving this here? Your head- I don't like the idea that your head is bleeding-"
"Okay, we'll take the first aid box, too. You carry your purse, while I take this. I'll come back for the cooler because it has food and drink in it, and who knows if where we end up will have anything sufficient for us. Fair enough?" He crouched again. Becca patted his back and hoped that he wasn't about to pass out again. When he stopped, she nodded and reached for her purse. Hunter took the first aid kit from her hand and slid an arm around her waist. She wrapped her arm around him and they trudged through the sand further inland. "This storm came upon us pretty fast," she noted.
"I know. Gotta love the ever-changing weather. I should have paid better attention," Hunter quipped sarcastically. He muttered something under his breath afterwards. She couldn't make out what he said. "Look, up ahead. A house. Let's hope someone is home and will let us in. Otherwise..."
She could only guess. Otherwise they might have to force their way in. The thought of that had her stomach churning again, but what other choice did they have?
The old cabin had a decent sized front porch. Pain shot up her leg from her ankle and everything from the waist below spasmed and cramped. Hunter must have noticed, because he held her tighter.
"Here sweetheart, sit here and I'll check the place out." He pointed to a wicker chair in the corner. She eased onto it with a sigh of relief to be off her feet. Hunter set the first aid kit at her feet. He limped over to the door and knocked. "Anyone here? Please help!" he called out. Much to Becca's dismay, no one responded. Hunter turned to her. "Hey, I'm going to walk around the house and see if I can see anyone. I really dislike the idea of having to break in, but I don't think staying on this porch until the storm stops is a good idea. If someone does come to the door, holler for me, but I have a feeling no one is here. I could keep going and try another house, but..." But who knows if anyone was in any of these houses, and neither of them could keep going without getting cleaned up.
She nodded. Her heart sank as he retreated down the steps and turned right. Shivers still wracked her body. She just couldn't get warm! It wasn't even that cold out, even with the rain and how soaking wet she was. As she wrapped her arms around herself, she realized she still wore the life vest. No sense in keeping it on now. With shaky fingers, she unclasped the front and shrugged out of the vest, letting it slide to the ground.
Hunter returned, his lips in a thin line. He looked grim. He ambled up the steps and stood before her. "Oh, sweetheart, you're shivering. More reason to get inside. Maybe a warm bath and dry clothes will be available. Once we get inside, I'll run back to the beach and grab the rest of our stuff. No one seems to be here, but I did find a window in the back that looks easy to get through. The screen pops out easily. Little damage and I can fix it right away."
She nodded again. Hunter's gaze landed on something, but she wasn't sure what. Becca opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Words escaped her as her brain's signals couldn't get with it. She hadn't froze like this in a long time, but then again she hadn't had a stressful event like this. It just seemed like she either stuttered terribly or she couldn't speak at all.
She tugged on his hand. Hunter stared back at her. Unsure of how to get through to him, Becca put a hand over her throat. Hunter had been around her enough to hopefully understand.
He knelt beside her and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm so sorry. I know this is pretty traumatizing. Don't worry about not talking. We'll get you taken care of. I'll run around back again, get in and open the door from the front." He brushed her wet locks behind her ear. She frowned at the dried blood on his face. He needed to be tended to as well. She couldn't wait to get inside so that his face could get properly cleaned and bandaged. Rising to his feet again, he turned back to her one more time. "Be right back." She watched him disappear and figured she'd better get up and meet him at the door. If her knees would cooperate with her and stop shaking so much! About a minute later, the front door swung open, and Hunter rushed to her side and pulled her gently to her feet. "Let's get clean and get you warm. I'll change when I get back. No sense in getting me in dry clothes when I plan to grab the cooler. I know you're not going to like being here by yourself, but I want to make sure we have food on hand. By the looks of this place, I'm not sure what we're likely to find inside." His voice was low, soft and gentle as he wrapped his arm around her and stepped inside.
She wanted to flop on the couch and rest again, as she was consumed by waves of fatigue, but realized she didn't want to ruin anything with her being soaking wet.
Hunter pointed to the kitchen. "Wooden chairs there, if you want to sit. I'm going to grab your purse and the first aid kit, then I'll see what we can find." He bolted out the door, returning only seconds later with the items, which he set on the floor. He closed the door behind them, drowning out the sound of the storm winds whipping through the trees. The steady thrum of raindrops falling on the roof actually had a soothing effect now that they were inside a structure.
"I'm going to do a quick search and see what's here. I won't tell you what to do, because I know you hate that, but I really think you should stay off your feet right now," Hunter suggested. His gaze swept over her face.
She nodded in agreement and after another moment of hesitation, he finally went to explore the cabin. When he headed down the hall and she was left alone in the kitchen, panic seized her. Her breath hitched as she fought to gain control of her erratic heartbeat.
I'm fine! I'm just fine!
"Guess what I found?" Hunter carried a sweater and a pair of sweatpants in his hands. "You'll be nice and warm in no time." He handed them to her.
Becca pointed to his head. She wished her words would just come out already.
"You don't want to change into dry clothes first?" He raised a brow, then winced. "Damn that hurts. Okay fine, you win. I will probably curse and go stark crazy, so bear with me please?"
She may not have been able to find her voice to speak, but a qu
iet laugh escaped her throat. At least, that's what she thought it was.
Hunter crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Are you laughing at me?" Amusement danced in his gorgeous eyes. "That's so messed up! There is a little devilish side to you after all. I like it," he teased.
Becca smirked and pointed at the first aid kit. She wondered if he remembered any of the sign language, back from when she'd been mute and unable to communicate all those years ago. But so far, he'd been able to understand what she needed. The very first time he came to visit her, he'd learned it so they could talk. She remembered that day well on her aunt's back porch when Hunter sat beside her. He asked if she remembered him. She nearly cried that he'd taken the time to understand sign language for her.
"All right little devil, have at it. Just don't get offended for any swear words I may use." He cracked a smile. She loved that he could still have a sense of humor. It showed that even though he had some injuries, he was the same old silly Hunter she knew. She pointed down at the floor, wanting him to kneel before her. Again, he cued in right away and lowered to his knees.
Becca opened up the first aid kit and searched for what she needed. As she pulled out a large bandage, cotton swabs and the small bottle of peroxide to clean the wound, Hunter hissed. She flicked her gaze back to him.
"Call it psychological warfare. I'm anticipating that it's going to sting like you wouldn't believe. I know, I know, I'm being a baby and I should just shut up." Hunter raised his hands. "Think you can do that one handed? I might need you to hold mine with the other."
Becca grinned and held out her hand. She wished her voice would work with her so she could tell him how cute he was being. She couldn't be too sure if he was putting on an act to make her laugh or if he really was bothered by what she had to do. Regardless, she felt needed. Important. Something she longed for. When his shaky fingers curled over hers, a ripple of electricity zipped through her.
A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) Page 5
