Submerged

by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

  She couldn't imagine life without her babies. Couldn't contemplate never holding them again.

  "What if we die here?" Colton asked.

  The question sent icicles down her spine. "We're not going to die."

  "But what if we drown?"

  "Marcus won't let that happen."

  She didn't know why she was relying so heavily on a stranger to save them, but there'd been something in Marcus's voice—something that made her feel calm, made her believe they would all come out of this nightmare, alive.

  She glanced down at the steering wheel that immobilized her. Or at least some of us will survive.

  With a high probability of internal damage and definite broken ribs, she doubted she'd have the strength to swim, much less get out of the car. Marcus would be busy with the kids. By the time he got them to shore and came back for her, she could be dead.

  But Colton and Ella will be alive.

  She smiled, imagining their lives as they grew. Would they be rebellious teenagers? Would Wesley be able to handle them? What would they do with their lives? What would they become?

  The water had risen to her breasts. Though the majority of her body was numb with cold, she kept her hands above her head and flexed her icy fingers every now and then. Breathing hurt her ribs, and she tried to slow each uneven breath. A surge of nausea rippled through her body. Her vision swam in and out, and all the blinking in the world wouldn't bring things into focus.

  Please, God, don't let me faint now.

  But God wasn't listening.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Near Cadomin, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 12:17 AM

  With his mask in place, Marcus dove down alongside the car. He could see brownish light coming from the headlight. The interior lights were flicking on and off. Reaching the driver's side, he gripped the slim flashlight in one hand and waved it over the window.

  Rebecca wasn't moving. She had passed out, her mouth an inch from the water.

  He had to move fast.

  He shone the light into the back seat and waved at Colton. The boy moved to the window and pounded on the glass. That's when Marcus noticed Colton was no longer trapped in the back. He was free.

  Thank God for that!

  Colton pointed at his sister, grinned back at Marcus and gave the thumbs-up. The kid was ready.

  Now came the difficult part.

  Marcus returned to the driver's window and pulled the ResQMe tool from his pocket. Holding it in one hand, he positioned the cutter in the middle of the window. He pushed down, feeling the hard spring within the device. A web of cracks appeared and water seeped inside the car.

  A second later the window caved in from the pressure. He pushed the fragments of glass aside and shoved a tank through the hole. Securing the mask over Rebecca's mouth, he flushed the water from it, all the while trying to ignore the flailing movements in the back of the car and Colton's shrieks.

  Hold on, Colton! I'm coming!

  Marcus glanced toward the back seat and saw the children pressed up against the rear window where there was a small pocket of air. It would last maybe thirty seconds.

  He moved to the back door. Okay, here's where timing is everything.

  One quick snap of the ResQMe and the rear side window was shattered. He wedged his body inside the window to slow the water flow and so he could reach the children. With his added weight, the car slid further into the river. He took a deep breath, held it and removed his mask. With no time to waste, he slipped it over Ella's face and flushed it. Seconds later, river water filled the interior of the car and it sank, landing on the river floor with a soft thud.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Colton take one last breath of air. The boy grabbed his arm and pointed at his mouth, his eyes widening with alarm. Marcus fastened the secondary mask around the boy's head, pushed the flush button. A second later, Colton nodded and held up a thumb.

  Brave boy.

  In seconds he had the tank strapped to the boy's back. But now Marcus needed air. Moving to the front of the car, he wedged his body between the driver and passenger seat, then secured the secondary mask from Rebecca's tank over his face. Gulping in a few breaths of air, he examined Rebecca. She was still unconscious, her hair drifting like strands of seaweed around her face. He felt her chest. Her breathing was spasmodic. Not a good sign.

  He looked over his shoulder at her children. They were sitting in the back seat. Colton had strapped them in, to keep them from floating up against the ceiling of the car. The boy didn't realize how dangerous his actions were. The seat belt could jam.

  Marcus felt for the ResQMe tool in his pocket. He still had it. Worst-case scenario, he'd cut the belt from the kids.

  Evaluating the situation, he realized there was only one thing he could do. He had to get the kids to safety and come back for Rebecca afterward. What alarmed him was the possibility that Rebecca would regain consciousness and discover her kids were gone. If she panicked, she could do serious damage to herself, especially if a broken rib had pierced her lung, as he suspected.

  He took a deep breath, held it, then removed the mask and moved to the kids. The seat belt released easily, and he pulled Colton and Ella toward him. He pointed out the door and started outside, but Colton tugged on his hand and pointed to his mother.

  Marcus shook his head and pointed up. Then he dragged both kids out the door and started swimming to the surface. With Ella tucked under his arm, he held on to Colton and used the opposite hand to pull them upward.

  It took a few strokes and they broke the surface.

  Colton ripped off his mask. Panting, he cried out, "You have to go back for my mom."

  Marcus removed his mask. "I will. As soon as I get you to shore."

  "I can take Ella back."

  Marcus shook his head. "Sorry, son, but I'm taking you to shore first. Your mom would never forgive me. Now swim!"

  It seemed to take forever before they reached the shallows. Colton removed the tank, handed it to Marcus and raced for the shore. Marcus followed closely behind, swinging Ella into his arms. When they reached the car, he set her down in the back seat and removed her mask. He felt for her pulse. It was faint but regular.

  "Get in," he said to Colton.

  The boy climbed in beside his sister. He was shivering violently, and Marcus turned on the engine and cranked up the heat. Retrieving two emergency blankets from the kit, he draped them around both children.

  "Colton, stay here with your sister. Do not move! Got it?"

  "Got it." The boy's teeth were chattering.

  Marcus reached for his cell phone on the dash. "Here's my phone. Call 911 and ask for Leo. Tell him you and Ella are safe, but we need an ambulance."

  Colton nodded.

  Marcus ruffled the boy's wet hair. "I'm going back for your mom now."

  Tears flowed down the boy's cheeks. "She said you would save us."

  As he ran toward the river, Marcus hoped to God he wasn't too late.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Near Cadomin, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 12:20 AM

  Rebecca felt an unusual pressure on her face. Fighting waves of dizziness, she opened her eyes and blinked twice. Her surroundings were hazy.

  Where am I?

  She reached up to wipe her eyes, but her hand floated in slow motion, then connected with something hard. Her fingers grazed the object, tracing its outline.

  A mask.

  That's when her memories came rushing back. I'm in the car. We’re in the river, underwater. Oh God… Ella and Colton.

  She blew out a breath and twisted in her seat. The back of the car was empty. Fear slithered up her throat, and her heart thudded in her chest. She tamped down her horror when she noticed the back car door was open.

  And you have an oxygen mask on. Marcus! He has the kids.

  The interior light dimmed and was extinguished. Blackness swallowed her.

  She felt the cold tank beside her. Marcus had jammed it be
tween the seats. She ran her fingers over the straps and discovered something long and sleek attached to it. A flashlight.

  Carefully, she pulled it toward her and turned it on. She groaned with relief. That transitory gloom of darkness had made her feel she'd been buried alive.

  Stay calm. He's coming back for you.

  All she could do was listen to the sound of her breathing, as erratic as it was.

  She'd never been so cold in all her life—not even the time Wesley had taken her skiing in Whistler, BC, and she'd landed in a snow bank at the bottom of the bunny hill. She'd told him she couldn't ski, but he'd made it sound so damned easy. She recalled how they'd gone back to the resort afterward and she'd soaked in the hot tub for over an hour to get the chill out of her bones.

  I'll need more than an hour in a hot tub now.

  She coughed and cried out in misery. Where was Marcus?

  She aimed the flashlight out the broken window. Nothing moved.

  It was getting harder to breathe. Is the tank out of oxygen?

  She shone the light on the tank. The meter showed a nearly full tank. So then why was it so hard to breathe? Was she having a panic attack?

  Something caught her eye. A sparkle in the water.

  Marcus was coming for her.

  She let out a wheezy cough and tried to catch her breath. A viselike undulation wove around her chest and ribs, squeezing her as though she'd been gripped by a monstrous boa constrictor. It wrung each breath from her body and left her gasping for air and shuddering with nausea.

  She dropped the flashlight.

  Whipping her head around, she searched for Marcus. His light beamed closer. He was almost there. Another minute maybe. She could hold on that long. She had to.

  Seconds ticked by with a merciless slowness.

  Then she saw him.

  Marcus swam to the window and motioned with his flashlight and a small tool toward her seat belt. She nodded and pointed to her mask, hoping he'd decipher that she was having trouble breathing. The look he gave her made her realize he knew exactly the danger she was in.

  He tugged on the car door. Once it was open, he sliced through the belt and eased it from her body. He jiggled the side lever for the seat, but nothing moved. Then he reached under her legs for the lever that would push her seat back.

  She closed her eyes and tried not to think about the pain. She focused on Colton and Ella instead. They were safe. Maybe in the ambulance. They'd be warmed up and cared for, and that's all that mattered.

  She felt a small pop near her ribs. When she opened her eyes and glanced down, she realized Marcus had slid her seat back. She was free.

  He wrestled the tank from between the seats. Sliding his arm through the strap, he anchored her tank next to his. Then he reached for her. She put her arms around his neck, clinging to him and crying as he pulled her from the car. With one arm around her waist, he dragged her through the murky water.

  When they reached the surface, her eyes were drawn to multiple beams of bright light coming from the shore. Headlights. An ambulance and two police cars, lights flashing on all three, were parked next to a car. And all headlights pointed toward the river.

  Treading water, Marcus removed his mask, then hers.

  "The ambulance is here," he said, his voice filled with relief.

  "Yeah, your friend Leo said to tell you it's on its way. I would have called you to tell you, but you were already in the water."

  He gave her a radiant smile. "Let's get you to shore, Rebecca Kingston. Your kids are waiting for you."

  Chapter Tw enty-Five

  Near Cadomin, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 12:32 AM

  Accompanied by a flash of lightning and the crash of thunder, Marcus carried Rebecca from the river. He was greeted by Ashton Campbell and Gabbie Gros, two paramedics he'd known from his days in the field.

  "Hey, Ash," Marcus called out.

  "What've you got?"

  "She's got at least one broken rib." Marcus set Rebecca on the gurney.

  The paramedics flew into immediate action, checking her vitals and assessing her injuries before wrapping an emergency blanket around her. Gabbie gave a blanket to Marcus too, and he draped it over his shoulders, shivering as his body fought to regain some warmth.

  "My kids," Rebecca murmured, her eyes delirious.

  "Your daughter suffered an acute asthma attack," Gabbie said. "We gave her oral prednisolone, oxygen and nebulized salbutamol."

  "Is she stable?" Marcus asked.

  Gabbie nodded. "She's out of danger. We have her and her brother on oxygen. Minor hypothermia." She patted Rebecca's arm. "And your son's leg is sprained but no break. Other than that, there's nothing to worry about. Your children will be fine."

  "You're the one we need to worry about now, Mrs. Kingston," Ashton said as they moved the gurney into the ambulance. "Marcus, we have to get moving. The storm is picking up, and we need to get her to the hospital."

  "Which hospital?"

  "Hinton. Edson doesn't have any beds. Cutbacks."

  Ashton motioned for Marcus to step aside.

  "Wait!" Rebecca said, gripping Marcus's arm. "You have to come with us. You saved us."

  "I can't go in the ambulance. It's not protocol." Even as he said this, Marcus counted all the rules of protocol he'd already broken. There'll be hell to pay later.

  "I'll meet you at the hospital," he said. "I promise."

  Inside the ambulance, Ella and Colton lay side by side on a second gurney. With blankets piled high, their small faces were barely visible.

  Colton raised a hand and waved. "You are a superhero."

  Marcus waved back. "Take care, buddy. I'll see you at the hospital."

  "Taylor!" someone called out.

  Marcus spun around. John Zur stood a few yards away, and the detective didn't look very happy.

  "Shit," Marcus muttered beneath his breath.

  He walked toward Zur, thinking of all the excuses he could use for his blatant disrespect for the rules. But there was just one excuse he could think of that made any sense. Rebecca and her kids had needed someone to help them, and Marcus had been the only "someone" available.

  Zur studied him, seconds extending into minutes. "So what happened, Marcus?"

  "You can see what happened, John." I saved a woman and her kids. They're alive because of me. I didn't let them die like Jane and Ryan.

  When Zur was finished lecturing him, Marcus glanced at his watch. 12:39. He couldn't believe how his life had changed in the past twenty-four hours.

  "Marcus!"

  He returned to the ambulance. Inside, Rebecca was arguing with Ashton and Gabbie.

  "Hey, don't give them such a hard time," he said with mock sternness. "You need to let them take care of you."

  "I needed to speak with you," she said, lying back down.

  "I'll see you at the hospital. We can talk all you want then."

  She peered up at him, then smiled. "Your voice fits your looks."

  "What?"

  "You look exactly as I pictured you."

  "What, soaking wet, shivering and chattering teeth? That's what you pictured?" He laughed.

  "You look like a decent man. A bit on the rugged side."

  The smile she gave him sent intense heat through his body. "Gee, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

  "It's a good thing," she said. "On the phone your voice made me think of Russell Crowe."

  He batted a hand in the air. "Nah. I've been told I look more like Gerard Butler. Before he started working out."

  She laughed. "You're not in that bad of shape. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to do what you did tonight."

  "Well, you're even prettier than I pictured you. Even if you are sopping wet and your hair is scraggly."

  She touched her hair. "I'm not at my best, am I?"

  He grinned. "Guess I'll have to wait and see how you clean up. Now go."

  As he turned away, she shouted, "One more thing."

/>   "What's that?" he asked, peering over his shoulder.

  "Thank you! For finding us."

  "You're welcome. Now lie down."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Hey, Marcus!" Gabbie called out.

  "Yeah?"

  "We miss you. When are you coming back?"

  "I don't think I am. My paramedic days are over." And for once, he was okay with that thought.

  "Get some rest," he called to Rebecca. "Your kids need you to be okay." So did he.

  He watched as Gabbie and Ashton closed the doors, and the ambulance took off down the road. Zur and the other patrolman followed in their respective vehicles, lights flashing, no sirens.

  Marcus climbed into his car. First, he took in a long gulp of air, releasing it slowly. Then he stared out the window at the river, trying to extinguish the images of a terrified boy trapped underwater. Colton had more strength than he knew. And Rebecca? She was a fighter too.

  He glanced into the rearview mirror. A face stared back at him.

  Jane.

  For some reason, he wasn't surprised to see her, even though the rational side of his brain said it was impossible. He was afraid to turn around, in case she vanished. "Hi, Elf."

  She smiled. "You did it. You saved them."

  His shoulders quivered as he began to sob. "I'm sorry I didn't save you and Ryan." He covered his face with his hands.

  "I know you are."

  "I can't handle the accusation in your eyes. Or knowing you feel I failed you both."

  Jane's expression was filled with love. "Marcus, don't you know I would never accuse you of that. Look at me."

  He raised his gaze back to the mirror.

  "What do you see there?" she asked.

  What he saw made his heart lurch. Love, forgiveness, acceptance—they were all there in her eyes.

  "I want you back," he whispered hoarsely. "Both of you. I miss you so much, Jane."

  She looked stunningly beautiful, her hair glistening, her skin flushed with color and…life?

  "We miss you too." She leaned forward, and her cool hand stroked his cheek. "But it's time for you to move on."

  He kissed her fingertips. "I love you, Jane."