Chapter Twenty-three
‘How was your dive?’ I ask as Dexter plants a kiss on my forehead and flops down beside me after wriggling out of his diving gear.
‘Great. You should do it with me next time.’
I nod. ‘I will.’
‘So, what have you three been up to?’ he asks as he takes a Coke from the cooler and pops it open.
I fill him in on the guy who’d been pestering Roisin.
‘She’s lucky you were there.’
‘Yeah, he totally loved himself. Oh, and I wasn’t initially there. I swam to the rocks with Ella.’
Dexter points to the rocks. ‘You swam all the way over there? It’s quite far.’
I grin. ‘Are you patronising me?’
Dexter puts a hand against his chest in mock affront. ‘I would never. So, how come you can swim so well?’
‘I used to swim competitively when I was younger.’
One of Dexter’s eyebrows goes up. ‘Really?’
I smile. ‘Yeah, really.’
‘Get you.’ He wraps an arm around me.
‘You can test your prowess against me when I go back out shortly.’
‘Oh, I may be too tired. I’ve been swimming with a tank on my back for an hour almost,’ he says, playfully.
I nudge his leg. ‘You’re just scared I’ll beat you.’
‘Not a chance. Before you go, though, give me a hand with this crossword.’
‘Sure. What you stuck on?’
Once I’ve corrected the spelling on one of the words Dexter put in, so the answer for his next clue then fits– something I have to do on a regular basis– I grab a water from the cool box and sit back to admire the view. I almost shake my head at how lucky I am, being in this incredible location, with these pristine waters, fabulous company and oodles of sunshine. It’s school holiday time back in Scotland now, so it’s probably pouring with rain.
Finally, we lie back to relax, or in Dexter’s case snooze, but the noise of the seabirds is preventing me from falling asleep, so eventually I drag myself upright again and say, ‘I’m going back in. Anyone coming?’
To my surprise Roisin sits up. ‘I’ll come.’ She’s not going to try to drown me, is she?
‘Ed? Nicolás?’
Nicolás shakes his head. ‘Maybe later.’
‘Too tired. I’m going to relax for a bit, enjoy the sun,’ says Ed.
Roisin glides through the water like a dolphin. She laughs like one, too, I can’t help thinking. That said, I haven’t heard her laugh much recently. She hasn’t had much cause, I suppose.
My competitive streak kicks in and I put on a spurt and overtake her, my body streamlined in the water. I knew that Duke of Edinburgh certification would come in handy one day. I swim and swim and swim and it’s so liberating, I’m barely aware of anyone or anything. It’s just me and the ocean and the blue sky above. And Roisin, somewhere. She must be a little behind me. I approach the rocks, my hand slipping as I try to grasp hold and pull myself up. As I catch my breath, I scan the horizon– breathtaking. Such a beautiful cove within a gorgeous section of the Pacific. Dexter told me it used to be busier here but the path we took is no longer on the official trail, so although locals know of it, and how to avoid the sections in disrepair, tourists are actively discouraged from trying to reach the beach, which makes it even more of a haven.
I frown. Where is Roisin? I wasn’t swimming that fast, and I’m hardly an Olympian. I gaze back towards the beach, but can’t see her. Did she go back to the beach? Pretend she was coming swimming with me then ditch me? That said, I didn’t exactly hang around once we got in the water.
But she isn’t on the beach. Panic clutches at my chest and a sense of foreboding comes over me. I dive into the water and head back towards the shore, slowly this time, searching around for Roisin. I can’t see her. I tread water for a second and wave my arms to the beach and shout ‘Help!’ but they can’t hear me or see me. I swim again, scanning the ocean frantically. This isn’t funny now. I may not be best mates with the girl, but I don’t wish her any harm. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Dexter and Ed entering the water, swimming full pelt towards me, but they’re still so far away. Nicolás is sprinting along the beach. What do they see?
And then I see her, or rather, a hand, emerge from the water then vanish again. Without a thought, and training my eye on the spot where the hand disappeared, I slice through the water as fast as I can. The hand comes up one more time then disappears again. I reach the point where I saw the hand vanish, and I dive down below the water’s surface. Thank God the waters are crystal clear, but I’m still not a hundred per cent sure on the location. I glance left and right, then I spin around and she’s right there and she’s starting to bob. Immediately, I spot the problem and I know we’re running out of time. Her leg is trapped between two rocks, and at an awkward angle.
With not a moment to lose, I reach her, grab her by the shoulders, point upwards and, all the while holding my breath, wriggle her leg and manipulate it, trying to free it from its prison, but it won’t budge. Roisin’s eyes start to close. I shake her. I need her to be conscious for this, or we’re lost. I lift her head to mine, put my mouth over hers and breathe a breath into her. Hopefully, that will work and sustain her long enough for me to free her leg. If not, we could both be goners. I’ve watched enough documentaries to think it’s worth a try. Her leg will be scraped and sore, but she’ll be alive.
With one final yank, her leg comes free, and I drag her to the surface, where we burst through the water and I gulp lungfuls of air into my burning lungs. God, I didn’t realise that would hurt so much. Now I just need to keep Roisin afloat and steer her back to the beach. She has gone limp. I hope she’s OK. Salty tears prick my eyes. Today can’t end like this. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dexter, Nicolás and Ed racing towards us, and I breathe a sigh of relief, praying they reach us in time.
Dexter reaches me first, then Ed, and wordlessly they take Roisin between them and drag her back to shore, Nicolás staying by my side as we follow them at a slower pace whilst I get my breath back.
When we reach the beach, Ed is doing chest compressions on Roisin and Dexter is on his phone. As I haul my exhausted body out of the water, legs wobbling like I’ve just stepped off a trampoline after bouncing for ten minutes, a chalk-white Ella is by my side with a towel, which she wraps round me.
Ed administers mouth-to-mouth to Roisin and suddenly she splutters and what seems like gallons of water pour out of her mouth. She chokes and coughs for a few more moments as water continues to come up before Ed finally says, ‘I think she’s going to be OK.’
Relief swamps me and my shoulders relax.
‘The ambulance is on its way,’ Dexter says, pocketing his phone. ‘She was lucky. You saved her life, Kat.’
‘I wouldn’t put it like that.’ I feel myself colour, but I’m too exhausted to put up any further protest.
Dexter rubs my shoulder. ‘I would.’
‘So would I,’ echo Nicolás and Ed.
Ella stares at me. ‘It was a lucky day for our team when you joined the sanctuary.’ Then she hugs me, burying her head into my shoulder.
We arrive back at the sanctuary an hour later. I think I’m still in shock. I’m certainly exhausted. Dexter has had his arm around my shoulder or waist almost the entire way, with Ed and Ella driving the jeep and the car. Nicolás went in the ambulance with Roisin, as a representative of the sanctuary, since it belongs to his aunt and uncle.
Sofia comes running out of the main building as we approach. When we all tumble out, she clasps me to her chest. ‘I can’t believe Roisin has been taken to hospital. You were so brave.’ She holds me away from her and looks into my eyes, studying me. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’
I nod, feebly. Tired. Overwrought. A tad emotional. Overwhelmed. But definitely OK. And alive. It’s times like these that I remember that as well as being incredibly beautiful, the ocean is immensely powerful, and that we are mere specks when compared to it.
‘Come. I have made sustancia de carne. It will do you the world of good.’
Silently, I follow Sofia. Most of me would like to go lie down in a dark room, but I know she has my best interests at heart, and no doubt the dish she is talking about will make me feel better. I have no idea what it is though, only that the translation is roughly ‘meat sustenance’. Distractedly, I think that it sounds hearty.
I stifle a yawn and sway slightly, but Dexter is there, by my side, and promptly steadies me.
Moments later, we’re all huddled around one table. Ed has pulled over a few chairs. Carlos is noticeable by his absence, but when Dexter called him to say Roisin was being taken to hospital, he’d immediately asked which hospital, learned that Dexter had sent Nicolás in the ambulance with her, and advised he’d meet them there.
Our little forlorn sanctuary family bustles around, helping Sofia lay the table, serve the sustancia de carne , which I discover is remarkably like chicken noodle soup, and settles down, as Victor, Mariangeles, Federica and the others join us.
As I dip bread into the soup, I absent-mindedly note how delicious it is, but I kind of feel as if I’m having an out-of-body experience. The chatter of those around me seems more like a whooshing in my ears and I have difficulty really tuning in, or absorbing what everyone is saying, although clearly the main topic is what happened at the beach.
Somehow I manage to eat the soup, and even some bread, but when I glance at Dexter, his eyes are filled with concern.
He leans into me. ‘Do you want to lie down for a bit after this? It’s been quite a day for you. I think you might still be in shock.’
I think he might be right. ‘That sounds like a good idea.’
When Sofia, who has joined us to eat, sets down some agua dulce , I’m already struggling to keep my eyes open.
‘Drink. It will help,’ she prods gently.
I do as bid and the refreshing agua dulce does its work. But I still need that lie-down.
Five minutes later, after I thank Sofia and say bye to everyone, Dexter walks me to my room.
Once inside, he puts his arms around me and leans his chin on my head. ‘How are you really?’
I slump against him and all my breath goes out of me. ‘Tired.’
He nods. ‘That’s understandable.’ He takes me by the shoulders and moves me away from him slightly so he is looking into my face. ‘That was such a brave thing you did, Kat. I hope you know that.’ He pauses. ‘And it’s no secret there’s no love lost between the two of you. Truth is, Roisin hasn’t done herself many favours generally.’
I remain silent.
‘I was so scared when you went down and didn’t surface for so long.’
I lift my head slightly, but he goes on. ‘I know you said you were a strong swimmer, but swimming and being underwater, for such a long time, are two different things. Years of hanging around with Ed have taught me that.’
I give an almost imperceptible nod as his hold on me tightens and a tear escapes me as the realisation of how differently things could have turned out today hits home.
‘I’ll leave you to rest, but remember, we’re all close by.’
‘Thank you.’ My throat aches and the words scratch my throat.
Dexter kisses me on the cheek, then as he turns to leave, I call him back. ‘Dexter, can you let me know how Roisin is?’
He nods. ‘I will. Now get some sleep and I’ll check in on you later.’
As I recline on the bed, pulling the cover half over me, my final thought before oblivion takes me is that there are some things bigger than us in life. Somehow, now, our petty squabbles seem so unimportant.