Chapter 59
Aria kicked off her borrowed shoes and barrelled into the sea.
Something was very wrong. Neither Nic nor Tiger were good with water, and neither were doing very well out there now.
As she approached them, swimming fast, she lifted her head to see Nic’s face contorting, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
‘Why am I…’ he started to say before the shivering took his away his voice.
‘You rescued him. Now I’m rescuing you.’ She shouted at a swimmer behind her to grab the dog.
It took forever for them to move just a few metres, but bit by bit they crawled towards the shore.
Aria staggered onto the sand, and someone guided Nic’s head onto her knee telling her they’d called an ambulance.
Meanwhile Justin’s brother was panicking and apologising endlessly.
‘You can help now. Please fetch some blankets,’ Aria told him, sounding calmer than she felt.
‘Ask Cal in the kitchen to make a hot drink. Boiling water is fine, if that’s all he can quickly lay his hands on.
I think Nic has cold water shock.’ She pinched his ear lobe and looked down into his face.
‘Can you hear me, Nic? Keep breathing and we’ll get you warm again.
’ She looked frantically around. ‘Is someone taking care of my dog?’
‘My uncle’s a vet, he’s got him,’ she was reassured by a member of the wedding party.
Seeing confusion etched on Nic’s face, she reached down and kissed his greying lips. Noticing his ashen skin, she checked his pulse. Rapid.
‘Be quick with that drink,’ she shouted.
‘We need to warm him from the inside.’ Turning back, she reached down and hugged him.
‘Cuddle into me and you’ll thaw quicker.
’ Aria ignored her own wet clothes, listening to Nic trying to communicate with her.
‘Breath. Focus on your breath. The cold water pulled all the heat from your body. Your core temperature has dropped, and you need to stay calm to avoid hypothermia.’ She gulped and stroked his cheek. ‘Nic, I need you to be OK.’