Torchlight (19 page)

He returned to her chest, and finding her sternum, carefully pumped as he had been taught years earlier in high-school CPR class. “How many times do I do this?” he called to Jake, who was practically hanging upside-down in an effort to see what was happening.

“Eight. No, five. I don’t remember! Please, don’t let her die!”

Trevor stopped at eight and moved his lips back to hers. He blew two quick breaths into her lungs and then resumed his efforts to resuscitate her heart. “Come on, violet eyes,” he said, pumping rhythmically. “Come back to me.” Two more breaths.

Panting from his efforts, Trevor paused to check for vital signs. Was that a hint of a breath? A heartbeat? No. He resumed his work. He was placing his hands above her sternum once more when she sputtered and coughed, choking on the water inside her lungs.

“Julia!” He leaned her on her side as she fought to get air and rid herself of the water that gagged her. Weakly, she waved her hand, wanting to lie back again.

He leaned over her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded painfully, unable to speak, and continued to cough.

Trevor let out a whoop. “She’s okay! Jake, she’s okay!” He looked into her eyes. “You look like a drowned rat, but you’re still the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.”

Julia could only manage a weak smile before fading out of consciousness again. Trevor listened carefully to her heart and watched her breathing, relieved as they gained strength. “I think she’s okay, but she’s out again. We’d better get her to the clinic.”

“I think I hear help arriving up top,” Jake said.

“Good. We’ll need it to get us out of here.”

The volunteer emergency response team came equipped with a long ramp, which they extended from the pier to the ship’s edge. Calmly their leader cut away rotting boards on the far side of the hole with an ax and peered through at Jake. “What’s the situation?”

“Trevor and my sister are another deck down. She went into the water and is unconscious. She woke up a minute ago, but now she’s
out cold again. Trevor says she’s breathing, but thinks she’s going into shock. He can’t be far behind her. He was in the water almost as long as she was.”

The chief paramedic directed several men in setting up a pulley system, to which they attached a long length of nylon rope and a yellow plastic gurney. The mainmast served as support. The paramedic tied another rope around the mast, then easily wove a makeshift seat for himself out of the other end. Wrapping the end of the rope snugly around his arm, he dropped through the hole without a word.

Hanging as easily as if he were on a tire swing on a hot summer’s day, the paramedic paused briefly beside Jake to make sure he was all right. Then he let out more rope and descended further down and out of sight.

One man’s walkie-talkie came to life as the paramedic gave the men directions. Another man chopped a bigger cavity through which the gurney could easily slide. Placing the ax in the gurney, the men lowered it to the next level, where Jake worked to enlarge the hole in his deck as well.

The men had Julia on the main deck within five minutes, Emily cried out as they carried her sister-in-law past. She decided to accompany her, entrusting the fate of Jake and Trevor to what appeared to be an accomplished team of rescuers.

Julia regained consciousness shortly after reaching the clinic. Two nurses in white had stripped her of her soaked clothes, dressed her in a dry gown, and tucked her under a heap of blankets.

The patient looked over at Emily, who held her hand. “Guess I should lose some weight,” she said.

“Guess we better be more careful when we explore,” Emily said. “I’m glad you’re alive, Julia. That was a close one.”

“I’ll say. I’m not even sure what happened.”

Jake overheard her response as he entered her room and the second team rushed past with Trevor in tow. As they passed by Julia’s door, Trevor called out to her, but the attendants pushed his gurney on by, ignoring his demands to stop. Except for the splinters in his chest he was all right, but hospital protocol demanded they give him a complete exam.

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Jake said, turning back to his sister. “That man”—he pointed out the door where Trevor had passed—“risked life and limb to save you. You can’t tell me he’s not in love. And if you pass up a man who is so crazy about you he’d be willing to die for you, then you are not as smart as I thought you were. If you could’ve seen that man move like I did, you’d take off Miles’s ring right now.”

“Jake, give me a break. Let me catch up a minute before I make decisions that will affect the rest of my life.”

“Your life! You wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Trevor!”

“Jake,” Emily said quietly. “Ease up, huh?” She turned toward Julia. “I’ve called Miles, told him what happened.”

“Thanks, Emily. Look, Jake. I get it. I owe the man my life. But if every woman married the man who saved her life, you’d have lifeguards who were also polygamists. If Trevor’s right for me—and I’m right for him—we’ll figure it out. Now, I just need to be alone!”

“At times, Julia, God has to speak louder to some people than to others. You might want to consider this a lightning bolt.”

Julia awoke the next morning to a vase full of long-stemmed red roses. She reached for the card with a smile. “My heart stopped when they called with the news. I cannot live without you. Please say yes next week. I want you safe at my side for the rest of our lives. Your loving future husband, Miles.”

Ah, the constant question. What to do with Miles?
She admired the red blossoms and thought how romantic and sweet it was of Miles to do something like that. But it had been Trevor who had been at her side … this time. Jake, Emily, and Trevor interrupted her thoughts when they entered her room.

“She’s awake!” Jake leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

“How are you?” Trevor asked, genuine concern in his voice. He sat on the edge of her bed as Jake moved away. Trevor held a gigantic bouquet of forsythia blossoms in his arms, but seemed to forget about them as he gazed at Julia. She had seen enough in the mirror to know she looked bruised, scratched, and generally beat-up.

“I’m a little stiff. This cast is gonna kill me. How will I get around?”

“Well, fortunately, you hired on the buffest of the buff, the strongest of the strong … yes, Hercules the Handyman.”

Emily giggled as she sat down on the other side of Julia’s bed. “You must’ve had a whole team of guardian angels around you yesterday. Do you realize that?”

“I know it. I’m a lucky one. God must have plans for me yet.” She turned back to Trevor. “Are you going to hunt down a vase for those beautiful flowers, or are you taking them back home with you?”

“I’ll find a vase. Ever the boss, huh?”

“Sorry. Thanks for bringing them.”

“That’s better. You’re welcome. I’ll go ask the nurse for a vase.” He moved off, and Julia watched the doorway a second after he was gone.

Jake cleared his throat. Julia looked at him. “There’s the difference between Miles and Trevor. Trevor braved the thorny brush to gather the best flowers he could find to bring you. We had to practically drag him out of here to get some sleep last night. And he woke us up at six o’clock, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to come back over.

“Meanwhile Emily had made the obligatory call to Beckley. He received the news—even sounded worried—and placed his order with the nearest florist. Has he called? Did he think about making a quick flight out here to check on you himself? Perhaps.”

“Come on, Jake. I’m not in any shape for an argument. He did call. He was really concerned. And you should read his sweet note,” she said, gesturing toward the flowers. “Maybe you’re just too closed-minded to give him a chance to express himself.”

Trevor interrupted them when he came back, carrying the long forsythia branches in a vase full of water. He placed them on the table behind the roses, where they peeked out in golden splendor, brightening up the room considerably.

“The doctor says you can head home tomorrow. If you’re up to it, we thought we’d take the convertible and cruise down the highway. Give these mountain hermits a better idea of what they’re missing,” he said.

“Sounds great. What time can I go?”

“The doctor’s going to come in and talk with you.”

On cue, a beautiful woman in a white lab coat entered and smiled at the roomful of people. “Hi, Julia, I’m Dr. Chambers.”

Julia shook her hand. “So how bad is it?”

“Not too bad. You’ve fractured the lateral malleolus of the ankle. The cast should fix you up as good as new.”

“How long will I be in this cast?”

“Six weeks or so.”

“Six weeks!”

“Sometimes it takes longer.”

“Longer!”

“I’d say we should take it off in six and see what we find,” the doctor calmly continued. “I want to keep you in another day for observation. You can probably go home tomorrow. When you do, try to rest your leg as much as possible. And if you have to walk, use these crutches.” Julia’s dismay did not deter the doctor for a second.

“You’re a lucky woman, Julia. In the last five years, we’ve had three kids in here who’ve had accidents on that ship. One has no mobility below the waist. Another died. You’re fortunate you escaped with just a broken leg.” With that, she left the room.

Feeling chastised for their foolishness, they sat for a moment, thinking about the poor choices they had made the day before. After a few moments, Jake began telling jokes, trying to break the somber mood. When Julia finally dozed off, the others decided to head home and allow her to rest. Trevor was the last to leave. Checking to make sure the Rierdons were out of hearing distance, he walked back to Julia’s side. Tenderly, he sat beside her bed, picked up her hand in his own, and kissed her fingers, staring at her while she slept.

He rose. “Heal quickly, my love,” he said in a faint whisper.

Julia opened her eyes as he left the room.
Heal quickly, my love.
His words raced through her mind over and over again.

W
hen the trio arrived at the clinic the following morning, Emily brought a change of clothes for Julia to wear home. A nurse had washed her hair, and Julia looked much better.

“Now take it easy this week,” Dr. Chambers directed. “Stay off that leg as much as you can for seven days, and keep it elevated.”

“I hear you,” Julia said. “Guess I won’t be a whole lot of help to you for a while,” she said to Trevor. There was a note of tenderness in her voice that made him look at her twice; her gaze confirmed what he had heard, and he felt his heart pound.

The doctor left, and Emily was the first to take action. “Okay, Jake. Will you go get the car and bring it around to the front? Trevor, you can grab the flowers and wait at the entrance while I help Julia get dressed.”

They all jumped up and got to work as directed. Trevor privately wondered what would’ve happened if Julia or he, or both, had died in the murky waters. He shook the heavy feeling off as he stood outside, his arms full of flowers. In one arm, he had the roses. In the other, the forsythia.

He looked from one bouquet to the other and remembered his fervent promise to God to tell Julia how he felt.
I love her. I love her! I have to tell her.
He wondered if it was the right thing to do. Wouldn’t a confession of love confuse her? First she had to decide
whether or not she loved Miles. Trevor could not muddy the issue. Could he?

Julia came out in a wheelchair. She looked down at her cast, which stuck out from underneath a pair of Bermuda shorts. “Pretty, isn’t it? And no wisecracks about my winter-white legs.”

“No wisecracks from me,” Trevor said as he peeked through the huge bouquets in his arms, admiring the shape of her bare leg, despite its scratches and bruises. “Julia, maybe we could talk—”

At her waistband, a cell phone rang out. “Oh. Sorry. Miles FedExed it. Wanted to make sure I would always be able to reach him.” She pressed a button, silencing the ringing phone. “Hello? Oh, hi, Miles. Yes, I’m fine. Jake and Emily are taking me home now. Well, they are after we take a drive. I wish you were here too. Listen, may I call you back later? Thanks, love.” She hung up the phone and looked back to Trevor.

“Come on, Kenbridge. No need to walk twenty paces behind me.”

“Yes, my liege,” he managed to joke. “I’m coming.”

Julia turned and smiled, and they both laughed.