“I am trying.” She fumbles the phone and it slides across the dock before stopping at the edge. She scrambles to pick it up. We are losing precious time. Ted and Rini have been underwater for several minutes; their lungs must be close to capacity.
“Where is Margot?” I shout. No one answers. I scan the dock and see her slumped against a pole, catatonic. I need to check on her.
Adam returns with an armful of life vests and two rafts. He dumps the rafts in the water, and within a split second, they fly off by air and by sea, caught in the wind or the current. Ted’s head breaks the surface and he calls for Margot like a child to his mother. Margot doesn’t move, not even a blink. Rini pops up seconds later. She opens her mouth wide, drawing in a huge gulp of air.
“Swim to the raft, Rini,” I yell.
Rini doesn’t acknowledge me; she has her sights set on Ted. She slams her mouth shut and lunges on top of him. They disappear again under the water.
“Aimee, EMTs?”
“The call went to the wrong cell tower. They’re transferring to Greenport police now,” Aimee reports.
I scan the water again. With the rain, I’ve lost sight of the last place I saw Rini and Ted.
“How long?” I ask.
“She said the roads are full of debris. They’re coming, but it’s going to take longer than usual.”
There’s no debating what I have to do. I pull off my socks and dangle my legs in the water. A mere thirty seconds to acclimate will help my body avoid shock.
Doctors know to avoid putting themselves in harm’s way. We’re not trained rescue workers. We’re the ones needed after the rescue. If I get hurt, I won’t be able to help. But I also know that assistance isn’t coming and we are losing time. They’ve been under too long.
RINI
It feels like Ted and I will be struggling and fighting forever under this water, so I’m surprised when in a single moment he goes limp. He drifts away from me toward the bottom of the water in slow motion.
And then I soften. It’s such a relief that I swear I’m smiling.
I choose to float for a few moments before breaking for another breath. This feeling is so ethereal and perfect I don’t want it to end.
ADAM
Even though Farah and I have never been fans of each other, I can’t let her go into the water. If we get these people out, she’s the one who’s going to have to save them.
“Farah, don’t. I’ll go,” I say.
I pick up one of the six life vests I found in the shed by the cottage and buckle it on. Without hesitation, I jump in and regret it immediately. The water is shockingly cold for summer and the current is strong. Luckily, the adrenaline takes over. I can’t afford to look like a coward. Ted and Rini break the surface and Ted spots me. He waves as Rini surfaces behind him.
“Help,” Ted yells.
Rini jumps on Ted’s back and pulls them under again.
When I reach the spot where they last went under, I dive down to find them. The water is murky. The shades of green are my best indications of direction, along with the temperature. Army green and cold, I’m going down. Yellow green and warmer, I’m heading toward the surface. This I know. But I have no idea how I’m going to get these two apart and onto land.
By some twist of fate, Rini lets go of Ted. I grab hold of his shirt, but he’s not rising to the surface. He must be caught on some of the seagrass at the bottom. I yank once and Ted moves a little. I yank a second time and his body shoots up another few inches. It’s progress, but now I’ve overexerted myself. I let go of Ted and go limp, letting the life jacket buoy me back to the surface.
With a second round of air, I dive under and pull Ted’s body from the brush.
“Aimee, throw me a life vest,” I call out.
She throws one but we watch it get carried far to the left of me. Aimee processes the trajectory and adjusts. She tosses two more into the water and the current brings them straight to me.
“Nice job, hon.”
I wrap Ted in a life jacket and prop one under his chin to keep his mouth and nose out of the water although I’m not sure it will help. He looks unconscious.
Once I reach the dock, Aimee and Farah pull while I push Ted from underneath. We have him out of the water in less than a minute. I head back for Rini.
RINI
I keep floating, drifting in the water outside Stars Harbor. Impossibly, I see Eric swimming toward me and my smile grows bigger. Wait, Eric’s not here. I’m supposed to call him later, when the guests leave.
“Eric, I was hoping to see you,” I say.
How can I talk under water? And why does Eric look frightened when I’m clearly glad to see him?
I wait patiently for him to reach me, but his growing silhouette turns everything black.
When my vision returns, I’m floating on the water. It’s not the Long Island Sound in the middle of a storm. This water is salty and warm and so blue. The sky is clear; a gentle breeze carries the smell of honeysuckle.
“Wow,” I say.
My voice echoes off the water. There’s not a soul in sight.
“Wow,” I say, this time louder.
Suddenly I hear a splash behind me. I’m not afraid of what it might be. All I feel is peace.
“Hey.”
I recognize Andi’s voice. I turn to her with joy. But there’s no one there. I tread in circles, waiting to spot her, but there’s only the quiet lapping of water in response.
“Andi? Where are you, Andi?”
“Hey,” she says.
I push the water around me back and forth. I don’t see anyone. In the distance is nothing either. No buildings, no beaches, no boats. It’s water as far as the eye can see in 360 degrees.
Andi’s head pops above the water.
“I was right behind you the whole time,” she says. She wipes the water from her nose. “I was practically touching you.”
“Where are we?”
“The most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” Andi says. She turns her face up to the cloudless sky above us. She’s right about that.
It’s the most glorious body of water I’ve ever been in. I’ve never experienced beauty like this in person. If it were a photo, I would have thought it was all Instagram filters and tricks of light.
