As I run through the house, I notice it’s a wreck. In the foyer, I trip over Aimee’s sneaker, laces outstretched and tangled in knots. From the kitchen I hear the fridge beep, its door ajar. A trail of novels drips like tears from the library to the living room.
In the background, I hear a television, Eden and Rick whispering and laughing.
“We need all hands on deck in the backyard,” I yell. No one responds. I take the back stairs two-by-two up to my suite and return before the next flash of lightning.
With supplies in hand, I pause at the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the scene unfolds in slow motion. A bright blue raft drifts across the lawn. It levitates and dances in the crosswinds of the storm. My friends move around the backyard as if in a poorly choreographed ballet. Tiptoeing, running, leaping. The sky flickers with light, brilliant then brooding. It’s so strange, but serene.
When I swing the French doors open, the chaos assaults me. The wind howls. The floating dock has accelerated from rocking to crashing up and down against the water. Thunder booms. The storm feels more urgent. More dangerous. The eye has passed and we’re in the thick of it. Aimee screams. I break into a run.
“What’s going on?” I yell.
Adam and Aimee stand at the edge of the dock, anxiously watching. From the window I couldn’t see Rini and Ted thrashing in the water. They’re fighting the current so they aren’t swept out to sea. Andi rolls on the dock in a puddle of water, coughing.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Ted threw Andi in. Rini charged him, caught him off guard, and they went in together. Andi got away but the two of them won’t let go of each other,” Aimee says.
“Don’t just stand there,” I shout to Adam and Aimee.
“I’m not getting in; I’ve been drinking all day. Shots, beer chasers, and countless bottles of wine,” Adam says.
So has Ted, I remind myself. Despite their size difference, if Rini wanted to kill him, she probably could in these circumstances. But not without killing herself too.
“Of course not. Look for noodles or rafts, any kind of floatation devices. There’s a shed right there.”
Adam sprints in the direction of the house and I turn to Aimee.
“How long until the EMTs arrive?” I ask.
Aimee’s face turns white. “It happened so fast,” she says.
My stomach clenches. Help isn’t on the way yet. I run calculations in my mind. This doesn’t look good. With my emergency room voice, I instruct her to call now.
I jog out onto the dock and Aimee follows with the phone to her ear. Even closer, it’s impossible to see Rini and Ted below the roiling waves.
“The call won’t go through,” Aimee cries. “It’s not ringing. It’s not doing anything.”
“Keep trying. 911 shouldn’t require cellular service.”
“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.
