Page 102 of The One

My face dipped into the water, my arms rotating like a windmill, my legs kicking with every bit of strength I had.

I was almost there.

Her arm was within reach, and … I got her.

“Talk to me, Pen. Tell me what’s hurting.”

Nothing.

“Pen!”

I turned her over, and her eyes were closed. There was a gash on her forehead, another on her lip.

And there was red.

It was everywhere—on her face, running down her chest, covering my hands.

“I’m going to get you back to the boat. Come on.”

I wrapped an arm across her chest and side-stroked toward the boat. Each kick felt like I was maxing out on the leg press. The water was suddenly thick, like sand. My lungs didn’t want to take in any air, and my single arm was straining as it reached forward, swiping the water toward me before stretching again.

When I reached the edge of the boat, I didn’t know how I was going to get us on board.

The opening was only large enough for one, and I had to lift us out of the water with just one arm since the other was holding her. The ground was too far away, too deep to use that to push off.

The ladder.

Yes, the ladder.

There was one. I could use it.

I fumbled around until I found the latch, and the metal stairs descended.

“I’ve got you, Pen. Only a few more seconds.”

With my foot on the first step, I pulled our upper bodies out of the water, gravity weighing down and working against me. I fought like hell to add my other foot to the rung above.

“Ah! Fuck!”

I was there.

I just needed one more, and I could straddle the opening and get us inside the boat.

I rocked my lower body in the water, building up the energy to lift my foot off the bottom rung and raise it to the top of the ladder while holding the side of the boat with just one hand.

Every part of me was shaking; even my shouting was strained.

One, two, three—push.

I fully breached the surface.

Now, I had to get us inside.

I rotated off the thin piece of metal that was beneath my foot and stretched my free leg over the opening, my toes hitting the SeaDek. The jump caught me off guard with Penelope’s added weight, and I lost my balance.

Even midair, I knew she couldn’t take it if I fell on top of her. So, I turned us and landed on my shoulder with her back pressed against the front of me. I quickly rolled her onto the floor and knelt beside her.

Fuck. The blood. There was so much.