Chapter 11

 

Brian, AJ, and Howie watched in panic, as Nick’s head bobbed up above the water.   They waited anxiously for a dark head to pop up with the blonde one, but it didn’t.  Instead, Nick gulped in more air and dove below the water again.

 

“Damnit, where is he?” AJ asked, his voice rising shrilly. 

 

“Calm down, Aje, he’ll find him,” Howie said, but his words sounded more convincing than his shaking voice did.

 

“You don’t know that, D,” AJ snapped.  

 

No one bothered to retort back to him, for at that moment, Nick emerged from the water again, this time, with something large and heavy clutched in his arms. 

 

“Kev!” shouted Brian happily, and leaped over the side of the raft, before anyone could stop him.

 

“H-help… me g-get… him… b-back… in,” Nick gasped, struggling to swim and hold on to Kevin at the same time.

 

Brian grabbed for his cousin and pulled him through the water, using all of his failing strength.   Together, he and Nick managed to reach the raft, and Howie and AJ hoisted Kevin out of the water and into the safety of the raft.

 

“Come on, Nick!” Howie yelled, offering his hand to Nick, who had begun to flounder in the water.

 

Nick flailed an arm wildly in the air.  Reaching out, Howie caught on to it and yanked as hard as he could.   From in the water, Brian boosted Nick up as far as he could, and Howie pulled him in.

 

“Here, Rok,” he said, reaching down for Brian.   Brian was much easier to get back into the raft, for he was light and still had some strength left. 

 

Finally, all five of them were safely in the raft.  But things did not look good.  

 

“Howie, he’s not breathing!” AJ shouted.

 

Howie spun around to see his best friend hovering over Kevin, who was sprawled out limply on one side of the raft.  

 

“Oh, God, help him!” Brian shouted, his blue eyes widening in panic.  “Howie, do something!”

 

“Shh, don’t panic,” Howie said with fake calmness, pushing AJ aside.   He bent over Kevin and listened, hoping that AJ had been wrong.   But he wasn’t; Kevin really wasn’t breathing. 

 

Calm down.  Just chill out, and think, Howie coached himself, trying to remember what he had been taught in the first aid course he had taken many years ago.   He tilted Kevin’s head back and pinched his nose shut, putting his mouth over Kevin’s and giving him two short breaths.  Then he backed up and turned Kevin’s head to the side, trying to keep an airway open.   Nothing happened.   Trying not to lose his composure, Howie tried again.   This time, when he rolled Kevin’s head over, he began to cough, and some water came spewing out of his mouth.

 

“Thank God,” Howie whispered, sighing in relief.  “Thank God.”

 

***