Three... four...
My chest burns like it's being crushed from the inside.
Five!
We burst upward together, breaking the surface with a desperate gasp. Water streams from my hair, my face, but I barely notice because we've done it. We've made it. I've faced the fear that almost destroyed me, and this time, I wasn't the one being saved.
This time, I was the one doing the saving.
I hear shouts from the edge of the pool, Ethan and Mateo, reaching toward us. But for this suspended moment, there's just me and Declan, his weight in my arms, his blood warm against my skin where it mixes with the cool water.
"Stay with me," I whisper against his ear, kicking to keep us both afloat. "Please stay with me."
And though his eyes remain closed, I feel his heartbeat strong against my arms. A rhythm, a promise, a fighting chance.
42
ETHAN
Water erupts around them as they surface. Jade first, her breath ragged, arms locked around Declan's slack, bleeding body.
"Help!" she screams, her voice raw.
I'm already moving, dropping to my knees at the edge of the pool, reaching down to grasp Declan's shoulders. He's a mountain of dead weight, blood blooming across his shirt, spreading into the water around them.
"I've got him," I tell Jade, locking eyes with her. "Let me take him."
She nods, though I can see the reluctance in her face. She doesn't want to let go, as if maintaining her grip on him is the only thing keeping him alive.
"On three," I say, leaning further over the edge. "One, two..."
I haul upward on three, my muscles straining against his bulk. For a moment nothing happens, then he starts to slide upward, water streaming from his clothes. Jade pushes from below, her face contorted with effort, and together we manage to pull his upper body onto the concrete.
I drag him the rest of the way out, laying him flat on his back. The entry wound is high on his left shoulder, a ragged hole pumping blood with each heartbeat. Exit wound must be underneath him. He's alive, but unconscious, his breathing shallow.
"Declan!" Jade scrambles out of the pool, her soaking dress clinging to her body as she drops to her knees beside him. "Declan, please, open your eyes!"
Behind us, Mateo has Becky face-down on the concrete, his knee in her back, though she writhes and screams obscenities. She's bleeding from a wound in her thigh. My shot, after she fired at Declan. Not fatal, but enough to bring her down.
"Call an ambulance!" Jade shouts at me, her hands pressing against Declan's wound, blood seeping between her fingers. "Call an ambulance now!"
"Already did," I tell her, stripping off my shirt to press against the wound. "Dispatched as soon as we arrived. They're on their way."
I need to keep pressure on the bleeding, keep him stable until help arrives. My training kicks in: assess, stabilize, maintain. Jade's hands join mine on the makeshiftcompress, both of us pushing down hard enough to slow the bleeding.
"Stay with me," she whispers to Declan, her voice breaking. "Please stay with me. You don't get to do this, you understand? You don't get to save me and then leave."
His face is ashen, lips tinged slightly blue, but his chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm. That's something.
"Jade," I say quietly, "he's breathing. His pulse is strong. That's good."
She nods, not taking her eyes off Declan's face. Her hands are stained crimson, trembling slightly as they press against my wadded shirt.
"I can hear sirens," I tell her, catching the distant wail. "They're coming."
Mateo grunts behind us, and I glance back to see him securing Becky's wrists with his belt, looping it through the metal railing of the pool steps. She's still thrashing, still screaming, but she's subdued for now.
"How is he?" Mateo asks, joining us at Declan's side, his face grim.
