Page 35 of Burn Protocol

I don’t wait, but instantly clear his mouth with two fingers. I close my eyes when I blow air into his lungs. Breathe, cariño. Please breathe. Nothing. I try again and his body stirs as he finally gasps. ¡Dios mío!

“We’re moving!”

I hold my breath until Elena and the boy break through the surface of the water. A smile is starting to break through before I notice he isn’t breathing. He isn’t moving. His face is slick from all the water, and his hair is plastered to his pale, grayish skin.

No. Not again. No, no, no. Everything inside me freezes.

Elena yells something and moves over the tiny body. That fragile boy, resting in her arms. Please, God, no.

Tears spring to my eyes and I feel my body freeze up. My hand is still touching the rope, like El instructed, but only because letting go now means losing touch with reality. I am in Barcelona, in the sewers, with the fire department. There is a sound of rushing water. Water. In his tiny lungs. Filling his body.

Somewhere in the distance I feel myself shaking, but I can’t seem to stop. The crew is moving around me, pulling at the rope.

The rope that holds his body—blue and gray, swollen. With lips an odd shade of white. Skin torn and ruptured from where the water burst out of the cells. His head lolling back with his thick tongue slipping out. No, no. Stop. He’s safe. You are not there. You are in Barcelona, in the sewers with the crew.

My knees buckle and I feel my body slide to the ground. Rosa glances over her shoulder, but then looks forward again. At least, I think that’s what she did. I can’t move. My hands hit the slick algae on the wall, and slip even further. I know I should shudder. This place is probably ridden with illness and disease hidden in the murky water.

Elena is down there, submerged in it. Her body floating through it as if she were weightless in space. Fingers and feet hanging down, as she bobs through the water. Her eyes open but unseeing. Water flowing through her lungs, as if it were any other passage. Dead. Stop it, Maya. Elena is safe. You are not there. I am safe. I am in Barcelona. I am not there.

My body feels cold and distant, like I can’t quite reach myself. I curl inward on the wet ground, shivering like a maniac. There are loud voices and I slowly turn my head to the side. Elena. Why is she here? She is holding a boy in her arms and placing him on the ground. He is crying. Why is he crying?

“Maya?” Rosa’s face appears in front of me. “Hey, guapa, can you look at me?”

I blink once, then twice, and then nod slowly. The kid is crying because he is safe. Elena is safe. You are not there. You are in Barcelona, in the sewers with the crew. Everyone is safe. I am safe.

Before I can glance over at Elena and the boy, Rosa’s gloved hand catches me. She shakes her head, and then lowers herself until she is at eye level. Elena steps past her and walks away with long strides, the boy wrapped in a blanket in her arms. Where is she going?

“Do you think you can get up?”

Huh? Oh, right, Rosa is here. Can I get up? I wiggle my fingers and my toes. Yes, I can. I nod.

“Okay then, niña, let’s go.”

Rosa puts her arm around me and lifts me back onto my legs as if I weigh nothing. My legs are a bit wobbly when I try to stand on them, and the rope I am still holding doesn’t do much to keep me upright, but I manage to stay standing.

“Okay, Maya. Let’s go. Just follow the rope one step at a time. Nando and I are right behind you. Everything’s well. You’re okay, guapa.”

I am not there. I am in Barcelona. Everyone is safe.

***

The EMT has me wrapped in a foil blanket and sipping on a bottle of electrolytes. The stuff is incredibly sweet and its only function seems to be to kill my tastebuds. Seems to, because it did help me to snap out of the haze. Granted, everything is still a bit fuzzy around the edges, but at least I feel like I am in my own body again.

Still shivering, still cold, but undeniably me. I sit in the back of one of the rescue cars as the crew wraps up their call. A warm hand suddenly brushes my shoulder. I startle and let out a soft yelp.

“Hey there, tiger. Calm down, it’s just me.”

Elena lowers herself in front of me until her piercing brown eyes meet mine. They have never seemed softer than now, laced with care and something else. Worry? She is not wearing her jacket anymore, just her undershirt, which is wrapped tightly around her body. I notice that her hand quivers and for a moment I think she must be in shock. Oh, nope. It only seems like it’s quivering because I am trembling so much.

“S…s…sorry,” I stammer, but she is already shaking her head.

“No, you’ve nothing to be sorry about. I should have sent you back, but there wasn’t enough time. This is on me. I’m sorry, Maya. I am.”

I shake my head vigorously.

“No, please don’t s…s…say that,” I shiver. “I s…should’ve kn…known better.” I push out.

Her eyebrow lifts at those words and she tilts her head. I lift my eyes to search for hers. There is nothing more I want to do right now than to disappear in them, to disappear in her strong and warm arms. Safe and sound, where I belong. Except that you don’t. I shudder and my lip trembles slightly. Elena frowns and lifts her hand to gently brush away a strand of hair that fell in front of my eyes.