Page 3

Waves.

Shit. Fuck. Piss.

They were big ones. Ryker’s skin turned to ice.

One after another, they crashed over them. They were gone again. Ryker counted out loud, trying to figure out how many seconds they were under.

He heard some static. Something was clucking at him.

“Ryker?” the clucking was saying his name. He looked over his shoulder at the handset swinging from the telephone cord. It was the lady. Then he heard the faint sound of a siren, but it was too far away. He looked up anyway, and almost cried with relief. A red Lifeguard truck was barreling into the parking area, careening to a stop beside Derek’s van.

Ryker rushed over to the two men as they hustled out of the truck. One of them was pulling things out of the side door, so Ryker ignored him and concentrated on the one who looked like he cared.

“Here!” Ryker screamed as another EMT truck pulled up. He ignored it, focusing on the lifeguard.

When he got the man’s attention, he turned back to the beach and started racing to where Derek had bolted into the ocean.

That’s when he saw them. It wasn’t Derek, it was someone else he didn’t recognize, paddling to shore with Eddie on his board. Then behind him was Larry, and he had Derek on his board. Neither of them was moving.

They’re not moving!

Ryker lost all feeling from his legs as he dropped to his knees. He was terrified as the stranger pulled Eddie out of the water first. He watched one of the lifeguards shake Eddie and then put his ear to his mouth before starting to breathe into his mouth.

Ryker turned away and watched as Larry and another surfer were pulling, dragging, carrying his brother to the shore, and the second lifeguard dumped all his shit on the sand and did the same thing.

Fucking shaking Derek, then putting his ear to his mouth, then starting to blow air into his big brother’s mouth. Wasn’t he supposed to be pressing on his chest too?

When did I fall onto my hands and start crawling toward Derek?

All the surfers backed away, giving him room to be next to his brother. He couldn’t even see clearly. Everything was all watery.

The man just kept blowing and pressing, blowing and pressing.

He stopped.

Why’d he stop?!

Ryker watched as he turned Derek over onto his side and moved his arm and leg.

“Is he going to be all right?”

The lifeguard turned to Ryker. “Do you know him?” he asked as he leaned over and grabbed a silver square and shook it out. It was one of those space-age blankets. He covered Derek, who was shivering.

“He’s my big brother,” Ryker told the man hoarsely.

“Talk to him. Keep him talking, okay? Tell him everything’s going to be fine. Can you do that?”

Ryker looked into the man’s concerned brown eyes, and he said, “Yes.”

The man grabbed the bag he’d dropped and jumped up. He rushed over to where Eddie was. He talked to the other fireman and pulled something out of his bag, then waited.

“Ryker?”

Ryker looked down at Derek. His lips were blue. Of course they were; the Pacific Ocean was cold and Derek had gone in without a wetsuit.

Ryker could barely hear him, he put his ear near Derek’s mouth. “Yeah?”

“Eddie?”