It was one of the bigger waves pushed ahead of the weather front that made the difference. Right in the middle of the hard turn, the wave hit the boat broadside. The combination of the force of the water and the position of the rudder made the boat lean towards the port side far more dramatically, pinning Carson even more fiercely against the rail. The majority of his body weight was low enough to prevent him from going anywhere, but Katie, already leaning over, was much more vulnerable to the lateral force. Carson saw her feet come off the deck as if her body was pulled by an invisible rope, and an interminable instant later he heard the splash as she hit the water.
***
Katie was sailing through the air, upside-down, before she even grasped something was wrong. Water-boat-sky passed before her eyes in an instant before she hit the waves butt-first.
The water was much colder than it had looked from the safe confines of the boat. As soon as she was submerged, her skin seemed to turn against her, attacking her body with a million jagged needles. The impact forced much of the air out of her lungs. Stunned, she did nothing for what seemed like the longest time, so when she got her bearings and opened her eyes, the surface – and the life-giving oxygen above it – seemed a mile away. Her chest, shocked by the cold, convulsed in an attempt to draw a breath, but Katie managed to keep her mouth closed. Without conscious thought, she kicked her feet and pushed her arms down in a desperate attempt to reach the light and survival.
It seemed to work, moving her closer to the undulating surface. She repeated the move, but this time it was more lethargic and had little effect. She mentally screamed at her limbs to obey, but they ignored her, lulled into inactivity by the shock of the drastic temperature change and the lack of oxygen. Katie could see the waves and foam on the surface, but even though they appeared close, they were out of her reach. Panic ripped through her like a firestorm, and she thrashed and clawed at the water as if it was something solid she could climb. Despite her frenetic efforts, Katie made no progress towards the light. Spots materialized before her eyes as the need to breathe grew more urgent.
A dark mass split the surface of the water and moved down, towards Katie. Even though it seemed far away, a part of it reached out and grasped her wrist, simultaneously tugging her upwards violently. In the next second her head burst from the water.
Katie opened her mouth wide and gulped as much air as she could. A wave, towering well over her head, smacked her in the face as she tried to take another. It shoved her down once more, but not very deeply, and once more she felt herself pushed back to the surface. After two more desperate gasps, she looked around frantically for some kind of safety.
The boat was about 40 yards away, in a sharp turn back to her. Bells clanged and shouts of “two overboard!” reached her ears. She knew the words but her frantic mind could make no sense of them. The waves bounced her about like a cork in a washing machine, smacking her in the face and making her doubt she could tread water until the boat returned.
A large arm crashed out of the bay and wrapped itself around her chest. At first she was too startled to understand what was happening, but then she felt a body behind her and heard a hoarse male voice. “Gotcha!”
Katie thrashed about and tried to see who held her, but the grip on her chest tightened. “Just relax,” the voice said, and she recognized it as Carson’s. “Go limp. I’ve got you.” Still dreadfully confused, she did as instructed, and was surprised to feel her body rise out of the water just a bit. “Whu…wha…wha…” She couldn’t form words and didn’t know why.
“It’s OK. Just float. We’ll be fine.” Carson spoke with a firm, even voice that calmed Katie and earned her compliance. She let her body rest against his in the cold water, staring at the boat as it finished its turn and headed towards them.
Lifesaving rings came flying from the bow. Most missed the mark, but one was close enough that Katie reached to catch it. “Don’t,” she heard. “Let me do it.” Katie, still disoriented, hoped Carson was not going to let go of her in order to grab the life ring.
Despite his command, Carson did not attempt to capture one. Turning Katie away from the boat, he started swimming towards it and safety. Losing sight of the vessel nearly caused her to panic again, but as much as she tried to turn back to see it, Carson’s strength overpowered her. She felt a warm glow pass through her body, and her vision tunneled slightly. The close-up noises of the breaking waves faded until they receded into the background.
The next few moments were nothing more than a blur. The bow of the boat slid into her peripheral vision, and then strong hands were grabbing at her, pulling her from the water and sliding her across the deck. Faces hovered in her blurry vision, yelling to her, gently slapping her cheeks. Eventually, she realized she was out of the water, but her mind insisted something else was wrong, even though she couldn’t put her finger on it.
The faces
