by A. J. Wynter
Bree had rigged the sail on the Sunfish and was bailing out the bottom of the boat. “Hi, Mona.”
Ramona charged at Bree and launched herself into her arms. “I’m so excited to go sailing with you.”
“Me too,” she smiled.
“Here’s the list.” I handed her the piece of paper with the extensive list of what I needed.
“Wow,” she raised her eyebrows. “That’s a lot.”
“You want people to take this seriously, right?”
She nodded. “I do.” She handed the paper back to me. “Do you mind holding onto this until your sister and I make it back in one piece?” she laughed.
I folded the paper and tucked it into the visor of my car. “Come on Brodie, help us,” Ramona yelled as she tried to push the sailboat into the water.
“Need a hand?” I asked.
“We’re good.” Bree headed back to the sailboat, her hair whipping behind her. She pointed to the flagpole; the American flag snapped angrily like a dog. “Looks like it’s going to be interesting out there.”
I watched as the two of them struggled to push the boat into the water. I sighed and then jogged over to help.
“Thanks,” Bree said. “I think it’s caught up on something.”
Whitecaps had started to appear on the waves at the end of the dock. I picked up two lifejackets from the boat. “Make sure she doesn’t take this off.” I handed the preserver to Bree who proceeded to strap Ramona tightly into the orange vest.
“Can you give us a push off?” she asked as she settled into the back of the boat. I shoved the little sailboat as hard as I could. The triangular sail snapped as it caught the breeze and Bree ordered Mona to let out some of the sail. The boat was instantly heeling over and both Mona and Bree squealed in delight as they took off, leaving a wake behind them.
Shit. I charged into the water, waving the other life jacket at them. Bree had been so busy making sure Ramona’s straps were tight, that she hadn’t even put on her own.
She’ll be fine, I whispered to myself. She’s good in the water. I watched for a few minutes as the orange sail headed upwind. She was smart, they were going to do a downwinder home.
I sat down on the dock with Buddy, who was whimpering under his breath, his doggy gaze laser-focused on the little sailboat. “They’re just practicing for the regatta, Buddy.”
While I waited for Ramona to return so I could take her home, I grabbed a notebook from my cabin and sat down in the hammock to make some notes, but I couldn’t start on the proposal until I had the numbers to work with. My shoulder was still store, but practice tonight had been better. Troy and I kept our distance, and I played better than I had in the past few weeks.
I heard Buddy barking from the dock and headed that way to watch Ramona and Bree’s return. As I neared the dock, I started to get worried. Buddy always barked at people when they were swimming. When he was a younger dog he used to jump in and try to ‘save’ people. But this bark was different, it was frantic. I scanned the lake for any sign of the sailboat, my heart hammering in my chest.
“It’s okay, Buddy. They’re right there.” I breathed out a sigh of relief as I saw the sailboat approaching, the two occupants leaning out as far as they could to keep the boat upright.
Time went into slow motion. The boat was turned the wrong way, they were going to pick up way too much speed. Buddy’s barks got louder and I shaded my eyes, trying to see if Bree had everything under control.
She didn’t.
All of a sudden the sail dipped down too far. Legs and arms flailed as Bree and Ramona were tossed over the top of the boat. The waves had picked up and the boat was completely capsized.
I didn’t even have time to swear, my body went into autopilot. I sprinted down the dock and shoved the canoe into the lake, paddling hard against the wind. They weren’t that far from shore, but the onshore breeze was fighting me the entire way.
“Brodie.” Ramona’s little voice screamed, almost lost in the wind.
My heart ached to hear the fear in her voice, but I also felt relief that she was okay. I could see the orange life preserver as she clung to the bottom of the boat. The second I left shore, I started counting.
In one minute, I was at the boat.
“Brodie, where’s Bree,” Ramona cried out.
That’s when one of my worst fears came to life.
“Hold the canoe, Mona.”
She nodded and held onto the gunwale with her tiny hand. I barrel-rolled out of the canoe and swam under the boat, trying to see if Bree had gotten stuck when it had rolled over.
I returned to the surface.
Nothing.
“Where is she?” Ramona’s screams pierced my brain. One minute and twenty seconds. If she was stuck somewhere, I had about forty seconds to find her.
“I’ll get her.” I prepared to dive again. I needed to be calm. I had run out of breath the first dive because I was panicking. Diving down, I searched the sailboat, feeling along the edges. I pulled myself underneath and emerged into an air pocket under the boat.
When I saw her, she wasn’t moving. Even in the water, I could see the blood streaming from her head. I looped my arm under hers, took a deep breath dove deep enough to clear the boat and any stray lines, then headed for the surface.
Mona held the canoe steady while I slid Bree into the canoe. I knew that I shouldn’t be moving her, but I couldn’t risk the sailboat sinking beneath us, and even though the air was hot and humid, it wouldn’t take long for hypothermia to set it – especially since they would be in shock.
“Get in, Mona,” I ordered. “Sit very still.” She nodded and sat cross-legged on the bottom of the canoe by Bree’s head. I ripped my shirt in half and tossed the fabric to her. “Hold this on her head where she’s bleeding.” Mona obediently pressed the fabric to Bree’s head. I tried not to think about how much blood was soaking through the white cotton.
“Brodie, she’s not breathing.”
I bent over Bree and performed CPR as if I did it every day. When she started to cough up water, I turned her head and listened to her chest. Her heart was beating, she was breathing. My heart was racing.
I’d never paddled faster or harder than I did that day, leaving the sailboat behind in the middle of the bay. The second the bottom of the canoe hit the sand I shouted for Mona to run my car and call 9-1-1 on my cell phone. She splashed into the lake and ran as fast as she could and I watched to make sure I could see her on the phone. Instead of pulling Bree out of the canoe, I ran and got some towels to keep her warm. I didn’t want to move her, so I piled them on top of her and kept the t-shirt pressed to her head. She was still breathing, her pulse was slow, but there. I sat beside the canoe, one hand pressed to her forehead, the other holding her hand.
“Bree,” I whispered. “Don’t you dare leave me.” I swore she squeezed my hand. “I don’t care what you did. I’ve been a stupid ass. I’ve been avoiding my feelings, focusing on what happened years ago.”
She murmured a little, and I kept on pouring out my heart. “I love you, Bree. I always have and I always will. I know that now.”
Then I added. “Come back to me so we can be together.”
I didn’t give a shit about Troy, or the hockey team, or a damn business proposal. The most important thing in my life had been right in front of my eyes the whole time – and I had been too stubborn to admit it.
Chapter 19 – Brianna
IT’S A STRANGE THING to wake up and not know where you are, but that’s not what happened. The second my eyes blinked open I knew that I was on the beach and that Brodie was holding my hand. I didn’t have a white light experience or wake up confused. The first thing I saw were the leaves rustling above me, the second was Brodie’s bloodshot eyes.
“Hey.” I tried to reach up to touch his face, but my arms didn’t seem to be listening to my brain.
“Bree.” He leaned over the side of the canoe and kissed my cheek. “You were in an accident.”
“She’s okay.” Brodie pressed his hand onto my chest, easing me down. “She’s a little shaken up, but she’s fine.”
“Hi, Bree. Are you okay?” I turned and Ramona was clutching a cell phone in her little hands, her big eyes staring down at me, fat tears falling from her lids.
“Don’t cry, Mona. I’m going to be just fine.”
“Come here.” Brodie gestured to Ramona and she nestled in under his arm. Brodie’s hand hadn’t left mine and I squeezed it as hard as I could to show him that I wasn’t on the brink of death.
“Take these blankets off me.” I wiggled and tried to sit up again.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
“The ambulance is on the way. You’ve got to stay warm until they get here. You’re in shock Bree. I think Mona is too.” He tightened the wool blanket around his sister’s shoulders. “You must’ve hit your head when you were going over. You were lucky that you got stuck under the boat in an air pocket.”
“Brodie saved you.” Mona smiled at her brother. “But if he wasn’t there, I would’ve saved you.”
“I know Mona.” I couldn’t stop the tears. “You’re a great sailor.”
“But the boat tipped.”
“One of the lines caught, if you hadn’t been leaning back the way you were, it would’ve been way worse. We’re going to win that regatta.”
“Bree.” Brodie pursed his lips. “I don’t know if Mona is going to want to get on a Sunfish anytime soon.”
“It’s up to you, sweetie.” I smiled at her. “But I’m not going to let this stop me from all the fun we were having.”
“Me neither,” she grinned. “Although I think you should wear your lifejacket next time.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Safety first.” I winked at her.
The flashing red lights reflected on their faces and Brodie waited until the paramedics were at my side to let go of my hand.
I insisted that I didn’t need a stretcher, but the medics weren’t having it. They wheeled me into the back of the ambulance and started checking my vitals. “I’m fine,” I argued.
“We just have to make sure, Miss.” The younger of the two medics squeezed the blood pressure cuff around my arm and I felt the other dabbing my forehead with a cotton swab. The heart rate monitor’s screen glowed green in the back of the ambulance, and even though I couldn’t see the numbers, I knew that my pulse was back to normal.
One of the medics stayed in the back with me and I felt the ambulance start to move. “Where are we going?” I asked.
“You might have a concussion. We’re taking you to the hospital to get you cleared.”
“No,” I tried to rip the monitor off my fingertip.
“Miss, if you don’t calm down, I will have to restrain you for your own good.”
I took a deep breath. I heard every word Brodie said to me while I was lying in the canoe. I had to get back and tell him that I felt the same way. As I thought of his brown eyes, and what it would feel like to see them blink open first thing in the morning, in my bed, I heard the heart rate monitor start to beep faster.
I KNEW THAT SHE WAS just doing her job, but the damn doctor wanted me to stay overnight for observation. “We just want to keep an eye on you. If everything goes well tonight, I’ll clear you for release in the morning.” The doctor hooked the clipboard onto the foot of the hospital bed.
“Thanks.” I had given up trying to resist.
“Your parents are here. Can I send them in?” she asked.
“Please.” I shimmied up higher in the bed and touched the dressing on my forehead.
The doctor left, and my parents rushed into the room. “Bree,” they said together and wrapped their arms around me. “What were you doing out there without a life preserver?” My mom immediately started the interrogation.
“Bonnie,” Dad touched her arm. “Let her rest.”
Mom’s eyes had tears in them and she bent over to hug me again. “We were so worried. We should’ve been there.”
“Brodie was there,” I said.
“Thank God.” My mom smiled through her tears. “Some days I don’t know what we’d do without him.”
“Me too,” I whispered.
My dad’s hearing was too far gone, but my mom heard and she gave me a knowing smile. “He’s here to see you. Do you want to see him?”
“I do.”
My parent left and part of me wished that there was a mirror nearby so I could fix myself up a little; the other part of me knew that there was probably no helping it. My face hurt to touch and I knew that it was swollen. I probably looked like Frankenstein.
The door opened and Brodie slipped in. “Hey,” he whispered but lingered by the door.
“Hi,” I smiled and tried to sit up even taller.
“The doctor said you’re going to be fine.” He fidgeted with his hands and seemed nervous.
“And Mona?”
He cleared his throat and moved to the side of my bed. “They checked her out too. She was thrown clear from the boat, and besides some shock, she’s totally fine and insisting on racing in the regatta with you.” He sat beside the bed and held onto the rails with both hands. “I’m not sure my mom is going to let that happen though.”
I laughed and stopped short when I realized that it hurt. “I don’t think mine is going to let that happen either.” I rubbed at my bruised ribcage and then reached for his hand. It was stiff in mine at first, but then he relaxed.
“Brodie,” I whispered.
“Yes, Bree.”
“I love you.”
Chapter 20 – Brodie
MY MOM AND RAMONA HAD the worst timing – they walked in the room right when Bree told me that she loved me. I hadn’t left Bree’s side and when Doctor Stapleweed came around to do her rounds she looked at me over the top of her glasses.
Living in a small town, where everyone knows everyone, has both advantages and disadvantages. Doctor Stapleweed had delivered both of us - me, and Ramona.
“Mrs. Bishop, Ramona, nice to see you.” She smiled as she looked over Bree’s chart.
Mom and Mona said hi at the same time and then stood up to gather their things. “Get better soon, sweetheart. You gave us all quite a scare.” My mom held Mona’s hand. “I’ll bring some chicken soup over to your mom’s house for when you get home tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Bishop.” Bree waved. “Bye, Mona.”
“Bye,” Mona grinned and waved.
I was finally alone with Bree.
“Visiting hours are over, Mr. Bishop.” Doctor Stapleweed signed the chart and replaced it on its hook.
“I—”
“Don’t let anyone see you,” she interrupted. Then, she winked and pulled the curtain around Bree’s bed.
I had been holding Bree’s hand for so long it felt like part of my own.
“You can go home and get a good night’s sleep,” she murmured.
“I’m not leaving your side.” I tucked her hair behind her ear.
She winced as she rolled onto her side, her ribs were bruised, but not broken. “Brodie. We have to talk.”
“We do,” I agreed. “But not now, you need to get better.”
She pursed her lips at me. “Don’t you treat me like a glass slipper, Brodie. I’m tougher than you think.”
“I know you are.” I pulled the chair closer to the bed so I could lean my chin on my hand.
“I was thinking about the business proposal.”
“Wait. Bree.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you too.”
She smiled like the Cheshire Cat. “I know, you told me.” She reached her hand and cupped the back of my neck. “I could hear everything you were saying.”
“I thought you were unconscious.”
“Did you mean it?” She was rubbing the back of my neck with her fingers and I wante
d to scoop her out of that bed and kiss her.
“I did. I do.”
Her touch was light, but it was sending surges of adrenaline through my body. I held her gaze. “You mean the world to me, Bree. I would do anything for you. I can’t believe I was such an idiot.”
She pulled herself up so her face was inches from mine. “You were a total idiot, Brodie Bishop.”
“I know,” I held her gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.” Her lips were so close they brushed against my ear. “There’s something else we have to fix.”
I pulled back so I could look her in the eyes. “What’s that?”
“Our first kiss after all these years can’t be you giving me CPR.”
Her lips were so close to mine, a half an inch would’ve bridged the gap between them. I slipped my hands behind her neck and whispered, “You’re so beautiful.”
I’m not sure if it was her, or me that moved, maybe both of us did. I heard her gasp as our lips touched and my heart surged when the warmth of her mouth met mine. She pressed her body against mine and then winced and whimpered and pulled away quickly, holding on to her ribs.
“Easy girl.” I eased her down onto the pillow.
She smiled and pressed her hand to her chest. “I think that was the opposite of CPR.” Her voice was breathy. She shifted to the far side of the bed and patted the space beside her.
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t make me ask twice.” She patted the sheet again.
I kicked off my flip flops and leaped over the rail of the bed. I slipped as gingerly as I could into the space beside her, lying on my side with my face next to hers. I was getting hard and when she pushed her hips into mine, I thought my shorts might rip as my cock twitched hard as a rock.
I held her cheek in my hand and we stayed like that for the rest of the night, our faces inches apart, kissing and murmuring to each other. I was careful not to move and let her do the writhing against me. I rested my hand on her hip and knew that she wanted to do more. So did I, but Laketown General Hospital didn’t seem like the place for me to rip off her clothes and do something I’d wanted to do for years – make love to Brianna Corbett.