I felt the bed move beneath me as someone came close, too close. I had to get away! I clawed at the bed covers. Threw them back and ripped a tube out of my arm. Warm, red blood stained stark white sheets. Perplexed, I saw blood spreading on both sheets and in the water.
Through the fog in my mind I heard a nurse address the doctor at my bedside. “I’ve never seen you become so personally involved in a patient before, but all that extra time and attention has paid off.”
“No patient has ever affected me like she did,” a deeper voice said. “I couldn’t give up on her.” He stepped closer.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me tight as a nurse moved tubes and monitors away from the bed. I struggled and kicked and screamed in senseless panic. Then...a voice. A soft, sweet voice I knew so well whispered in my ear. “You’re safe. Shhhhh... Relax, I’ve got you. I’ll save you. Nothing can hurt you. I promise.”
It was his voice, Nathan’s voice! But I saw the shark... It was his voice, though—I knew it in my soul. I stopped struggling and slowly turned my head. I saw his face, his beautiful, amazing, wonderful face. Nathan!
I desperately clutched his warm hands. As I stared, my shattered heart stumbled and resumed its normal beat. His voice and reassuring smile were tender and comforting. I felt safe—leaning on the steady rock in my life. I studied his magnificent green eyes framed with dark lashes, the silver hair with just a hint of curl, the strong, square jaw with the deep cleft in his chin. The best-looking man I’d ever laid eyes on.
Terror receded as I realized I was not underwater, was not faced with the unspeakable death of my husband and unborn child, was not bereft and alone in an alien world. I smiled tentatively through the tears, noting the loving expression on Dr. Nathan’s face and the warm emotion in his eyes. The trembling in my body eased as I recalled my coma-Nathan’s arms around me, his loving touch, and our deep commitment to one another. Good memories of our life together slowly overtook the horror of the last few minutes and I felt profound gratitude for being given a second chance to drown in those magnificent green eyes.
Chapter 12
Seven years later...
AFTER I RECOVERED from the concussion, broken arm, near-drowning, and coma following the boating accident, Dr. Nathan Hollister and I developed a real-life relationship. I remembered every minute of the time I’d spent underwater with my mermaid friends: Maia, Kalani, Kiki, and of course, Nathan, as well as Tinami, Saya, and the ruthless Valkar. I missed them and wondered how they were...if they thought of me.
But I tried not to dwell on it, instead choosing to live my life in the present realm. My feelings for Dr. Nathan were inevitably an extension of my deep love for the merman Nathan, but there was no way to separate them. And as I discovered, the human Nathan was every bit as loving, kind, and chivalrous as the other.
We married within six months of my leaving the hospital and found ourselves with child soon thereafter—me, not him. This pregnancy was bittersweet, bringing back memories of the horrific loss of our first child. But the happy far outweighed the sad and we soon found ourselves the parents of a healthy, bouncing baby boy.
We named him Dylan, from the Welsh language meaning “son of the sea.” It seemed appropriate. And he loved anything to do with being on, in, or around the water—fishing, swimming, boating, or just hanging around the dock.
Nathan had owned a boat when we married and we up-graded to a larger, more family-friendly craft after Dylan was born. We often went diving and snorkeling or simply enjoyed a relaxing day of waves and ocean breezes. “Boat” was one of Dylan’s very first words and from the time he learned to walk, he loved the Serena more than anything.
As he grew older and his friends wanted to play sports or video games, Dylan preferred boating and fishing, so we spent a lot of time as a family on and in the water.
Nathan and I hadn’t told Dylan about my boating accident or my underwater coma experience, but one day while we were enjoying a balmy day on the Serena, I broached the subject.
“Dylan, do you know what mermaids are?” I had no idea what kind of answer to expect, but his reply shocked me.
“Of course, Mom, everybody knows about mermaids—they’re part women and part fish. Why?”
“Well, back before I met your dad, I had a boating accident and almost died.”
Intrigued, Dylan turned an earnest face my direction. “Really? What happened? And what’s that got to do with mermaids?”
I explained how I’d leapt back into the water to swim with dolphins forgetting that I still had my dive weights strapped around my waist. He was so engrossed in the story that I told him the entire tale up to where merman-Nathan and I had gone lobster hunting. I paused, unsure how much I should say.
“Is that when he was killed by the shark, Mom?”
I froze, suddenly cold in the afternoon sunlight. “What shark, Dylan?”
“You know, the shark that killed Nathan and your baby. He would’ve been my brother, right?”
More sharply than I intended, I asked, “Who told you about the shark? And the baby?”
“Nobody.” He shrugged dismissively as only six-year-old boys can. “I just know.” His innocence and certainty on the subject confused the hell out of me. How could he know this?
Just then Nathan came up from the galley with iced tea and cookies. “How about a snack for my favorite family?”
Dylan giggled. “Daaa-aad, we’re your only family!”
“That’s right,” Nathan said, “and that’s the way I like it.” He tickled Dylan with one hand and placed the tray of cookies and tea in front of us. Then he noticed how pale I was under my tan.
“Are you okay, Honey? You look kind of grey.” He frowned and reached over to place the back of his hand on my forehead.
“She told me how she almost died and went to live with the mermaids!”
“She did?” He looked at me questioningly. One eyebrow rose inquisitively as it always did when he didn’t understand something.
“Yeah, but I already knew about the mermaids and stuff. And the shark that killed Nathan and her baby. I don’t think I want a brother. I like our family just the way it is. Can I have another cookie?”
“Sure you can.” Puzzled, Nathan eyed me again. The raised eyebrow had been replaced by a deep vee creasing his forehead. “You told him that?”
“No. I didn’t. He said he ‘just knows.’”
I watched my innocent young son munching cookies in the late afternoon sunshine and felt gooseflesh roughen the skin on my arms. How could he know things he couldn’t know?
“What do you mean ‘he just knows’?” Nathan seemed as confused as I was.
“That’s what he said. Then you came up with tea and cookies. I don’t know any more than that.”
“Okay.” He turned toward Dylan. “Son, how do you know about the shark and the baby? Did someone tell you?”
“No.” Another bite of cookie. “I have dreams.”
“You do? What kind of dreams?”
“Mostly they’re about mermaids and breathing underwater and stuff. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when Mom told me she’d lived with them. I want to live with them, too.”
My husband and I exchanged surprised looks. Then he said, “Dylan, you do know that mermaids aren’t real and people can’t really live with them, don’t you?”
Dylan put his iced tea down. “You’ve told me not to lie, so why are you lying to me?”
“We’re not lying to you, son.”
“Mom lived with the mermaids. That means they’re real. If they’re not real, then you lied to me!” His voice rose and his face flushed red—with anger or embarrassment, I wasn’t sure.
Angry, he yelled, “They’re real! I know they are! I’ve seen them and talked to them in my dreams. Stop lying!” He stormed away and stomped down the stairs to the galley.
Nathan and I sat in silence trying to understand what was happening. How had this beautiful afternoon turned int
o such an awful drama?
“Honey, I need to ask you something. It’s bothered me for a while and now I think we should address it head on.”
“What?”
“Do you really think you lived with the mermaids?”
“I... Well...” I looked down at my hands and sighed. “I don’t know, Nathan. What I experienced after the accident was so real...”
“Honey, you know mermaids are just a myth.”
“Do I? They saved my life! I would’ve died if not for Maia and Kiki. I’ve tried to put it behind me and believe it was only my subconscious keeping me alive long enough for my body to heal. But, Nathan, it’s as real to me as this boat under my feet, as real as you and our son. How can I deny what I know in my heart is true?” Tears welled in my eyes and I looked away, then back to my husband.
“I fell in love with you while I was in that coma. You were there, underwater, taking care of me, healing me, protecting me, loving me. I thank God every day for that concussion because if it hadn’t happened, we never would’ve met. Don’t ask me not to believe!”
He hung his head and I ran to the bow. I’d cut off my right arm rather than hurt him but I was caught in a conundrum that seemed to have no solution. Asking me to deny the mer-people’s existence was tantamount to asking me not to believe in him, in us, in our love. How could I?
I sobbed and wrestled with the dilemma until I felt his arms wrap around me from behind, just like he did that day in the hospital. That day coma-Nathan and our child were killed by the shark. My two realities were so intertwined that I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
He held me. Eventually the tears stopped and I gazed into his beloved face, into those bottomless emerald pools.
Looking past Nathan, I saw Dylan come up from below deck with something awkwardly wrapped around his waist. Curious, I watched him. He walked to the stern and looked down into the water, then raised his face to me. Squinting in the bright sunlight, he smiled and waved. “I’m going to find the mermaids, Mommy!”
At that moment I realized he had strapped a weight belt around his middle. As I stood and screamed, “NOOOOO!” my son leapt into the ocean and sank rapidly out of sight.
Nathan dove headfirst off the bow. I ran below deck for the other weight belt—I knew I had to be able to sink far below where I could go without it. I would save my son or die trying.
I grabbed the belt and hurriedly buckled it on. Clutching my fins I dove off the stern. Sinking rapidly, I turned in the water and bent at the waist until I descended backside first. In this vee position, I was able to put my fins on while not slowing my descent.
Then I turned to face the bottom, kicking furiously. Dylan would go down very quickly because the weight belt was much heavier than his body required—I needed to catch up.
Already my lungs were screaming for air and I prayed for help. Please don’t let my son die. Please...
Then I thought of the dolphin that had rescued me during my out-of-body experience. She had said I could call on her any time using the power of my mind. Continuing to kick, I closed my eyes and pictured Dylan. I called to the dolphin, begging for her help with my son.
And when I opened my eyes, there she was, swimming at my side, her thoughts touching my mind. “I’m here, Serena. We’ll find him.”
I grasped her dorsal fin and we torpedoed toward the bottom. Ahead, I discerned movement, but the force of the water against my eyes blurred my vision.
Suddenly, my lungs no longer labored, lack of air was not an issue, and I felt the familiar relaxation I had become so accustomed to when living with the mer-people. They were near.
A coral wall rose on my left; deep blue water stretched as far as I could see to the right. Far below, the sand sloped into the abyss.
Maia and Kiki materialized alongside us and the rest of Tinami and Saya’s sirene fanned out in all directions. Maia swam beside the dolphin and I while I briefly explained.
“My son, it’s my son, Maia! He’s wearing a weight belt and will descend rapidly. We have to find him.”
She darted away and the next thing I knew, the mer-people were combing the depths like a well-organized militia. They would find him. I could only pray it would be in time.
A deep, rhythmic thudding, amplified by the water, began in the distance, soon reverberating all around me—I felt it in my bones. What is it?
The dolphin stopped so suddenly I nearly catapulted over her head. “They’ve found him. He’s okay. The drum is a signal.” I heard the message in my mind and the warmth and sincere joy conveyed in those words moved me nearly to tears. I threw my arms around my dolphin friend and sagged against her, weak with relief.
“Where? Where is he?” I ached to hold Dylan in my arms, to see with my own eyes that he was alright.
“There.” The dolphin bobbed her head toward the deepest blue water and as I stared, a throng of indistinct mer-people appeared, becoming clearer as they approached. Two lovely young mermaids held Dylan’s hands, propelling him between them. His face radiated absolute delight and I could hear his constant giggles drifting through the water. My heart constricted with an almost palpable pain as I thought how close I’d come to losing him—and just how much I owed this group of mer-people and the dolphin.
“Mommy, Mommy, look! Mermaids! I told you I’d find them.”
The two young mermaids swam up to me, smiled, and released Dylan’s hands. He flung his arms around me in a hug so tight I could barely breathe—but I’m sure he felt the same in my embrace. I swore to myself I’d never let him go, but too soon he wriggled out of my grasp. “C’mon, Mom, let’s check it out. This is the coolest place ever!”
Maia floated over and hugged me as he darted off with a couple young merkids. “He’s beautiful, Serena. You and Nathan make great babies. Is he here?” She glanced around as though expecting him to appear.
“Oh, Maia, I’ve thought of you so often over the years. You wouldn’t believe what has happened. I wish we could stay and visit with you and catch up on everything, but Nathan’s waiting on the boat and I don’t want him to think he’s lost us both.”
Her mystified expression prompted a few more details. “Merman-Nathan was killed by a shark—our unborn baby, too.”
At her horrified look I rushed the next sentence. “But my human Nathan is just as wonderful—they’re the same, Maia, and we can live together as a family above the surface. We have a wonderful life there, but I miss you and my mermaid friends. Is Kalani here? I’d love to see her.”
Maia shook her head. “No, Kalani couldn’t come. She has become frailer and is looking after some of the youngest merkids while all of the juveniles and adults are out here. Had she known it was you, I’m sure she would’ve insisted on joining the search party, though.”
“Give her my love, okay? Tell her the food she sent with Nathan and I was perfect and just what we needed.
“Now, I need to corral my kid and get back to my husband. Will Dylan have any problem returning to the surface without mermaids nearby?”
A sudden deep voice stopped me cold. With affection in his tone, Tinami said, “Serena, I see you survived being expelled from the sirene. You look well.”
I turned to face him, not sure what to expect. Surely, after all this time he posed no threat? “Yes, Tinami, I’m fine, thank you. Is Saya with you?”
“No, it is wise for one ruler to remain in the cavern. We heard your distress call and wanted to help.” He must’ve noted the apprehension on my face. “You have nothing to fear from me, Serena, I wish you and your family well. Too much time has passed to cling to old transgressions.”
“Thank you, Tinami.” I sighed deeply, relieved. “I loved the time I spent in the sirene and think of my old life often. I’m glad to see the group doing well. However, I must go.” Looking around, I added, “Where’d Dylan get off to now?”
As though she’d heard my question, the dolphin swam up with Dylan on her back. He was still smiling.
&
nbsp; “It’s time to go. Say goodbye to your new friends.”
“Ah, Mom, can’t we stay a little longer?”
“No, we can’t. Your father must be worried sick. We’ve been gone quite a while. Now, say goodbye.”
Maia, Kiki, and the two young mermaids who had been playing with Dylan offered to accompany us to the surface, darting questioning glances at Tinami.
Shocked, I turned to the ruler. “I thought mermaids were forbidden to go to the surface.”
“They are, Serena. But you are nearly family and need our help. It would be much safer for a large group to ascend than just you and your son. I cannot, in good conscience, send you off alone. Come.”
Many other mer-people joined us and we began the ascent, taking our time, look-outs at the edge of the group watching for threats along the way, and dolphins scouting ahead. When I spotted the bottom of the boat, my spirit soared, knowing Nathan would be waiting.
As we broke the surface, I saw my beloved sitting at the bow, his head hung in sadness, his entire body signaling loss, hopelessness, and despair. I ached, knowing our lengthy absence had caused him pain.
“Dad! Dad! Look! I found the mermaids!”
At the first word, Nathan’s head whipped up and he stood. Then, shock and disbelief on his face, he stared down at the water teeming with dolphins and mermaids, his wife and son in the center of the melee.
“What the...?”
I waved. “We’re fine, Nathan! Come meet my friends.”
Without hesitation he leaped off the bow and stroked to my side. Gathering Dylan and I into a trembling embrace, he sobbed into my shoulder.
“We’re okay, Honey, we’re okay.”
When the torrent subsided, I said, “I want to introduce you to my friends. They’ve saved my life twice and the life of our son. We owe them forever.”
Fighting overwhelming emotion, he shook hands with every single member of the sirene. When I introduced Maia, he pulled her into a hug.
“I’ve heard so much about you and what you did for my wife...and now you’ve also saved my son. I can never thank you enough.”
Saving Serena Page 8