Enduring Mr McGregor

chapter 32

Robert leaned forward in the chair waiting for her to come back up, but she never did. He heard splashing and then nothing.

"Robert!" Sally screamed while swimming towards the ship. "Help me! Please! Nia, I can't... I can't pull her up. I can't... "

Robert got to his feet cautiously.

"Calm down Sally. What are you talking about? What do you mean you can't pull her up," Gabriel asked climbing up the stairs.

"Robert!" She cried again and he frowned at the urgency in her voice. "She's afraid of water!"

When he remained looking blank, she yelled at him. "Nia can't swim!"

Gabe froze.

Robert stood still for a moment before he yanked off his glasses and shirt and then dove into the water. Sally climbed up and stood wringing her hands apprehensively.

"She has been under for almost a minute," she said shakily. "Oh this is all my fault. I shouldn't have convinced her to come out. I should have known something wasn't right with the way she opted to stay in every time."

Gabriel stood still.

"What am I gonna do? What if she's dead, what if... "

"Snap out of it Sally, she's not going to die. Robert is the best swimmer among us, be rest assured that he will find her."

Lisa snorted. "Please. No one cares if the bitch dies," she said crossing her legs but no one replied her.

"Come on Robert, please, please find her," Sally prayed. She wiped away a mixture of tears and water from her face and stared intently at the water.

Suddenly Robert surfaced gasping for air, and in his arms he held a limp Nia.

"Oh my God Nia!" Sally exclaimed.

Gabe hurriedly took her and lay her flat on the deck as he began performing CPR.

Sally knelt by her and took her hand in hers.

"She's cold Rob," Sally said looking at him with wide fearful eyes.

Robert opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what, so he kept silent and ran a hand through his wet hair. He stood staring as Gabriel performed chest compressions and blew air into her mouth.

"Come on Nia," Gabriel murmured. "Come on babe."

Roberts eyes snapped to his cousin.

Babe? He thought darkly. He was going to say something when Nia suddenly coughed up water.

"There there," Sally said turning her over so she could cough up all the water she'd swallowed.

Judging from the looks of it, she'd probably swallowed a whole gallon.

"It's okay," Sally said rubbing circles on her back.

Gabriel brought a towel and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Robert stared in annoyance when all he really wanted to do was knock his cousin on the head. Since when did he play nice guy.

Nia shivered and Sally quickly hugged her.

"It's okay, I got you," she said comfortingly.

"I-i was so scared," Nia whispered. "I couldn't see anything, and when I tried to scream for help, all I got was a mouthful of water. I thought I was going to die Sally."

"You're not," Sally said patting her wet hair. "You're safe now. God Nia you scared me. I'm just glad you're okay."

"What ever happened? How did you even fall?" Gabriel asked confused.