water; the airbag deployed. Kate’s head smashed forward and back, hit something hard. The car bobbed for a few minutes before it took on water and the weight of the engine started to pull them down.
Cold water seeping in at her feet brought Kate around. Her head pounded. Every muscle in her body ached. With frantic fingers she unbuckled her seatbelt, swore frantically when she couldn’t get out of it.
They weren’t dead. They weren’t dead, yet.
“Julia!” Kate tried to shake the fuzziness from her mind. She climbed into the backseat where Julia’s head lay against the window, her eyes closed. “No, no, no.”
Julia’s head moved to the side, and she slowly opened her eyes. “What…what happened?”
“Oh, thank God,” Kate exclaimed. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”
Kate pushed against the back door, tried the windows. They wouldn’t budge. Shifting back to the front seat as water continued to spill into the vehicle, she found the windows there were stuck as well.
“They won’t open. They won’t open!” Julia shrieked.
Using her foot, Kate tried to bust the front windshield at the corner, but it wouldn’t move.
Darkness tried to draw her down. Kate shook her head, blinked and forced herself to stay awake. She was having trouble thinking and seeing clearly. Everything in front of her was blurry. “Okay, just relax, Julia. Listen to me.” She grasped Julia’s shoulders as the ice-cold water reached their bellies. “Listen. We have to wait for the water to fill the car. Once it does, it’ll equal out the pressure. We can’t open the doors right now because there’s too much pressure pushing on them. Once the car fills, the doors will open.”
“No, they won’t!” Julia hollered, cradling her arm against her stomach. “We’re going to drown!”
“Listen to me. They will. Trust me. Don’t panic, baby.”
“I’m scared,” Julia whispered, grasping Kate’s hand.
“I know. It’s okay. We’re not going to die in here, you hear me?” Julia nodded as the car continued to fill. “We’re going to make it. Just think good thoughts, okay? Think about Daddy and Reed and what you want to do tomorrow.” Kate’s vision blurred again, and she shook her head to clear it.
She had to stay awake. She had to stay coherent.
When the water level reached their necks, Julia’s fingers tightened.
“Just a little more, baby,” Kate murmured and lifted her chin. She took one last deep breath, gestured for Julia to do the same, then tried the door again. When it didn’t budge, her heart dropped.
Icy tentacles of fear wrapped around Kate’s throat.
Don’t panic. Try again.
This time Kate put her back into it. With one good thrust of her body, the driver-side door opened. She grasped Julia’s hand and pulled her out of the sinking vehicle. Light flickered at the surface above. Kate kicked as hard as she could.
They broke the surface together, gasped for air. Kate treaded water, gripped Julia’s shoulders, and checked her face for signs of shock. “You’re okay,” she told her. “We’re okay. Kick your legs, Julia.”
Julia spit water and tried to breathe deep.
“Can you swim?” Kate asked.
With a shaky nod, Julia tried to kick for land. Kate wrapped an arm around her when she realized Julia was having trouble. Gentle waves lapped at the shore of the bay. Crashing water pounded rocks on the other side of the spit. Kate’s energy waned as she dragged Julia out of the water.
Sirens blared in the distance. Kate dropped to her knees next to Julia and sucked in air. Water dripped around her, sending shivers down her spine, but all she could focus on was her daughter.
Julia lay on her back, her eyes closed, her chest fighting for air as she cradled her arm against herself. Kate grabbed her hand. “Stay with me. Hold on, baby.”
Relief bubbled through Kate when voices echoed from the road above. Help. They’d made it.
Julia’s hand slipped out of hers.
Kate glanced down sharply only to realize Julia wasn’t moving anymore.
***
Thrusting bills at the cab driver, Ryan sprinted from the yellow taxi. The automatic emergency room doors opened, and he dashed into the reception area. A woman holding a sick baby stood in line at the front desk, rocking back and forth. A man with a blood-tinged bandage draped over his hand waited behind her.
Ryan pushed his way to the front of the line.
“Sir, you’re just going to have to wait your turn.” The receptionist sent him a wicked glare.
Fear clenched its icy hand around his heart. “My wife and daughter were in a car