For an hour, Kyle cursed the fact that they weren’t farther along. They hadn’t seen any other boats and he was beginning to think he was wrong. Only…it didn’t feel like it. He just knew he wasn’t known for his patience and…
“There!” Hunter called out, pointing to a spot on the horizon. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked. When he cursed, Kyle knew something was wrong and immediately took the binoculars.
Neither spoke as they sped toward the boat, and once they were close enough, Kyle turned to his brother. “Take the wheel,” he commanded, kicking off his shoes and socks before pulling everything from his pockets and tossing them on the floor.
The closer they got, the more anxious he started to feel.
The boat had capsized.
And there was no sign of Haley.
Hunter cut the engine and started to strip down, but Kyle stopped him. “Get the first aid kit out and start making calls for an ambulance to meet us as close to here as possible. He looked around and realized they weren’t close to anything. “This is right in your wheelhouse, Hunt. Make the calls!” Bracing himself on the edge of the boat, he called out to her. “Haley!” And then he dove into the water.
It was cold—almost too cold—and a shock to his system, but he couldn’t let himself focus on it because he had to get to Haley. It didn’t take long for him to feel the effects of the water temperature and he swam as fast as he could. When he reached the side of the boat, he used it to brace himself so he could call out to her again. “Haley!”
He paused to take a breath when he heard a sound.
A cry.
A whimper.
Pushing off the boat, he swam around to the other side and found her. She had on a life jacket and was clinging to the boat. Her lips were blue and her eyes were closed and he’d never been more terrified in his life.
“I got her!” he screamed out to his brother. Swimming right up to her, he directed her to let go of the boat. “I’ve got you, Hales,” he whispered. “Stay with me. Wrap your arms around my neck.”
“I…I can’t,” she said, her voice weak. “I’m too tired.”
He reached for her and they struggled as a wave hit and he smashed his head against the boat’s propeller. There were definitely stars when he closed his eyes, but he didn’t let it stop him.
“Hunter!”
Wrapping an arm around her, Kyle slowly maneuvered her away from the boat. Hunter had managed to get the boat even closer and was immediately reaching out to haul Haley inside. Once she was safely out of the water, Hunter reached down to help him and get him onto the deck as well.
“Luckily, Mason’s well prepared,” he said, wrapping Haley in a blanket before handing a second one to Kyle. “There’s an emergency crew meeting us in Wilmington. According to the GPS, we’re closest to them.” He stepped behind the wheel. “Hold on to her and keep her head and neck covered,” he directed. “And try to keep her talking.”
Immediately, Kyle shifted and picked Haley up and cradled her against him. “C’mon, kiddo. Talk to me.”
“So…cold…”
“I know, Hales. We’re going to get you warmed up real soon.” He held her closer and rubbed his hand up and down her arm and leg…anywhere he could reach. “We’re going to meet the ambulance and get you to the hospital. The doctors will make sure you’re okay.”
She shook her head and buried her face against his neck and started to cry.
Hard.
Resting his head on hers, Kyle found he was at a loss for words. So he held her closer and told her everything was going to be alright while letting her cry. From the sound of it, she needed that.
The next time he looked up, he could see the emergency crew waiting for them. Looking up at Hunter, he said, “I’m going with her.”
With a nod, Hunter said, “I know. I’m going to get the boat back to Scarlett’s, and I’ll call Sydney and let her know what’s going on and where to meet you.”
“You’ll come to the hospital too? Like…once you get back to Magnolia?” And he knew he sounded a little needy, but…he was really just trying to be practical. Once Sydney showed up, there was no way he could hang around and see her without it killing him. Plus,