Repeat.
It looks right.
That’s what matters.
Water drips from my clothes, soaking into the ground beneath me as I lean over him again, forcing air into his lungs before pulling back.
Nothing.
No reaction.
My hands keep moving long after I already know it’s pointless. Same rhythm. Same pressure. No hesitation.
From the outside, I probably seem like I’m trying. That’s the important thing.
The noise around me swells and shifts, people talking over each other, stepping back, stepping closer, no one really knowing what to do. I tune most of it out, focusing on the pattern, on the way my palms press down against his chest.
Count.
Breathe.
Repeat.
I don’t rush it. Rushing looks wrong.
Then the sound of sirens cuts through everything. I finally ease back as they force their way through the crowd, giving them space only when one of them motions for it.
“Let us take over.”
I lean back on my heels, breathing heavier than necessary, dragging a hand through my wet hair as I shift out of their way.
They move fast. Efficient. Checking, adjusting, silently communicating between each other.
I keep staring at them, blank and unfocused, like the shock hollowed everything out of me.
“I’m sorry,” one of them says, his voice carrying just enough to reach the people closest by. “We’ve done everything we can.”
The reaction is immediate—gasps breaking through the crowd, someone crying somewhere behind me, someone else swearing under their breath.
I stay still for another second, jaw clenching as I stare down at Vince, like my brain’s still trying to catch up to what I’m seeing.
“Fuck…” I let the words out softly, careful to make them sound genuine.
A paramedic turns to me. “You were the one doing CPR?”
I nod once, pushing myself to my feet. “Yeah.”
“Did you see what happened?”
“Not really,” I give a small shrug, like I’m still trying to catch up. “He was already in the water when I got there.” His attention sweeps over me for a moment before he nods and moves on.
I glance briefly toward the crowd, my eyes landing on Sierra for a fraction of a second before shifting away again. She looks… broken. Far from the girl I saw earlier.
Tess is suddenly in front of me, and before I even get the chance to move, she wraps her arms around my torso like she doesn’t even think about it.
“Oh my God… Cain,” her voice shakes. “Thank you… for trying…”
After a short pause, I rest a hand on her back, giving her a light squeeze.
