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Ryker stepped sideways on his toes, trying to get any kind of view of what was going on. He couldn’t see Derek or Larry. He did a headcount, there were only four guys on their boards.

Come on, Eddie. You know what to do, just float to the top. Don’t swim, just float.

That only worked if wave after wave wasn’t pounding on top of you, keeping you under. This time he did throw up a little in his mouth. He spit it out.

Then he thought he saw something. It was Derek’s white-blond head popping up, just for a second. It looked like he had another dark head beside him.

Please say he has Eddie. Please.

Ryker looked farther back behind them and saw it coming.

Another wave.

No, wait.

Waves.

Shit. Fuck. Piss.

They were big ones. Ryker’s skin turned to ice.

One after another, they crashed over them. They were gone again. Ryker counted out loud, trying to figure out how many seconds they were under.

He heard some static. Something was clucking at him.

“Ryker?” the clucking was saying his name. He looked over his shoulder at the handset swinging from the telephone cord. It was the lady. Then he heard the faint sound of a siren, but it was too far away. He looked up anyway, and almost cried with relief. A red Lifeguard truck was barreling into the parking area, careening to a stop beside Derek’s van.

Ryker rushed over to the two men as they hustled out of the truck. One of them was pulling things out of the side door, so Ryker ignored him and concentrated on the one who looked like he cared.

“Here!” Ryker screamed as another EMT truck pulled up. He ignored it, focusing on the lifeguard.

When he got the man’s attention, he turned back to the beach and started racing to where Derek had bolted into the ocean.

That’s when he saw them. It wasn’t Derek, it was someone else he didn’t recognize, paddling to shore with Eddie on his board. Then behind him was Larry, and he had Derek on his board. Neither of them was moving.

They’re not moving!

Ryker lost all feeling from his legs as he dropped to his knees. He was terrified as the stranger pulled Eddie out of the water first. He watched one of the lifeguards shake Eddie and then put his ear to his mouth before starting to breathe into his mouth.

Ryker turned away and watched as Larry and another surfer were pulling, dragging, carrying his brother to the shore, and the second lifeguard dumped all his shit on the sand and did the same thing.

Fucking shaking Derek, then putting his ear to his mouth, then starting to blow air into his big brother’s mouth. Wasn’t he supposed to be pressing on his chest too?

When did I fall onto my hands and start crawling toward Derek?

All the surfers backed away, giving him room to be next to his brother. He couldn’t even see clearly. Everything was all watery.

The man just kept blowing and pressing, blowing and pressing.

He stopped.

Why’d he stop?!

Ryker watched as he turned Derek over onto his side and moved his arm and leg.

“Is he going to be all right?”

The lifeguard turned to Ryker. “Do you know him?” he asked as he leaned over and grabbed a silver square and shook it out. It was one of those space-age blankets. He covered Derek, who was shivering.