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Charlotte caught the line they tossed up to her and wrapped it around a cleat to secure it.
Adam climbed aboard. “Okay, let’s get Shane into the Whaler. You should go too, Charlie, after your swim to save him. I’ll stay here and help Eric get the boat to the cove,” he said with an undeniable note of authority.
Neither Shane nor she objected as they were carefully loaded into the smaller boat.
###
“The fact that he was unconscious and the pain he’s experiencing now are indicators that it would be best to do a CT scan to assess the brain,” the ER doctor said after examining Shane.
“We’ll wait here,” said Charlotte. “And then what happens? Can he come home?”
The doctor gave her a professional smile. “Let’s wait to decide that, okay?”
A shiver crept down Charlotte’s back. What if the doctors discovered something horrible?
When a nurse arrived with a wheelchair to take Shane to imaging, Charlotte and Austin said goodbye. She blinked back tears as he was rolled away.
“Pretty scary stuff, huh?” Austin said, taking her elbow and leading her away to the waiting area.
“Yeah, for a minute, I thought …” She shook her head. “I can’t even say it.”
“You saved him, Charlie. I can’t ever thank you enough. He’s the best big brother anyone could have.”
She was too emotional to speak.
A short while later, the doctor entered the waiting area and came over to them. “Looks like a bad bang on the head but nothing more serious. However, he’s going to have to rest for several days. We don’t want him to do anything to change that status.”
“Okay,” said Austin. “We’ll both keep an eye on him.” He turned to her. “Right?”
“Yes,” said Charlotte, her emotions in a turmoil.
###
As Austin drove them into the cove, Eric and Adam ran toward the car, followed by a group gathered to greet them.
Charlotte stepped out of the car and stood aside as everyone spoke to Shane, asking how he felt.
Granny Liz threw her arms around Charlotte and hugged her tight. “Thank you, Charlie. Eric told us all about how you saved Shane. I can never thank you enough for what you did. Shane is so special to me.”
Tears filled Charlotte’s eyes as she faced Granny Liz. There was so much she wanted to say but wouldn’t.
Later, alone in her room, Charlotte lay in bed thinking. She couldn’t deny her feelings any longer. After thinking she might lose Shane, everything had fallen into place, unsettling her. She’d never think of him as just a friend any longer. He was much more than that. Saving him had changed everything.
