AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Genesis pulled Charlee into her, and a wave of jealousy ripped through me. Charlee was still incoherent, but she was breathing on her own now. Genesis held onto her tightly until the paramedics made it down the beach. They lifted her onto a stretcher, and we followed them as they loaded her into the back of an ambulance and told us which hospital they were going to.
“I’ll drive,” I said to Genesis.
We ran to my truck and caught up with the ambulance. Genesis was crying, and I was barely holding it together myself. Neither of us spoke. The image of Charlee, lifeless, was burned into my brain, and I was still obsessively calculating how long she wasn’t breathing, worried about brain damage. I started giving her oxygen immediately after I found her, so it couldn’t have been more than two or three minutes. She should be okay.
She had to be.
Genesis reached her hand over to mine and squeezed. “Thank you for going after her. Charlee is strong. She’ll make it out of this.”
I wanted to believe Genesis, but I was still terrified.
We parked in the lot and rushed into the ER entrance. After we did the check-in paperwork for Charlee, they brought us inside the emergency area to a small waiting room. Genesis fell into one of the chairs, but I couldn’t sit still. My adrenaline was still pumping through me, and I paced the aisle of chairs, instead.
“Hey, Levi?” I spun to Genesis when I heard my name. “I know I said it in the truck, but thank you for going out there after Charlee. It was really brave of you and had you not…” Her voice trailed off and she started crying again. I took a seat in the chair next to her and pulled her into a side hug.
“Like you said, she’s strong and she’s going to pull through this,” I assured her. I was comforting her as much as myself.
About a half hour later, a doctor found us.
“Are you here for the young woman who drowned?” the doctor asked.
Genesis jumped up. “Yes, Charlee,” she answered anxiously.
She continued, “I’m Dr. Payson, and I will be treating Charlee tonight. We are giving her fluids and her vitals are stable, but she’s still unconscious. Do you know how long she was without oxygen?”
“Maybe two or three minutes. I started giving her breaths as soon as I could, and then we started full CPR when we got her on land.”
The doctor took notes. “That’s good. I don’t have any reason to suspect brain damage right now, however, her body went through a lot tonight, so she might not wake up for a while. It’s always good to let the brain rest after trauma. You are welcome to stay, and the nurses will let you know when she wakes up.”
As soon as the doctor left, we let out huge sighs of relief. Genesis fell into my arms, crying again. She had been a good friend to Charlee since she came to the campground, and I was glad she was here for her. I found a nurse and got some blankets and pillows and made makeshift beds with the chairs for us. Genesis fell asleep after some time, but it took my mind a lot longer to quiet. Knowing Charlee would be okay brought me comfort, and the exhaustion from the night eventually won.
Charlee
Our skin cooked under the sun as Bridger and I lay on our backs on our boards, letting the ocean choose where to send us. The sun was starting its descent, but we still had hours before sunset. I was wearing a two-piece floral suit, and Bridger was wearing his standard black board shorts that adorned one single Hawaiian flower. The day was warm enough that the cold water was refreshing and we didn’t need our wetsuits. I felt at ease here on the water with Bridger. I had never felt so at peace before.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I said as I stared into the clear purplish-blue sky. I had never seen a sky quite like it.
“It’s like this every day,” Bridger replied.
My heart tingled. It had been so long since I heard his voice. “I’ve missed you so much.” I rolled my head over to see him. He looked healthy and strong like before he got sick.
“I’ve been with you every day,” he said simply, his eyes locking with mine.
“It’s not fair.” A tear fell from my eye.
“What?”
“That you get to see me every day, but I don’t get to see you.” There were so many days I couldn’t even feel him.
“I’m sorry. I try to send you messages, but you don’t always realize what they are.”
There were times something would occur that I couldn’t explain, and I wanted so much to believe it was him. One time I saw a broken surf board on the side of the highway on a really bad day. It had no place being where it was because I was far from the ocean at the time. Then there were days I would see images of cardinals in random places, like a full back window decal on the back of a car and on someone’s shirt. Repeating numbers were consistent. One time I woke up in the middle of the night, and when I reached for my phone to see what time it was, it was 4:44. That was actually the first time I had seen the repeating numbers 444. When I researched it, I discovered that those particular numbers repeated three times were considered angel numbers. It shook me when I learned about it. It had to be Bridger reaching out, and I was reassured every time I saw those numbers on street signs and frequently when I looked at the time.
“I want to see you, though. Like this. Why don’t you visit me in my dreams anymore?”
Bridger used to visit me all the time. Especially right after he passed. He would comfort me and assure me he was okay and that I would be with him again one day. I would wake from those dreams with a lightness in my soul that couldn’t be explained. It faded quickly, but the experience felt so real that I couldn’t deny what it was. Bridger worried about me even after he died, and he had promised me he would always be with me and he was, but as time passed, his visits became less frequent.
“I come when you need me most, Char. I will always come when you need me. Like now.”
