“Tie the rope around her!” Sawyer yells from halfway back.
He’s staying back, knowing too much weight could cause the whole surface to give. There’s no way Leon and Noel could get us all out of here. With the temperature of this water, we’d freeze to death in minutes, which has me terrified now.
As I’m looking, I see her small hand lose its grip on the dog. “Dove!” I shout louder. “Hang on to Akela, Dove, Daddy’s coming!”
I lunge in panic, and it’s a critical error. The ice breaks. My large hand closes around her small one when it all goes, and we’re hit like a freight train with the full force of the frozen water.
The last thing I hear is Noel’s scream.
31
Noel
It sounds like a tree limb breaking in two, or a gunshot at close range.
The entire surface of the reservoir cracks open, and Sawyer hits his stomach, still holding the rope. Taron disappears into the black along with my daughter and my dog. I drop to my knees screaming.
The tornado touches down in my chest again, spiraling and ripping through my insides. It’s tearing my heart out, and I don’t have time to take shelter.
Leon releases me, dashing to help his brother.
“Do you have them?” His voice is more of a scream.
“I don’t know!” Sawyer scrambles to his feet, grabbing the rope again.
Akela’s head is the first above the water. She dog-paddles against the current, but she’s losing the race. She’s a cold-climate dog, but we don’t know how long she’s been in this stream.
Taron’s head comes up next, and he clutches Dove against his chest. “Hu-hurry!” It’s a loud noise like a cough or a growl. Splashes behind him, and I can see he’s kicking his legs.
Leon runs to the three-wheeler and shoves the starter down, then he starts to move it forward slowly. The rope goes taut, and Sawyer puts it under his arm, carefully guiding it, pulling them out.
Taron’s upper body rises higher. I see the rope wrapped multiple times around his forearm, and he’s holding our daughter against his chest, doing his best to keep her out of the water.
I’m on all fours, clutching my hands together and praying. Every muscle in my body is tense as I watch them fight the icy currents.
Horns honk behind us, and the noise of a siren seems far away. My vision is tunneled as my entire life plays out before me.
“God, please!” I pray again, my voice a screaming cry. “Help us!”
It all goes into slow motion when it happens. The knot slips or Taron’s grip slips.
“Leon! Stop!” Sawyer yells at my younger brother when the yellow rope goes slack.
The siren is loud now, cutting across the field as EMS races to the scene. A swarm of workers surrounds me. A large man grabs me, wrapping a blanket around my body and pulling me back.
“No!” I try to struggle and fight him, but my arms are pinned beneath the canvas.
“We have to move fast!” A woman yells, and they carry yellow body boards out onto the ice. “How many are there?”
“Two and a dog!” Sawyer shouts.
Lights flash, blinding me. I can’t see what’s happening. I’m shoved into a cop car, and a woman puts a plastic thermos in my hand. “Drink this.”
“Let me out… It’s my daughter!” I’m frantic, trying to get back to them.
“They’re going to be okay. We’re getting them out. We’ll get them to the hospital. Please stay calm.”
I can’t see what’s happening. Tears blind my eyes, and I strain, trying to see what they’re doing through all the commotion. So many people are here… they’re all working fast, and I hear something that sounds like a motor. Men shouting.
Panic constricts my lungs, and I want to help. I want to know what’s going on. I need to see my daughter, Taron.
“Help, please—” I barely have the words out when three doors slam.
The ambulance shoots off into the night, and we follow in a caravan of lights.
“We came as soon as we heard.” Mrs. Jenny and Mindy run up the narrow hallway to where I’m standing outside the doors of the Emergency Room with my brothers.
“What’s happening?” My best friend takes my hand.
“Don’t know yet.” Sawyer’s arm is around me, but I haven’t stopped shaking since we left the house. “Dove is unconscious. They think she’s suffering from cold water shock. Taron was with us all the way until the last break. I think the ice hit him…”
“Lord, no.” Mrs. Jenny steps forward, pulling me into a hug.
Up to now I’ve been completely numb, as if I’d fallen into the icy waters, but with the breakdown of my long-time pillar of strength, I feel my insides collapse. The weight of this is more than I can bear.
“I can’t lose them.” My voice is a broken whisper.
She clears her throat, clutching my shoulders and holding me straight. “You’re not going to. The Lord said he wouldn’t give us more than we can bear.”
My eyes are wide and dry. I’ve run out of tears, but it doesn’t mean I’m not dying inside. The hospital door opens, and a young man in blue scrubs strides out.
“LaGrange?”
“That’s us.” Sawyer steps forward quickly.
“Which one of you is the mother.”
Everyone puts their hands on me, and I step up. “That’s me.”
He looks at the five of us huddled in a group—Sawyer, Leon, Mrs. Jenny, Mindy, and me. “I take it you’re all family?”
Mrs. Jenny extends a pleading hand. “Yes, please tell us what’s happening.”
“She’s stable. Her vitals are strong…”
“Oh, thank you, Jesus.” We collectively exhale.
“But she’s in a state of posttraumatic unconsciousness. We’re monitoring her, but I’m concerned she suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain while she was in the water.”
My chest feels hollowed out. I start to fall forward, but my older brother holds me. “What does that mean?” Sawyer’s voice is grave.
The doctor’s lips press together. “It could mean anything. We won’t know until she regains consciousness.”
I’m having trouble breathing. My throat is tight. Mrs. Jenny pulls me into a hug while my brother talks to the doctor.
“How long will she be like this?”
“I don’t know, but we’re moving her to a room. Hopefully hearing her mother’s voice, talking to her will bring her around. It’s a waiting game now. I’ll have the nurse show you back.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Leon’s voice calls after him.
My brother helps my friend lower me into a blue vinyl chair. “We’ll sit with her. We’ll talk to her, and she’s going to wake up.” Mrs. Jenny’s voice is confident. “You know how chatty she is. She’ll want to join the conversation.”
I don’t know what I know. My shoulders ache, and I feel all hope slipping away from me. “What about Taron?” I sound hoarse. “Did they tell us anything about him?”
“Last I heard, he was being treated for a head wound—”