Wait for Me

“It’s the best I could find.” His voice is ragged, and I wrap it several times around my arms as I start for the water.

Sawyer passes his sister to Leon. “Hold Noel.”

“No!” she screams, trying to break free.

“Let’s go.” I leave Sawyer behind, carefully walking as far as I can before dropping down to my belly to avoid breaking through.

My eyes blink rapidly and my heart is hammering in my chest. I see the dog, but it’s too dark. I can’t see if she’s there…

“Shine a light out here!” My voice is ragged with fear.

Straining my eyes, I look closer and see her little hand clutching Akela’s collar. Her face is pressed into the back of the dog’s fur, and Akela fights to hold onto the edge of the ice. Her nails scratch, and her voice is weak, failing.

“Good girl, Akela… Good girl.” I have to stay calm. “Dove, can you hear me? Dove!”

Her head doesn’t move, and I turn, sliding backward toward them. I’m almost to the edge. I can’t break this ice or we’ll all go under, we could lose them both.

The water hits my legs and it cuts like a knife it’s so cold. I know from training to stay calm when the cold hits, but hypothermia is my bigger fear. I don’t know how long they’ve been out here. Sliding to the side, my hand makes contact with Akela’s paw.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you, girl.” My voice is controlled panic, calm with an edge. “Almost there.”

“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.