He waved back at me.
“I’m all right,” he called, and leaned over the boat to look at the rudder and propellers.
I was half turned, watching him, and I let go of the wheel with my right hand just as a rather strong, high wave crashed against the side of the boat. I was the one who lost balance this time and felt myself falling to my right. I reached out frantically for the wheel, and when I seized it, I turned it sharply. The boat turned sharply too.
Adan looked as if he was lifting off the floor of the deck the way the gull had lifted earlier off the side of the boat. In an effort to prevent himself from going overboard, he reached for the side of the boat, what I would later learn was called the gunnel, and he struck his head hard and sharply. He fell back to the deck instantly.
“Adan!”
I straightened myself, and, clinging to anything and everything I could, I hurried down the ladder. I made my way back to him. He hadn’t stirred since hitting his head. I fell to the deck beside him and shook him. Without anyone steering it, the boat wobbled and bounced dramatically.
“Adan! Adan!”
His eyes were shut, his face in a grimace of pain, but he did not regain consciousness. When I saw a trickle of blood begin to flow from his scalp, I went into an even greater panic. I knew I had to get back to steering the boat. The ocean was tossing us about as if we were in a toy. Practically crawling on all fours now, I scurried back to the ladder and up to the bridge. When I seized the wheel, I spread my legs apart as I had seen him do and steadied the boat. I had no idea which way to turn to reach shore, but I turned all the way to my right. I looked for a way to keep the wheel from turning while I returned to Adan, but I couldn’t find one.
Tears were streaming down my face now, tears of panic, not tears of sadness. I moaned and prayed. Suddenly, I saw another boat in the distance and turned to head in its direction. I knew the people on it were too far away to hear my cries, and the wind would carry them off, anyway. Fortunately, they were heading in our direction, so the time it took to draw closer was reduced. It seemed to take forever to me, however.
Adan had still not moved. I could see the trickle of blood was now a clear red line down the side of his temple and over his cheek. How could all this have happened so quickly? I complained aloud, as if some god of the sea would hear me and fix everything. It wasn’t fair.
When I could clearly see the people on the other boat, I waved and screamed. Someone pointed at me, and they all looked my way.
“Adan is seriously hurt!” I shouted, as if I believed everyone in the world knew who he was. I pointed to him, but there was no way they could see him yet.
I listened to the tall man in a dark blue shirt and pants and followed his directions to slow our boat. He told me to hold it steady, and soon they were close enough to lower their dinghy. The man got into it and started for our boat. The moment he was able to board, I felt myself spin around. The excitement and panic were too much. He seized my arm, but I sank to the floor.
When I woke, I saw there was now another man, shorter and stocky, and a woman beside him on our boat. They had managed to get Adan onto the cushion on the deck. The woman came to me immediately. She had long red hair and freckles peppered over her cheeks, even at the sides of her chin.
“What happened?” she asked when I sat up.
“He hit his head on the side,” was all I managed to say before my throat choked up.
“You take it easy,” she said. “We’ll get you both back. Felix, my husband,” she said, nodding at the man standing at our steering wheel, “will handle your boat. My son is on ours. C’mon,” she said. “I’ll help you lie down on the cushion beside your…husband?”
I shook my head. “No, he’s only a friend.”
“All right, honey. Lean on me,” she said. Somehow, she guided me back to Adan, and I was able to sprawl out beside him. His eyes were still shut, but they had bandaged his head enough to stop the bleeding. I reached for his hand, and then I lay back and closed my eyes.
Soon, I thought, I’ll wake from this nightmare. Please, mi dios, I prayed, make it only a nightmare.
Maybe I fell asleep again. I can’t remember now, but when I opened my eyes again, we were closing on the dock. They had put a blanket over Adan. He didn’t look as if he was cold, but I thought the way he was right now, he wouldn’t know if he was or not. They had radioed ahead, so when we reached the dock, I could see the paramedics waiting. There was an ambulance parked nearby.
“It’ll be all right,” the woman told me. “We’re almost there, dear.”
She squeezed my hand. I looked at Adan and prayed she was right.
Once we docked, the paramedics quickly boarded. They asked me what had happened, and I described Adan’s accident quickly while they prepared to take him off the boat. I was crying so hard that I wasn’t sure they understood my explanation. I know I was blaming it all on myself. If I hadn’t lost my balance…if I hadn’t pulled the steering wheel too hard…
“Did you hurt yourself in any way?” the paramedic asked me.
I showed him my hands. They were burning because of how I had skinned my palms in my desperation to get up the ladder to the bridge.
“We’ll take care of that. Don’t worry. Take it easy,” the paramedics told me. “Just stay calm.”
“Gracias,” I said.
I watched as they strapped Adan into a gurney, securing his head and neck, and lifted him gently. On the dock, they had another gurney with wheels. I was wobbly when I stood. The woman with red hair held my arm and helped me get off the boat.
“How are you doing?” one of the paramedics asked me.