Swimming to Catalina (Stone Barrington 4)

“He’s conscious,” the man said. “Can you talk, sir?”

Stone’s mouth wobbled, but nothing came out.

“Get me some water,” the man said.

A moment later Stone tasted something fresh and sweet. He swallowed some, then some more. Then he vomited it back up, along with some salt water.

“Take some more,” the man said. “You’re go

ing to be all right.”

“Ah min fuff,” Stone said.

“Don’t try to talk yet; just drink some more water, and take some deep breaths.”

Stone swirled some of the water around in his mouth and spat it out, then drank some more.

“Gd,” he said.

“Don’t talk; plenty of time for that later. Jennifer, go below and bring me a couple of dry towels.”

“Okay,” she said. She was back in a moment, dabbing at Stone’s face.

Stone began to shiver violently, his teeth chattering loudly.

The man got the shackle loose and removed the chain. “Help me get this suit off him,” the man said. “Let’s get all his clothes off; he’ll never get warm while he’s sopping wet.”

This took some time, and Stone wasn’t much help. Finally he was naked, and both people were drying him with the towels.

“Can you stand up?” the man asked.

Stone tried to speak, failed, then nodded.

“Help me with him, Jennifer; we’ve got to get him below and into a sleeping bag; he’s hypothermic.”

Stone, with their help, got onto a cockpit seat, still shaking, then got his feet onto the companionway ladder. In another moment he was lying on a saloon berth being zipped into a clammy sleeping bag.

“Boil some water and make some of that instant soup,” the man ordered.

Gradually, the shivering went away, and they got Stone into a sitting position and were feeding him hot soup from a cup.

“Thank you,” he managed to say.

“Don’t worry about it,” the man replied. “I think we ought to get you to a hospital, but I don’t think there’s one on Catalina.”

Stone shook his head. “No,” he said.

“You don’t want to go to a hospital?”

“No. I’m dead.”

“You’re not dead, but I think you had a pretty close call.”

“Stay dead,” Stone said.

“You want to stay dead?”

Stone nodded. “Gotta.”