Page 6 of Deep Waters

“Keep the pressure on the wound until I’ve assessed him.” The voice was male. He moved around to Niko’s head and opened his eyes, shining a small torch into his pupils. “Niko, my name is Jake. I need to check you over, okay? Try to make a noise if you can hear me.”

There was no response. Jake hurriedly dived into the large first-aid case he’d brought and pulled out an Ambu bag resuscitator. He fastened it over Niko’s mouth and nose and squeezed air into him.

“Harry,” Jake shouted, “start chest compressions. You know what to do, right?”

Harry nodded, dropping to the deck beside the boy. He pulled off the blanket to expose his chest and started the compressions without a pause.

Jake then shouted at Tom. “We don’t have time to wait for the helicopter, and we can’t lift him off in this condition. Get us to the harbour as quickly as you can.” He then began relaying instruction through his headset to the other boat. Christian only made out certain words.Not breathing. No pulse. Hypothermia. Paramedics.

The urge to panic returned. He looked at Harry and the determined expression on his face as he pumped up and down on the young man’s chest. Niko’s life depended on them and what they did next. Christian couldn’t lose his shit, not now. There would be time enough for that when they were all ashore. He had a job to do, and though a large part of him knew that it was too late, he clung to hope.

The boat made a terrifying bang each time it came down from another wave. Christian thought it was about to fall apart under the pressure as Tom sped towards land.How far out are we?he wondered. Harry had said earlier that they were close to shore, but the journey in seemed to take forever.

Suddenly, the trembling and rattling ceased. Christian looked up as the boat slipped into the protective walls of Nyemouth Harbour. They had made it.

Please, don’t let us be too late.

Chapter Three

Christian saw the blue lights of an ambulance flashing on the dock. Tom steered the boat and brought it in directly beneath the waiting paramedics. A grey-haired man in his seventies, wearing a fisherman’s cap, threw down a rope and Tom secured it to the front of the vessel. As soon as they tied a second rope to the stern, the paramedics scuttled down the rusty ladder and climbed aboard.

Christian had never known such a feeling of complete helplessness. All he could do was maintain the pressure on Niko’s wound as Jake, the young man from the lifeboat, filled them in on the casualty’s’ condition and progress. He didn’t stop pumping air into his lungs with the Ambu bag. Christian wondered what good it could do now. Niko looked pretty lifeless.

One of the paramedics asked Christian to step aside as they took over his care.

It was pouring. The rain mingled with the young man’s blood before washing it over the side. Christian held out his hands, palms upwards, and let the rain rinse them clean. He rubbed his eyes, clearing his sight.

“Hey, fella,” a voice called from above.

It was the old man who had thrown the ropes down. Christian realised he was talking to him.

The man beckoned him to the ladder. “Come on up. Let’s get you dried off and warmed up.”

Christian looked down again. Harry, Jake and the two paramedics continued to work on Niko. He couldn’t see anything of the wounded man besides his legs. There was nothing he could do except get in their way. He stepped across the slippery deck, gripping the handrail to keep upright, and made it to the ladders.

“That’s it,” the old man said, taking his hand when he reached the top and helping him up. Sharp eyes looked at Christian from a kind face. “Let them do their jobs. You come with me.” He put his hand on Christian’s shoulder and led him to the lifeboat station.

The old man’s compassion threatened to overwhelm him as they stepped out of the wind and rain. Tears pricked Christian’s eyes as his body released the tension he’d been holding.

The man introduced himself. “I’m Jacob. Come on, this way. You’ve had a shock. You need to get warm.”

Despite the awful conditions, a curious crowd had gathered in front of the station. Christian was aware of them watching as Jacob guided him inside. One man in fishing waterproofs seemed nosier than the rest. “What’s going on, Jacob?” he shouted above the wind.

The older man either didn’t hear the question or pretended not to and passed without comment.

The lifeboat was still in the water and the station seemed cavernous and empty without it. Jacob took him through a door marked ‘Private’, into a cosy kitchen and sitting area. It seemed so small and mundane after what he had just been through. Jacob opened a cupboard and handed him a couple of towels. Christian took them gratefully and wiped his face and neck before drying his hair.

Jacob filled the kettle and put it on to boil. “We’ll get an update in a little while. I expect the police will want to speak to you before you leave.”

Christian nodded. “I’m still trying to process what happened. It… Well, it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

“That’s no surprise. You’ve had an enormous shock. Sit down. Don’t force it.” He put a tea bag into a mug and spooned in two sugars. “You were on a charter with Harry?”

Christian nodded, dropping gratefully onto the sofa in the corner. “It was a sightseeing trip more than anything. We were heading back when I spotted something in the water. I didn’t even know it was a person at first.”

“It’s lucky that you did. It’s hard to spot someone in calm conditions, never mind a horror like this afternoon.”

“I think…he’s been stabbed.” The words sounded incredulous, even as he said them. Christian’s mind flashed back to the wound he’d found beneath Niko’s clothes. “It couldn’t have… Well, I don’t think he could have sustained that injury any other way.”

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