Page 79 of Releasing 10
“Bethany!” Sadhbh screamed. “Joe, I can’t swim. Please, I can’t swim, Joe!”
“I’ll get our baby.” We were shoved out of the way then, and I watched as Joe Gibson barreled past us and jumped overboard, while screaming his daughter’s name. “Bethany!”
“Daddy’s coming, Beth,” Sadhbh continued to scream, and it made my skin crawl because it sounded like impending doom. “Hold on, baby girl. Daddy’s on the way!”
Panic stricken, I grabbedmysister and pulled her back from the edge, where she had been leaning over and crying hysterically.
Everyone was screaming and I didn’t know what to do. I was scared to look at Sadhbh’s face because the noises coming out of her were truly terrifying.
Instead, I kept a firm grip on the small, curly-haired girl and thanked Jesus he had sparedmysister.
Because this was bad.
I knew it was.
Beth couldn’t swim, she was only a toddler, and the current was too strong. It wasn’t a swimming pool she needed to be rescued from—it was the wild Atlantic Ocean, and she hadn’t surfaced once since she fell in.
“Beth, hold on!” My attention snapped to Gibsie’s frantic screams, and I locked eyes on him climbing over the side of the boat. “Dad, I’m coming!”
“Gibs, no!” I roared, pushing past my sister, but it was too late.
He was already disappearing beneath the waves.
“Hold on, Gibs!” I called out, before sucking in a deep breath and launching myself over the side.
But I didn’t hit the water because someone grabbed me by the back of my shirt. “No!” My father’s voice boomed in my ears, as he roughly dragged me backward and tossed me in a heap on the deck. “Stay!” he ordered before jumping overboard.
“Dad!” I screamed, scrambling onto my hands and knees to get to him. “Dad!”
In a nanosecond, my mother was on me, wrapping her arms around me in a ferocious bear hug to stop me from following my dad.
“No, Mam,” I cried, pushing and lashing to break free. “Gibs can’t swim properly.”
“He can’t swim yet!” Claire screamed, repeating my words, as she barreled toward the side of the boat where our friend had disappeared. “You gots to do something!” She argued, pushing and slamming her small fists against Keith’s leg. “You gots to save them!”
“I can’t swim,” Keith cried, holding on to Sadhbh, who seemed to be in a state of delirium. “I’m so sorry. I can’t swim.”
Meanwhile, Mark stood to the side, with his arms folded across his chest.
Like a statue.
Like a devil.
Doingnothing.
Managing to free myself from Mam’s grip, I bolted over to the side of the boat and screamed when Joe broke the surface with both of his children.
Relief.
It flooded me.
Gibsie’s limp body was sprawled over his shoulder, while he clutched his toddler daughter to his chest. Neither one of them were moving.
Gibsie’s eyes were closed, and Bethany’s hair was draped over her face in wet, golden clumps.
Panic quickly set in.
Oh no.
