Page 61 of Anyone But You
“Good.”
Seconds later, I popped my head up like a prairie dog when I heard something in the distance. Knox tried to speak. “Shut the hell up,” I hissed. “Do you hear that?” I asked, looking to him for affirmation that I wasn’t going crazy. He nodded, and for thefirst time since he’d been bitten, there was hope in his eyes. I heard the whirring of what sounded like a helicopter. And then I saw it in the distance.
A helicopter. It’s a fucking helicopter!
“Knox, baby. I know you were about to be ushered to the Gates of Hell, but I need you to hang on a little bit longer,” I said. I snapped myself into my orange life vest and started paddling towards the helicopter with everything I had.
The waves began to rock our raft violently as the helicopter approached. I stopped paddling and started waving it in the air and shouting as if the occupants could hear me over the blades’ chopping.
My heart sank in my chest when the helicopter passed over us, but I was determined not to give up.
“You see all this orange down here! Get your ass back here!” I shouted as I followed the helicopter. “Y’all bitches colorblind or something?!”
“I-I wouldn’t… turn around… either.”
“You’re real chatty for someone who was about to be shark bait a few moments ago.”
My heart kicked into high gear when the helicopter turned around, and I could see it lowering from a distance. I waved, shouted, and cried as it grew closer, and I never thought the most beautiful thing I’d ever witness was a man in uniform propelling down towards us.
“Gio… they’re wearing military uniforms. We… we’re going home, baby,” I cried. “Did you hear me? We’re—Knox?” I dropped to the raft and shook him. “Knox! We’re going home!” I yelled in his face. I pressed my ear to his chest, but I couldn’t hear his heart, nor could I feel anything when I checked his pulse. “I knew you were a sick bastard,” I spat as I started compressions. “Y-you waited good until we were saved to die on me, you stupid son-of-a-bitch!”
“Ma’am, I’m Officer Grimes with the United States Coast Guard—”
“Fuck the introductions! He was bitten by a venomous snake approximately 36 hours ago. Send one of those damn baskets down and get him to your ship or base!”
The following two minutes were a blur. I continued compressions, and Officer Grimes radioed for them to send down the defibrillator. I was sobbing uncontrollably as another officer wrestled me out of the raft, and we were hoisted into the air.
“My husband! You have to save him!”
“Officer Grimes is working on him, ma’am. Calm down.”
The radio on the officer’s shoulder crackled. “We have a heartbeat,” Officer Grimes’ voice rang through the radio. I glanced down at the raft, and I knew everything would be all right when Knox’s arm raised, and he flipped me off.
Suddenly, I felt weightless as darkness clouded my vision.
I did it… I fucking did it.
19
Heifers
Victoria
“Oh, my God, Victoria. It’s so good to hear your voice. We…we thought—take this phone. I can’t even talk right now,” Alyssa said. I laughed as I pictured over-the-top Alyssa wiping away tears and shoving her cell phone to Brittney.
“We’re so glad they found you, sis,” Brittney said, voice as soothing as ever.
“Me too.”
“What happened?”
I spent the next thirty minutes giving my friends an island recap.
“You better sue that aviation company!” Alyssa shouted from the background.
“And will!” I insisted.
“Girl, I just knew that man kidnapped you and had you human trafficked or something. Trust and believe we were on social media 24/7 and stayed on necks trying to raise awareness to find you,” Brittney expressed.
