Declan

Chapter Forty Two

Declan ~

Declan's body moved swiftly through the murky lake water as he followed the bubbles straight down to Lexi.

His hands found the chair as they both settled to the bottom which from Declan's perspective had to be around ten to twelve feet down.

He immediately pulled the cuff key from his lips and went to work on Lexis restraints. The lock didn't release on his first attempt...or the second... or the third. Rattling and jiggling the key, he decided to try the lock one more time as his lungs started to catch fire.

He swallowed against his need to inhale as the key finally clicked into place and released Lexis wrists.

Wrapping his arm around her chest he pulled her limp body to the surface. She didn't grab onto him or fight or claw her way to up in a battle for oxygen the way most drowning victims do. She didn't move at all which was a bad sign.

Using his legs Declan propelled them upward through the water with his throat and chest starting to cave and collapse as they reached the surface.

With a loud gasp Declan's lungs drank up the oxygen from the air faster than Declan could supply it as he lifted his head from the water and pulled Lexi toward the dock.

Pierce was half way in the water with one hand out reached toward Lexi and the other anchored to the side of the dock.

"Give her to me," Pierce instructed as he pulled her to him and hoisted her lifeless body out of the water. Declan's first full glimpse of her tore a hole in his heart and a wave of panic overwhelmed him.  Her body was limp and lifeless and water poured from her nose and mouth as Pierce lifted her.

Planting his hands down onto the dock, he pushed his body weight up and out of the water and continued to gasp for air.

In that time Caleb had already started working. He drained as much water as he could from her nose and mouth and rolled her onto her back as he examined her.

"I got no pulse," Caleb called out.

Oh God no.

Caleb gave her a forceful rescue breath followed by CPR chest compressions as Declan knelt beside her head, giving Caleb room to work.

"No ma'am you are not allowed to do this. Do you hear me?" Caleb said loudly as he pressed hard on Lexis chest.

A second rescue breath followed by another round of thirty compressions.

"Tell me about that leg." Caleb hollered out to no one in particular as he pumped Lexi's chest. None of the men except Caleb had noticed the bullet hole in her calf.

"Through and through," Pierce answered.

"Get that clot kit working." Caleb ordered.

A third rescue breath and set of compressions.

Something was wrong. It shouldn't be taking this long. Declan's mind spiraled and fought him as he tried to think of a successful resuscitation that had lasted this long. He couldn't. There wasn't one that he'd ever witnessed.

His eyes darted from Lexi up to Caleb and back again waiting for Caleb to give him the all clear and say she was going to be okay, but it didn't happen.

Caleb's expressions became more hardened with every manual pump of Lexis chest. At his fourth attempt to find a pulse Caleb lost his calm demeanor which only confirmed the gravity of the situation.

"Shit!" Caleb screamed as he failed yet again to find a pulse.

"Talk to her Dec!" He ordered harshly.