That's Ma Name (Edited)

Chapter Seven

"Come on, come on," I thought to myself below the water. The black door wasn't budging as I banged and thumped it desperate to save the 5 people inside.

It was a small young family. The father was unconscious over the steering wheel and the red cloud of water in the car was growing. I knew he was concussed, I had to get him out first. The oldest child was trying to calm the toddler and small baby and the mother was screaming. All this time the door still wouldn't budge. I spotted a small crack in the window of door on the drivers side and my instincts took over as I lifted my foot and kicked the window. Once. Twice. Finally on the third blow the glass shattered and I gained a few lacerations in the making but the task I had was urgent. I forced myself in the window and unfastened his seat belt. By now my chest was burning and I needed to breath. The coldness had numbed by body was I struggled with his unconscious body.

"Jessie! Call an ambulance!" I yelled, gasping for air as I returned to the surface, hauling the father with me. I got him onto a near by bank and placed him in the recovery position before returning to the car. There was no air space left and my thoughts pushed me towards the children. The eldest was a girl, maybe 14. The middle child was a boy who looked no older than 5 and the baby didn't look over a year. I pushed the eldest towards the window and signaled her for to go before unbuckling the infant and pulling the toddler with me. At the surface I could see the girl had made it to the bank and was with her father. Swimming was harder with the two children than with the guy but I managed to take them to dry land.

Diving into the darkness once more as I heard the sirens nearing, I swam closer to the car and my thoughts centered on the person who holds this family together. Just then, an image popped into my head. 

When I got there the woman was struggling with her loose cardigan. It had became caught on the handbrake. The wool had wrapped itself around the handle multiple times. I tried to prise it off but it would not budge. My numb fingers had no affect on the position of the clothing. No matter how hard I tried the cardigan was not moving. I then realized she should just take the cardigan of so I pulled on the hem and the woman understood and slipped out of the jacket easily, quickly swimming out the window. As I tried to follow her cardigan became wrapped around my foot and I had no where to go. I started to get panicky as the last of my oxygen ran out. I heaved my whole body upright trying to prise my foot out of the clothing, cracking my head off the window and what was left of the smashed glass. I tugged at my leg once more and although it freed it, a searing pain pierced through my whole leg causing me to have a large intake through my mouth completely forgetting about the water around me. My throat now burning for air. This caused me to start coughing and I felt my body get heavier and heavier and heavier.

-Jessie's POV-

The paramedics arrived just as I was giving the policewoman my statement and went straight to the bank, helping the children and the man. When the woman came to the surface I thought Rowan would come up too. But 3 minutes later she still hadn't appeared and the silent anxious tears turned into hard sobs. I seen the paramedics whispering and looking over to where the car was submerged. Something then floated to the top of the water and I quickly put the pieces together.

"No!" I screamed, ducking under the blue police ribbon. A stern looking police man grabbed my shoulders, his strong grip hurting me and containing me to the spot. One of the paramedics jumped straight into the river and pulled the clothing. I was right - it was Rowan. My sobs turned into shrieks as my knees gave way. The paramedic swam back to shore with her, instantly starting CPR.

I scampered to her side, taking her ice cold hand in mine. Her lips were blue and she was so pale. There were a few gashes on her face but her worst was a gaping laceration along her hairline as it continued to ooze at quite a rate. 

"Rowan, please?" I begged as I watched the paramedic trying to bring her back. "Row, don't leave. Please. Not yet." My vision was a mess of color as the tears became heavier than they already were. As another ambulance arrived and the paramedics continued working on Rowan, asking for someone to bring a defibrillator. I watched as they tried to charge her heart. Once. Twice.

On the third attempt after Rowan's body lifted from the floor she took in a very sharp intake of breath before coughing up water everywhere. I jumped at her, taking her face in my hands.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again," I told her, crying again. "Ever!"

"Jess, don't leave me," she breathed, struggling for a breath, even through the oxygen mask. I placed my hand on her cheek.

"I won't," I promised.

"Jess," she sighed. "Put a coat on. It's cold."

"Trust you," I laughed. Her face scrunched up.

"Row, I was joking," I assured her.

"I know. I ache," she stifled.

One of the paramedics went into his bag and pulled out a small bottle with white fluid in it and a small needle, as he went to inject the pain relief into Rowan, he informed us both that it would make her sleepy and she could fall unconscious. 

"No. I don't want to sleep. Jess tell him," she protested.

"Rowan you're hurting babe," I sighed, gently rubbing her shoulder.

"You said you wouldn't leave. You lied," she continued protesting and the doctor inserted the needle into her forearm. "Don't leave me Jess, please don't leave," she said softly as the medicine took over and she was loaded into the ambulance an I hopped in beside her, not breaking my promise.