Love and Cool Water

Love and Cool Water Chapter 11...

Here you go Chapter 11 enjoy

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Chapter 11...

Two months later...

I was woken with the sun streaming through the curtains and Noah kissing a path down my neck...

'Morning Beautiful.' Noah whispered into my ear.

'mmmh.'

'I'm just going to run out and get us all a coffee, ok?'

'Ok hun.' I mumbled getting comfortable again.

'Love you.'

'Muv you to.' I mumbled with a smile as I drifted off

Graduation had come and gone and the gang and I had spent a lot of our summer vacation down at the beach, making a week trip to Miami a few times and once to Las Vegas. We had just got back from Las Vegas last night as Noah was starting work on Monday and needed to get all his things sorted, so today was a day of running around the mall with him. Not that I minded.

With the help of my Dad and Noah I had decided to take a gap year, so I had called all the Universities that had offered me scholarships, to let them know. A few had said that the scholarship would still be there for me in year, so that was a relief. I also met with the National Scout and we had a very interesting talk about my potential and when I told him my plans for the next year, he was disappointed but told me to call him the minute I changed my mind.

So with my head in a good place I was able to really enjoy my summer with my friend before they all headed off to college in a month.

An hour later Noah still wasn't back and Sydney and I were sitting in the Kitchen eating breakfast when my Dad wondered in.

'Morning you two.'

Morning Dad!' We both mumbled in unison, Sydney never had a Dad so mine was the next best thing.

'No Noah this morning?'

'No he went out to get Coffee about an hour ago.'

'An Hour, the coffee shop is like 5 minutes away. Did he go make the beans himself or something?' He chuckled. My phone started ringing in my bag.

'Ah that will be him now.' I smiled digging through my bag.

'Hey Noa.....Danny?'

'What? When? Oh my god no.' I dropped the phone with tears streaming down my face.

'I need to get to the hospital Noah's been in an accident.' In a snap my Dad was pulling me through the door towards his car, with Sydney right on my heels. Ten minutes later I was standing next to Danny hugging him as we waited for the Doctor to come out.

'What happened Danny?' I sobbed.

'Some asshole jumped a red light...oh my God Rhylee he's was a mess when they brought him in here.' He was sitting in the waiting lounge chair tapping his foot in impatience as his body trembled, trying to stay strong, but you could see his mind was losing the battle against the stream of negative images running through it. I felt numb as I sat waiting next to him. Dad had gone to find a coffee machine and Sydney was pacing up and down the middle of the room, when the Doctor came in.

Are Mr Sawyer's parents here?' He asked.

'No but I'm his brother and this is his fiancé.' Danny said jumping up and pointing to me, quick thinking Danny.

'I'm sorry but Mr Sawyer didn't make it, there was nothing we could do, there was to much internal bleeding...' His words drowned out as I heard screaming around me and I dropped where I stood as I realised it was me. I felt arms wrap around me but shrugged them off as I felt my heart being ripped to pieces in pain. There were muffled voices around me and I could make out Danny next to me, sobbing with me, I pulled him too me and together we cried in each others arms. I was vaguely aware of Noah's parents arriving but one look at me and Danny had them right with us. After a little while I couldn't handle the pain anymore and moved away from the group of sobbing people. Wiping the tears from my face I started walking to the door, I saw my Dad get up to make his way to me but one look at his sorrow filled eyes undid me and I was running, running as fast as my legs would carry me. I only felt the air change as I left the hospital, the wind slapping against my face as I ran. I ran until there was nothing left to run with and then I ran some more, ignoring the pain in my legs as I moved. I found myself outside the pool and ripping through the doors I ran straight to the side of the pool, stumbling as I slipped over the smooth tiles in my flip flops. Kicking them off I fell into the pool, clothes and all, and swam. Numbing my mind in the water, the only place I could forget everything. I vaguely heard shouting and whistles around me but I ignored them and everything as I felt the numbness take over with every stroke.

Arms wrapped around my waist but I kicked and screamed hysterically until eventually they let me go and I was free to continue swimming. Hour's later, exhaustion finally pulled me out of the pool, dripping wet I stumbled home and fell into bed and blanked out.

The nightmare pulled me conscious and for the briefest second I wondered when I had changed my clothes and looked over to see Sydney spread across the sleeper couch and the memories of yesterday hit me like a ton of bricks and the pain enclosed around me again. Rather then waiting for my mind to catch up I skipped out of bed pulled on my suit and was out the door, my Dad chasing after me into the front yard but he wasn't quick enough, I was gone.

For the next week I spent all my time in the pool, eating almost nothing when I was home and getting very little sleep as the nightmares ripped through me each night. I hadn't said two words to anyone and I avoided Danny like the plague, he been a constant reminder of what I had lost, although he hadn't really been out of his house either.

It was Monday morning early when it finally all came crashing down around me, my mind wouldn't switch off, my body wouldn't swim, my heart wasn't shutting up and I broke. Screaming I start thrashing around the water as the tears flowed down my cheeks. I cursed and lashed out with every ounce of energy I had remaining, until I felt those arms around me restricting me movements, preventing me from fighting even though I struggled against the hold for ages. Eventually I was too tired to struggle, to tired to keep myself up, to tired to care and I gave in, succumbing to the heartbreak and collapsing into him.

'Come on lets get you out of this water.' Mr Taylor said softly as he carried me out of the pool. He wrapped a huge towel around me and sat holding me as I cried into his already wet shoulder. 'It's going to be ok Rhylee. I promise you it's going to be ok.' It was all his said over and over, as he rubbed soft circles around my back.

When I had no more tears left to cry, effectively crying myself out, he reached over and called my Dad, who rushed in not ten minutes later. I was asleep now wrapped in Mr Taylor's arms. He transferred me into my Dads arms and with a small nod of thanks he walked me back to the car and took me home to bed where I stayed until he woke me up for Noah's funeral. Which I went to and stared at Noah's smiling face looking back at me from the front of the church. Danny sat next to me clasping my hand for dear life the whole time.

When it was over he followed me back to mine and climbed into bed with me and for the next few hours we just lay there, next to each other.

'You know he wouldn't want you to be like this Rhy!' Danny said breaking the silence.

'I know same goes for you!'

'I know.'

'I don't even know where to start Danny.'

'Me either. But he was you number one fan so perhaps start with what you know and just swim. Not all the time of course but like you used to. Little steps at a time!'

'What about you?'

'I'm going to go work for my Dad.' Starting next week, I need to keep busy.'

'What about your college?'

'I'm not interested in college never have been, I was only going cause of my Dad, but we had a talk. He knows I'm into my mechanic's. I'm not Noah, Rhy, I can't be the business man my Dad would like me to be.'

'So you're going to run his store then?'

'Yeah until I decide where I want to go in life.'

'Ok.'

We lapsed back into a comfortable silence and I slowly fell asleep with his arms around me.

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