Part 38 (2/2)

”Candi! Look!”

Candi was treading water when she heard Sarah's cry. She saw Sarah standing on the beach, pointing off to Candi's left. There, she saw Kevin's head surfacing above the water.

”Kevin! I'm coming, hang on!” Candi and Jonathan both raced over to where Kevin was treading water. Candi was so happy, she couldn't stop smiling. The sense of relief that she felt nearly overwhelmed her. Then she noticed that the water around Kevin was turning a darker color dark red.

Candi's heart went into her throat. He's bleeding ... a lot. She reached him at the same moment Jonathan did.

”What happened?” Jonathan asked.

Kevin was gasping for air. ”I went under and stayed there. I opened my eyes and saw the boat coming in my direction. I tried to dive down farther, but I didn't go down far enough. Propeller caught my arm.”

Kevin's water-treading was awkward, Candi could see that now. He was only able to use his legs and one arm.

”We need to get out of the water, ASAP,” said Jonathan. ”This blood is going to attract sharks.

Candi nearly pa.s.sed out. Sharks. Kevin was injured badly she didn't even know how badly - and now they had to worry about sharks. The fear gave her renewed energy. She grabbed Kevin's t-s.h.i.+rt and started heading for sh.o.r.e. ”Kick your legs, Kevin. I'll drag you in,” she gasped. ”Come on, Jonathan, grab his s.h.i.+rt with me.”

With the two of them pulling and kicking with adrenaline-fueled muscles, they were able to get Kevin to the shallow water where he could stand and walk the rest of the way. He held his injured arm close to his chest where it quickly covered the front of his body with blood.

Sarah was waiting for him as he emerged from the water, wearing only her bra and underpants. She'd already taken off her leopard dress, ready to use it to help stop the bleeding.

The others waited as Kevin pulled his arm away from his body. Sharp intakes of breath revealed what none of them wanted to say it was bad. A deep, vertical slice laid open his skin and muscle, down the length of his forearm. It was bleeding freely, pouring down into the sand.

Candi felt queasy, but she took charge anyway. Jonathan immediately sat down in the sand, putting his head between his legs. ”Sorry, guys! Vasovagal response again. Gotta get my circulation back under control, I'll be with you in a minute.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. ”Tell me what to do.”

”Get me some plant rope. We need to tie this thing closed.”

Sarah was back with some plant rope in less than a minute. Together the two girls worked to get the wound closed up as best they could, securing it with Sarah's dress on top and ropes holding it all together. ”This will do for now,” said Candi. ”When we get back to the treehouse, we'll figure out something more permanent. Can you walk okay, Kevin?” Concern filled her eyes.

”Yeah, I think so. Nothing wrong with my legs, I'm just a little lightheaded.”

Jonathan spoke from his sitting position on the beach. ”He's lost a lot of blood, better get him back before he pa.s.ses out. He'll be hard for us to carry.”

Jonathan joined them and they managed to get Kevin back to the treehouse and up the ladder before he did pa.s.s out. They all stood over Kevin's bed, discussing their next move.

”We need to get that wound cleaned and closed,” said Candi, sick to her stomach over the idea that they didn't have the supplies to do any of that properly.

”How do you propose we close it?” asked Jonathan. ”We don't really have any stuff for that.”

”How about a needle and thread?” asked Sarah.

Candi shot her a disgusted look, angry that she would be so glib at a time like this.

”What? I'm serious.”

”Yeah, okay, great idea, except that we have neither a needle nor any thread, Sarah. Don't be so thick.”

”Yes we do.” She turned and left the room.

Jonathan and Candi exchanged questioning looks. What did Sarah have up her sleeve this time?

Sarah returned in less than a minute with her Louis Vuitton makeup case.

Jonathan stared at it with suspicion. ”That friggin' makeup case. I should have thrown that thing overboard with the radio.”

Sarah opened it, rummaging around inside. ”Ah-ha!” she said, holding up something in her hand, a triumphant look on her face. ”Then you would have gotten rid of a perfectly good sewing kit!”

Candi's face registered the shock she was feeling over Sarah's announcement. She held out her hand, wordlessly.

Sarah placed a small, plastic packet in it. Inside was a single, thin needle and five different strings of various colors. It was the kind of sewing kit you get at a hotel for b.u.t.ton that fell off.

Candi couldn't think of anything to say. It's as if a miracle had just happened in their little treehouse, compliments of an angel named Sarah.

Jonathan grabbed Sarah in a bear hug. ”You are the most amazing woman. I am so sorry I almost made you leave that stupid case on the s.h.i.+p.”

Sarah smiled over his shoulder. ”You're welcome. I meant it when I said n.o.body messes with my Louis Vuitton.”

Candi smiled. Sarah was always going to be Sarah, no matter what, and that was okay with her.

Candi turned back around to Kevin, mentally psyching herself up to do what she had to do. She began issuing instructions. ”We have to move quick while he's still out of it. Get lots of salt and regular water up here, the sheet, scissors, the antibiotic cream, gauze and tape from the first aid kit.”

She was interrupted by Sarah who had already gone down the ladder and was busy following Candi's instructions. ”Check my Louis for the scissors!” she yelled from below.

Jonathan opened the case and quickly located a pair of delicate fingernail scissors. He handed them to Candi and then continued his search. ”What else is she hiding in here?”

”Jonathan! Close my Louis!” came Sarah's voice again.

Jonathan got a sour look on his face but shut the case. ”Chicks.”

Candi got to work readying the needle and thread, doubling the thin cotton, hoping it would be strong enough to hold his skin together. Sarah came back up the ladder with the other supplies, joining Jonathan and Candi next to Kevin's cot.

”I need you guys to hold him down. This is going to hurt a lot, and I'm not sure when he's going to wake up.”

Sarah went over to Kevin's other side and lay down on his arm and shoulder, trapping them beneath her. Jonathan went down to his legs and held them down from above, leaning over and resting his hands on Kevin's knees.

Candi uncovered the wound. She couldn't help but grimace. It was really gross. She took a bamboo cup with fresh water and used it to rinse out the wound. It started to bleed heavily again. She held the edges of the skin together at the middle. ”I'm going to start in the center,” she said.

Jonathan was looking up at the ceiling, paying no attention to what she was doing.

Candi was okay with that because she knew he would be no good to them unconscious. She inserted the needle into Kevin's skin on the edge of the wound. Then she went across to stick the needle in the other side, pulling the thread almost all the way through. Then she tied the ends together, using the knot to draw the edges of the wound closed. She put two more knots in that st.i.tch and then cut it off with the scissors. ”One down, about a hundred left to go.” Her stomach rolled, vomit threatening to rise up. She held it down, readying herself for the next stich.

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