Surly Sam & Facing Fears Head On

14 Days After – Enroute to Wanderlust Lodge – 4:00 pm

The team was enroute to Wanderlust Lodge the evening before the first day. Plouffe wanted them to stay the full seven days so had arranged for them to travel the day before. In one van were Sam, Lou, Spike and Jules. In the second were Ed, Sophie and Clark.

In the third were Greg, Wordy and Shel. Wordy had talked Shel into having the girls stay with their grandparents. He reasoned that Shel could really use a break after seeing how much she did with the girls all the time. He wanted her to have free time to take advantage of all the spa activities and get pampered for a change. Shel had hugged him with all her might and said that it would be fabulous to spend some time together without the little ones.

Everyone except Sam was actually a bit on the excited side right now. Last week Plouffe had sent them brochures that described all the activities available and it seemed there was something for everyone.

Greg had been very happy when Dr. Tansy said she would be able to fit four days into her schedule to accommodate the teams required number of sessions.

Clark was extremely happy. He would get time to spend with his dad and uncles doing cool stuff and miss an entire week of school. Sophie was happy to spend time with Ed. She had really missed him while she was at her sisters.

But Sam was not a happy camper right now. Jules, Spike and Lou had decided to just let him be for a while and sat talking among themselves. So he sat stewing in his own thoughts with his arms folded tightly across his chest and a scowl on his face.

Last week had ticked him off. Sam hated being sick. He was an extremely bad patient, irritable, cross and sulky and sometimes just downright rude. It was a damned good thing he didn't get sick often. The last time he was sick was with Bronchitis shortly after joining the team and before that it was probably when he was thirteen.

The only good thing to come out of it was he had finally gotten the sleep he needed. The cold medication basically knocked him out at night and he usually slept ten to twelve hours straight without waking and then napped during the day. He had a suspicion that Sarge added a sedative to the cold meds because he was tired of putting up with Sam's crap during the day.

If it were turned the other way round Sam sure the hell would have. But with proper sleep his concentration returned and the dark circles cleared. He looked his normal self now.

In his opinion, which was surly and non-appreciative at the moment, the team had nearly mother henned him to death the first four days. Constantly coming over and checking in on him asking if he needed anything. Telling him to eat this, drink that, take this, etc., etc., etc.. He nearly bit their heads off each time, telling them to just leave him alone.

Ed had admonished him for not taking care of himself and being stupid to ride without the jacket when he brought over homemade chicken soup from Sophie. Sam had not so nicely told him off. Ed had just laughed knowing that Sam was feverish and not quite with it.

In fact all the team forgave him his churlish attitude. When he was feeling more himself yesterday he had apologized for his behavior. They had accepted it. But they had responded sincerely that they wished he NEVER got a cold again because it made him surly and a royal pain in the ass.

When Sam first fell ill, Sarge had contacted the Superintendent to see if Sam could get a waiver and be exempt from the retreat. The Sarge had done that for two reasons. One was because he was sick and Sarge didn't know how long it would take for him to recover. Two, because of his fear of water.

But the Boss had only communicated the being sick part to Plouffe. Plouffe had said that if Sam got a doctor to sign off that travel was not in his best interest he would waive him.

So on the fourth day Sarge contacted Dr. Larrson. She had made him go in for a round of tests yesterday. Sarge had driven him to the medical center and waited for him.

The results were that he had almost completely recovered and that she would not sign a waiver. His lungs were in excellent shape, no worries there and Dr. Larrson said it was just a common cold. Sam would be one hundred percent in a day or so.

Dr. Larrson was right. Sam woke this morning feeling good physically and had no residual effects of the cold.

But his mood was quite another thing. He was surly and angry and for some reason he could not maintain a mask so simply gave up and exposed the entire team to his bad mood.

Sam was glad they were leaving him alone for the most part. He needed to figure out why and change his attitude soon. The team didn't need to put up with his shit.

As he processed his mood he thought if he was really honest with himself he was ticked off about being sick last week. There were two things he could identify as possible reasons for his anger. One it had waylaid his plans to search for a new apartment.

He had been looking forward to doing that. But then again maybe this wasn't the real reason. Maybe just a small secondary one. Because his team had come through for him on this one.

Spike, Lou and Jules had taken it upon themselves to search for him. They compiled an impressive report on five potential places. A small chunk of his surliness ebbed away as he recalled what they had done for him.

When they visited the places Lou photographed the interiors, views from each window, exteriors and surrounding areas of each. Jules did a neighborhood scan and provided him a full profile of the area including demographics, crime rates and such. Spike did a brief background check on the people that occupied adjacent apartments.

They provided him an annotated aerial picture showing all the take-out food places and other business he would likely need. They even highlighted the closest Timmy's in bold red. Jules had mapped the bike routes from the locations to SRU HQ and to the park trails and provided him with distances.

He gave a small chuckle as he remembered the pride and excitement in Spike's face then he handed him the report two days ago. Those three would give any special ops recon expert a run for the money. They were damned good. Even Jim would have been impressed.

Sam had selected an apartment based on all this information. Jules had run the paperwork back and forth between him and the leasing company. Yesterday while he and Sarge were at the doctors, Jules, Wordy, Lou, Spike and Ed had packed up his old apartment. The new one wouldn't be available for another week and a half but that fit his schedule with the damned retreat thing this week.

Clarity hit. The retreat. That was the real reason he was so out of sorts. Or more accurately his inability to try and prepare for it. Sam was facing his fear of water unprepared.

Sarge had shared with him the ideas the team had come up with to help him overcome his fear of water. They sounded good and he had really wanted to try them. But then he got sick and did not get a chance to even try.

Now he was on his way to Wanderlust Lodge and would have to deal with it. Sam really did not know how he was going to react to the boat ride; it scared the hell out of him just to imagine it.

He had not been on one since that day about ten years ago. Sam just hoped he didn't embarrass himself. He had been working hard to tell him it was a job, it was his duty but it was not alleviating the nervous feelings. But his brain knew the difference.

There was also a part of his mind telling him to quit worrying about that. That part of his brain that knew no matter what the team was there for him and would help him deal with it. So the only part left was the fear of drowning.

That was real and constant. Sam was having trouble containing it. Fear. He was angry because he was afraid. Now that he figured that out he could change his attitude.

Sam was pulled out of his internal sour thoughts by Spike's eager voice "Hey Samtastic, got another idea for the boat ride."

Spike had been throwing out ideas the last two hours. His ideas were getting more and more ludicrous. Sam simply looked at him and waited.

"We could get Wordy put you in a sleeper hold and take you out for several minutes then just drag your ass onto the boat" Spike beamed at the suggestion.

Sam rolled his eyes then gave him a look of 'really, just really is that the best you can do?'

Jules was sitting next to Spike and punched him hard in the arm and said "How stupid can you get?"

Spike cried out in pain and rubbed his arm. That finally made Sam laugh and released the last of his surliness. The fear was still there but not the bad attitude.

Hearing Sam laugh and seeing him smile made Spike feel good. About damned time he thought. I finally found something to make him laugh. Geez that was hard to come up with all those dumb ideas.

Spike said in mock hurt voice with a slightly pained expression "Glad my pain makes you laugh."

But then he changed to a smile when Sam answered when Lou asked him which activities appealed to him. Spike absently patted his jacket pocket. He had his secret weapon to help Sam with the boat ride. He would hold off until it was time to board.

Sam was responding to Lou "Yeah, I also thought the rock climbing and zip line sound like fun. They also have a gun range and even a small paint ball course. We should definitely do paintball that would be a blast."

As Lou and Jules responded Sam realized he also needed to spend some time preparing his seminar. He was assigned the sniper one, no big surprise there. While he was sick, Jules and Ed had drafted up something for him to start with so it should not take too much time to prepare.

God Sam loved this team, his chosen family was always there for him.

Mainland Boat Dock – 7:00 pm

There were four lights near the small dock that was used by Wanderlust Lodge to shuttle guests between the mainland and the island. It was pitch dark beyond the circle of lights so the vastness of the lake was unseen. But it was so quiet that the sounds of water lapping against the shore could be heard.

As they all piled out of the vans Ed, Wordy and Greg took note that Sam was now smiling and joking with the others.

Greg turned to Ed and Wordy then said "Good. They did well. They were able to pull Sam out of his sour mood. Now all we got to do is get him safely across the water. Did either of you come up with any ideas?"

Wordy shook his head no and Ed responded drolly "It's a damned good thing they were able too. I was about to do something drastic like order the kid to be nice and to smile. That or take him over my knee and blister his hide. Sam was such a brat this week. Not sure how you stood it Greg."

Greg just shrugged and smiled his eyes glinting with a secret. The glint in his eye was unseen by the others in the low light otherwise they would make him explain. But that was between him and Dr. Tansy. Damn he liked that woman and she cared a lot about Sam. She made sure Sam had slept, a lot.

Ed finally answered Greg's question "No ideas that are feasible. What about you?"

"Not so much. The only thing was maybe to make him feel safer by wearing life vests. If we all just grab one and put it on not making a big deal of it, he will likely follow suit and not feel as embarrassed" Greg suggested.

The others nodded agreement. Ed said he would spread the word to the others. They all grabbed their bags and headed for the dock.

Sam stood a moment gathering himself. He picked up his bags and followed everyone else. At the edge of the dock the others gave their bags to the dock hand and then put on a life vest.

He smiled and thought 'ah guys, that's nice'. Sam handed off his bag and donned a vest too. Everyone but Spike and he had boarded.

Sam was gathering courage to step onto the boat. He was having great difficulty and the anxiety was rising to a point he felt he was going under. Sam could not get his feet to move one inch.

Spike placed his hand on Sam's shoulder drawing his attention. Spike spoke in a quiet calm voice "I have something I think will help." He held out his hand and slowly opened it revealing Beauty. "She's fully charged."

Sam alternated between Spike's face and the small battered old MP3 player with raggedy ear buds in his hand. My god, he never even thought to try that. How did Spike have beauty?

His throat constricted with overwhelming gratitude that Spike would think of trying Beauty all he could get out was "How?"

"Jim put Beauty in my charge the night you found out about your lungs. I've carried it with me ever since. Worth a shot?" He smiled and handed it to Sam.

By this time the rest of the team had noticed what was going on. They were completely impressed with Spike. As he boarded they all gave him pats on the back and whispered "Good job."

Jules hugged Spike tightly and whispered "You're a great brother, thank you so much."

Spike blushed a bit at all the accolades. To him it was a small thing that he hoped would help Sam. Spike had promised Sam long ago hold tight and never let go.

Sam put the earbuds in and turned Beauty on. He took a few minutes to listen then tentatively stepped onto the boat. Spike and Wordy took one arm each and lead him to his seat.

They could see the rising tide of fear cresting in his eyes. The team had placed him in the very center seat surrounded and supported by them on all sides. Sam closed his eyes and concentrated solely on the music letting the external world fade away.

Boat Dock at Wanderlust Lodge – 8:00 pm

The team had observed that although Sam was in no way functional on the forty-five minute boat ride over, Beauty had helped him quell enough of the fear to deal with the ride. Sam never moved an inch after the guys had guided him to his seat and he had closed his eyes.

Wordy lightly patted Sam's shoulder as the boat finished docking. Sam opened his eyes as Wordy said "Buddy, were here. You did it. Let's go."

Spike and Wordy led him off the boat holding his arms again.

As soon as Sam stepped off the boat he removed the ear buds, turned off Beauty and handed her to Spike "Thanks buddy. That helped a lot. Keep Beauty for me please."

Spike smiled and nodded. Then Sam gave Spike a quick hug then removed the life vest. He picked up his bags and quickly headed for dry land away from his fear.

His anxiety lessened the further he got for the water. By the time they reached the lobby he was his normal self.

Wanderlust Lodge – Day 1 – Breakfast – 7:00 am

The group was seated for breakfast in the room that was reserved just for this group. All their meals and the therapy sessions would take place here. Clark was just sitting down with his third helping of waffles when the peppy activities director approached them.

She had a huge smile on her face "Good morning all. My name is Oliva Sandberg but everyone just calls me Liv. I want to welcome you all. I have some forms for you to fill out so we know what types of activities you all want to do so we can coordinate and schedule them. I have the list of blocked off times where your meetings are denoted and we will work around those." She handed out the forms and pencils to everyone.

She continued with her smile and light happy voice "We also have a new activity not listed on the form in case any of you are interested. We are lucky enough to snag one of the leading cold water dive experts for this season. So if anyone is interested in learning how to scuba dive let me know. Oh and he also teaches a cold water survival course if you're interested. Just let me know and I'll arrange it with Warren Pearson."

All heads swiveled to Sam. Sam shook his head in disbelief. No it couldn't be. Same name but it just could not be him.

Greg had an idea. He turned to look at Liv and asked "Could we meet with Warren?"

"Sure, I'll contact him and we will meet you in say an hour?" Liv chirped happily. "If you could have those forms filled out for me by then it would be great."

They all nodded. She smiled then bounced away.

Sam looked at Greg and said "No idea if it is the same guy. Same name but I don't see how it would be him. He was just as bad a swimmer as me. As we recovered he swore to me he would never go near water again. He was as traumatized by what happened as me."

"Maybe more so. He kept apologizing for letting go of me, for letting me drown. He wouldn't listen when I tried to tell him it wasn't his fault. To be a leading expert would be a stretch. He transferred four months after we were released from the hospital. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Greg and the rest of the team simply nodded thinking guess we'll find out in an hour and returned to the breakfast chatter as they filled out the forms.

Five minutes later Spike downed the last of his orange juice and looked to Sam "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, just one second." He took the last mouthful of waffles and washed it down with the last of his coffee. His appetite had returned and he and Clark were likely neck in neck on the number of waffles they consumed this morning.

Nope he thought as he saw Clark return with a fourth helping. That boy had a hollow leg, he was sure of it. Good thing his mom knew how to cook in large portions. Her catering skills applied for just one boy.

"Where ya off to?" Jules asked.

"Spike offered to help me finish my presentation stuff this morning. Stayed up last night to work it out but that stupid computer presentation program was frustrating me so I just did it on paper. Spike's gonna do the presentation, says it will only take him like thirty minutes so now is a good time" Sam replied.

"Mind if I come and see what you put together?" Jules inquired.

He smiled knowingly. She really meant mind if I completely trash what you did and make it an actual good presentation. But Sam replied "That'd be good. Come on."

Sam knew that Jules was actually great at public speaking so her input would be nice. He was okay at it but tended to be a bit dry and way to technical.

As the three headed out Greg called out "Be back in time to meet with Warren."

He got three "Copy that" in return. Greg smiled. Those three had a special place in his heart. A saying came into his mind as he watched the three of them walk away arm linked in arm with Jules in the middle 'all for one and one for all'.

Yeah Team One was kinda like the Musketeers. Greg returned to filling out his form.

Wanderlust Lodge – Day 1 – Breakfast – 8:00 am

The rest of the team had stayed in the room enjoying a lazy breakfast and completing the forms. Shel and Sophie conferred on all the spa offerings. They had grabbed Jules card and saw she didn't add any so deviously they check marked a few for her.

As much as Jules loved all the active things they thought it would be nice for Jules to have some girl time with them. Sophie joked with Shel and said "As badass as she is and can best our guys in many things, Jules should be pampered too sometimes."

Shel laughed "Yeah I know. Kevin told me all about the mishaps with installing the flooring. Oh my goodness if it had been left up to the guys that room would be a complete shambles. By the way how do you like it?"

Sophie smiled "Love it. Told Ed we need to install hardwood floors in the living room. He just glared at me then finally gruffed out 'only if Jules will help'. You know it kind of creeped me out that woman got into the house."

"Ed made some security changes too. He relocated the alarm entry so when we enter the code it cannot be seen from any angle. He checked the logs and found out that is how she got in so quietly. They found binoculars in the van and our code written on a piece paper. He also outfitted each of the upstairs rooms with emergency rope ladders. He said he wanted everyone to have a fast safe way to exit. Spike helped him rig up a video surveillance too" Sophie shared.

Shel nodded her head and said "Yeah, Kevin did the same thing at our house too, rope ladders and special locks on the windows. He spent an entire afternoon teaching the girls how to open the locks and use the ladders. Spike set up video surveillance for us too."

"That call really threw the whole team for a loop. A crazy stalker. I can understand why Sam wants to move, to creepy that she actually lived in his place" Shel shivered.

Neither woman knew the full extent of the call. Ed and Wordy had kept to themselves what had happened to Sam. They both felt it was Sam's private business and not theirs to share even with their wives. All they knew was a stalker had been after him.

Sophie giggled "You know when Ed told me that and my face showed how worried I was for Sam he tried to allay them by joking with me. He said with Sam's good looks he was surprised he wasn't stalked more often."

The two broke out in laughter, garnering glances from their husbands.

As they were settling down a handsome man entered the room. Shel nudged Sophie and whispered "Talk about handsome."

Sophie looked at the man. He was over six foot tall, lean and muscular. His striking red hair was cut in military style but a tad longer. His eyes were emerald green with golden flecks. That man was unmistakably unique and would surely turn girls heads as he walked down the street.

"Hello, I'm Warren. I was told that Greg Parker wanted to talk with me" the man said.

Greg turned to look at the speaker "I'm Greg, thanks for coming. I understand you teach a cold water survival course."

"Yep, one of my absolute passions. It's important to know given how cold the water is in most the lakes and rivers year round. Is your group interested?" Warren replied.

As he spoke Jules, Spike and Sam entered the room. Sam stopped dead in his tracks. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind, it was Warren.

Warren turned as he heard the door open. He first saw Spike enter then a gorgeous brunette. He was so captivated by the petite angel that he failed to notice the third person who entered the room. His eyes were pulled away from the woman when he heard a familiar and distinctive gravelly voice say "Warren, it is you."

He looked to the face of the speaker "My god Sam. Is that really you? When did you get out? What are you doing here?" He rambled off several more questions as the two split the difference and met each other in the middle and hugged. "Man what's it been like nine years or so?"

The two took a few minutes to share quick highlights of the past nine years as the others watched.

Sam finally said "Let me introduce you to the team."

After introductions were made all the team and Warren were seated at the table. Shel, Sophie and Clark headed out for a short walk to the beach; they wanted to see what it looked like in the daylight.

Warren then looked to Greg and said "So were you interested in the survival course?"

Greg answered "Yes. Yes we are. It would be good for the entire team to know what to do in case we ever have a call where that is need."

Warren smiled. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact or even believe a Braddock had actually left the military. But he supposed joining an elite SRU team was much the same thing.

He refocused on Greg as the man continued "I was also wondering if you have any experience in helping someone overcome a fear of the water."

Did he have experience well yeah, tons. But that question surprised him. Someone on an elite team had a fear of water. Then his stomach sank as he realized who it probably was.

Looking at Greg, Warren answered "Yes I do. I used to be terrified of water. I realized I needed to do something about it eight years ago. I had just left the military and was at a family get together to celebrate my homecoming."

"I stood rooted in place terror swamping me as I watched my niece drowning in the deep end of the pool. I could not get my feet to move forward and jump into the pool to get her. Luckily her mom saw at nearly the same time as me and rescued her."

"But after that I knew I had to get help. I took a course that literally changed my life. I've been teaching a course on overcoming aquaphobia and my other passions cold water survival and deep sea diving ever since" Warren openly shared.

Warren shifted and looked directly at Sam with a look of understanding "Why is there someone on your team that needs a bit of help there?"

He was looking for reaction and saw it was indeed Sam. Then he thought, finally a way to make amends to him for letting go for letting him drown. With his knowledge of the effects of cold water he knew that he had done all he could that day but he still felt guilty. This would assuage those feeling.

Sam nodded and said "Yeah, me."

Warren, Sam and Greg huddled together in one corner of a room. Warren discussed how he could modify his course to fit the time frame Sam had. Normally it was a ten week process allowing time in between for the person to accept the steps.

Bouncy Liv had come in to gather all the cards and promised to be back in an hour with a schedule. Warren had called her over and told her of his and Sam's schedule needs. She had smiled as she took notes.

Middle of the Lake – Day 4 – Sunrise

Sam, Warren and Spike were sitting in the back of a speed boat as the driver of the boat took them to the middle of the lake. Spike was in his own thoughts while Sam and Warren were talking. Spike looked at them and thought they resembled seals. All three were outfitted with a full-body heated wetsuits designed for forty-two degrees and below water including gloves, boots and hood.

Spike was glad he had joined Sam for all the sessions over the past three days. It gave Sam moral support and someone to process the day's lessons with in the evening. It had been an emotionally intense process for Sam.

The three met for four hours on day one after dinner. Then for the last two days they meet every morning from five to eight am, then again from seven to nine pm. Warren had offered to do it off shift hours so that Sam and Spike got to enjoy the other activities with the team during the days. Everyone usually met for breakfast at eight am and activities started at nine am so it was perfect.

Warren had started the lessons at the Lodge pool shallow end and progressed to the deep end. Then they had moved to the edges of the lake. Today was Sam's final exam in deep open water.

Sam was doing awesome but as a precaution Spike had encased Beauty in a water proof cover and had it tucked securely in his dive bag. The three of them had trekked over to the boat dock before sunrise and Sam had no hesitation stepping onto the boat.

Once they were all on the boat the driver had headed for the open water in the middle of the lake. Sam had told him that today's conditions were close to the day he had drowned. The water was very choppy and the cold wind blew strong and of course it was sunrise.

Warren looked to Sam "You ready for this buddy?"

Sam nodded as Warren put on his scuba tank and double checked his regulator and the tandem one then secured them both. He wore this as a precaution. If Sam panicked and sank Warren could rescue him and have air available.

Warren had tailored Sam's final exam to address his deepest fears. Hence the sunrise and middle of the lake location.

"Okay. Remember the first time in the water with a life vest. I'll be within arm's reach of you the entire time. Spike has the lifeline in case you need it" Warren stated and then waited for Sam to nod.

Then Warren lowered himself in the water and waited for Sam. Sam needed to enter when he was ready. So he easily treaded water as he waited.

Sam looked at Warren and Spike. He could do this. He had been amazed at the process so far. Sam never imagined he could actually get over this fear. Warren was an excellent instructor. He knew when to push and when to back off.

He checked the straps of his life vest then sat on the edge of the boat. A slight flood of anxiety rushed though Sam but he looked at Warren who was now in the water.

Sam slid into the water. The first step to the exam was to tread water for fifteen minutes next to the boat with Warren next to him. Sam was glad of the severe weather wetsuit. He was not cold even though the water was frigid.

After fifteen minutes they climbed into the boat to rest. Sam sipped his coffee as Warren explained the next step. Another fifteen minutes treading water with a vest on but this time Warren would not be in the water with him, only in the boat next to him.

Sam slipped into the water again and successful passed that. The third step was again with Warren in the water but this time no life vest and also fifteen minutes. Again he passed. The fourth part was also fifteen minutes in the water, no vest, no Warren but close to the boat. That one caused a slight flare of nerves but he passed it too.

As he rested before the next test Warren handed him several power bars and water. "Eat, drink. You need your energy for the next one. Only two more tests left. You are doing great. How are you feeling about it? Any issues we should address before proceeding?"

Sam considered the question carefully and answered truthfully "One issue. I haven't put my head under water yet. Scares me a bit out here even though I did okay in the pool."

Warren nodded and said "Okay then, small change in plans. Adding one more test. We'll do it next. We'll both be in the water and I want you to dive under. We can repeat it as many times as it takes for you to feel comfortable. Sound good to you?"

Sam nodded a little anxious.

Warren stood up in the boat and jumped feet first into the lake allowing himself to plunge under the water. He popped up to the surface and smiled to Sam. "Ya want to try entering that way or just slipping in as before? Either is fine."

Sam steeled himself. He stood up. He looked back to Spike.

Spike smiled and said "You got this dude. Go for it if you want. Warren and I got your back."

That was all the encouragement Sam needed. He jumped feet first. As his head went under the cold water assaulted his face and gasped taking in a bit of water. He kicked to the surface and came up spurting and panicked.

In an instant Warren was at his side and Spike had thrown the line with the float attached to it. Sam grabbed it as he tried to calm down. Warren dragged him to the boat and Spike helped him climb in.

Warren stayed in the water and called out "When you're ready to try again I'll be here."

Spike handed Sam a towel to wipe his face. Spike noticed a determined glint enter Sam's eyes. He was glad to see it. After another minute Sam stood and attempted it again. Same result. It took him twelve tries before he was able to plunge in and rise without spurting and panicking.

Warren was wowed by his fortitude. "Okay good, we got the jumping in resolved. Now for the diving under. You want a pair of goggles for that? That way you can see what's down there. You know some places are just beautiful under the water, like coral reefs and such. Some are just awesome to explore like old ship wrecks."

Sam replied "Yeah, that might be good."

Spike tossed him a pair from the boat.

Sam put them on, took a deep breath and dove down purposefully. Sam swam down a bit and looked about. Not too much to see in this dark world he thought. Wonder what it would be like to dive around the coral reefs, might be fun. Sam had the ability to hold his breath for a long time so stayed under longer than most people would.

Spike and Warren shared a worried look when Sam had not surfaced after two minutes. Warren dove under. Spike was stressing but telling himself not to worry because Warren was right there. But it was another full minute before he breathed a sigh of relief when they both surfaced.

Warren was chuckling when he said "Damn Braddock, I forgot you could do that. John was pissed when he lost that huge bet that you could hold your breath for ten minutes."

Sam smiled cocked his head and said "Nothing much to see under there. Do I pass diving under test?"

Warren nodded then said "Yeah, if you are comfortable with it."

Sam nodded yes.

"We need a break before the next one. As I said it will be tough" Warren stated.

They both climbed into the boat. They sat eating the protein rich snacks Warren brought and drinking coffee while regaling Spike with the events of the big bet and John's reaction to losing. After twenty minutes Warren looked to Sam "Okay. Next test. No vests for the next two. The first I'll be right with you. In the water."

They both jumped in plunging under and coming to the surface. Spike tossed the untethered float ring to Warren.

"You ready Sam?" Warren asked.

Sam took a breath to quell the anxiety "Yeah, I guess as ready as I'll ever be. Let's get on with it."

Warren signaled the driver of the boat and it took off leaving Warren and Sam alone in the water. Slight fear niggled at him but Warren was right next to him so he relaxed. The boat stopped about a half mile away from them.

"So we tread for ten minutes then we swim to the boat. If at any time you get overwhelmed I'm here and I have the float for you to grab if necessary" Warren explained.

Sam nodded.

As he tread water Sam thought how far he had come. He was glad he had finally opened up about his fear. Once you knew the mechanics of treading water it became easier.

Growing up in a desert hadn't really given him an opportunity to learn to swim. He saw Warren give the signal it was time to swim. Sam moved forward with a smooth freestyle stroke that Warren taught him. Again knowing the mechanics helped. He would never ineptly doggy paddle again.

When they reached the boat Spike yelled out excitedly "That was AWESOME dude. Damn you are brave to meet this head on" as he reached out a hand to pull Sam into the boat.

Sam smiled.

Warren climbed in too "Great job Sam. Let's relax and rest a bit before the final test."

Again the three shot the breeze swapping funny stories from Sam's and Warren's time and Sam's and Spike's time. Warren looked at Sam as Spike was speaking. He was a bit worried about the next test. It was necessary but he would never forgive himself if Sam failed. If Sam failed it would mean his potential death. Warren shook that thought away, Sam will not fail.

Warren shifted in his seat "Rested enough? Ready for the final test?"

Sam nodded. Warren hadn't told him what it was going to be so he shifted his position on the side of the boat waiting for him to explain.

Spike shifted uncomfortably he knew what was coming. Warren had warned him so he would not overreact.

Sam caught a glint of concern in Spike's face just as the driver gunned the boat and Warren pushed him hard into the water.

The force of the shove and the shock of it caused him to drop under water. Sam kicked hard to the surface. When Sam surfaced he was confused.

Terror raged as he saw the boat speeding away. But his legs treaded water like they were supposed to. He saw the boat stop almost double the distance away than the last test. In his mind's eye it was the same distance away as that terrible day.

Sam yelled at the top of his lungs "God damn it Warren. This test sucks."

He spent several moments quelling the panic and it ebbed away when he finally realized he had no trouble keeping his head out of the water. Sam began swimming towards the boat with smooth and easy freestyle strokes. About half way there he was getting tired.

Sam went through the training Warren gave him. He flipped over to his back and floated resting for a bit. Then he started to swim using the back stroke. It wasn't as smooth but it was passable.

After a bit he rested again floating on his back. He thought damn this is a long distance. Then he thought about Matt and the others. They had swum this distance trying to save him and Warren and they had never stopped, they had swum hard and fast the whole way.

Sam flipped himself over with determination and plowed into the swim with a vengeance.

Before he knew it he had reached the boat. Sam was met with outstretched hands from both Warren and Spike. They hauled him into the boat.

Sam was completely worn out but happy, very, very happy. The smile would not leave his face. He had conquered his fear of the water. Sam looked at both men standing before him. He could not have done it without either of them.

Words seemed wholly inadequate but Sam said "Thanks" and let his face show the intense gratitude he felt.

Warren smiled and hugged Sam "No thank you. I'm free of guilt now."