Welcome to part two of "Deep Water!" But first, the shout-outs!

Kim: Yeah, it's up, hooray! *is glomped*

Neffie: Yes, let's imagine that lovely lovely image . . .mmm . ..

Gears: Noooo! Anything but that! *grabs notebook and begins scribbling furiously*

Tunes: Of course dear! Here you go!

Sphinx: Isn't it the best? And the pairing is sooooo cute! I heart Snoddy/Swifty!

Kat: YAAAAAY! *tackles* Please do that soon! And the OB/EW thing toooo!

Manda: I read it! I luffled it! School starts tomorrow! That sucks hosewater!

Vinyl: *whistles innocently* *is glomped* okay! Yes! Here's more!

Khavi: Hey hey hey! Don't kick the merchandise! *Snoddy whimpers* *giggles*

Stage: *is glomplatchhuggled* Okay! Here is more!

ENJOY!

(and don't forget to review!)

Deep Water

Part the Second

Two Metal Doors

Snoddy pulled the strap of the rescue tube across his chest and dove into the deep end. With a strong freestyle, he reached the site of impact. The guy had sunk a little bit beneath the surface, so Snoddy reached down and pulled him up. He hooked his arms around the guy's bony shoulders, put the rescue tube between them, and began breastroke kicking back to the wall.

"Is he okay?" Relic asked worriedly from the stand.

"He's unconscious," Snoddy replied. "Get someone to help me get him out, and tell Specs to call 911."

"I'm on it," Relic replied. She turned and yelled, "HEY! KAT! GET OVER HERE! SPECS! CALL 911!"

A second later, Kat blasted over and knelt next to the pool. Snoddy turned himself and his burden so they were facing the wall, then pressed the guy against the wall. Kat took the guy's hands from the water and crossed them at the wrist. Then, with the utmost carefulness, she pulled him from the water and laid him gently on the side.

"Thanks, Kat," Snoddy said. He tossed the rescue tube next to the stand and clambered out. He knelt beside the guy and bent over, placing his ear above the guy's mouth.

Oh, great, he thought. He's not breathing. Isn't this magical.

Snoddy pinched the guy's nose shut, sealed their mouths together, and exhaled twice. The guy's chest rose with each breath.

Snoddy pulled back and felt for a pulse. To his immense relief, he found one, albeit a thin and thready one. Thank God. I had no desire to do CPR.

He continued with the rescue breathing until he was tapped on the shoulder.

"We'll take it from here, son," a paramedic said.

"Oh, thank you," Snoddy said. He stood up, managed to wobble behind the front desk, and promptly fainted.

"SWIFTY!" Skittery cried. He clambered up the ladder one-handed, the other arm keeping Jeff firmly attached to his hip, and sprinted to the deep end.

"Hey!" said the lifeguard, glaring at him. "Keep back! You can't get in the way!"

"That's my friend!" Skittery replied.

"Go to the front desk and help Specs fill out the accident report, then," the lifeguard said. "Make yourself useful."

"Lemme down," Jeff whined. Automatically, Skittery bent and released his brother.

"Go play with Pie, okay?"

Jeff nodded enthusiastically and scampered off.

Skittery walked over to the front desk and leaned on the red counter, poking his head through the window.

" 'Scuse me," he said.

The girl behind the front desk, a cute blue-eyed brunette, hurriedly set down her book. Before she flipped it over, Skittery caught a glimpse of the title.

The New Joy of Gay Sex . . . what the . . .

"May I help you?" the girl asked.

"I'm looking for Specs?"

"That's me," said a harried-looking brunette guy with thin-rimmed glasses. His tank top proclaimed that he was "Hot Stuff" and prominently featured a grinning chili pepper.

"Um, the lifeguard over there said I can help with the accident report . . . ?"

"Right. Stage, toss me the notebook."

"Only for a big wet kiss," Stage replied with a wink. Specs went red, and Stage grinned, reached under the desk, and slid a large red notebook over to him.

Skittery helped Specs fill out Swifty's vital information. At the 'Cause of Accident' box, they paused.

"Do you know what caused this?" Specs asked.

Skittery shrugged helplessly. "No. Swifty's been doing his two-and-a-halves since he was twelve, he's never messed it up before."

"Okay, we can work with that," Specs said. In the 'Cause of Accident' box, he wrote in 'Screwed up 2 ½.'

Just then, a group of white-suited people burst through the doors of the pool. One, a blonde man with a silver earring, came up to the front desk.

"Where's the body, baby?" he asked Specs.

"Over by the deep end."

"Got it."

The group of people hurried out of the main building and went down to the deep end, where Swifty was loaded onto a stretcher, then hurried out.

"Wait!" said Skittery, grabbing one of the paramedics' arms. "Can I go with you? That's my best friend!"

The paramedic nodded. "Yeah, kid, get in the ambulance. Just don't make a nuisance out of yourself."

Pie Eater and Jeff both clambered out of the pool as the paramedics loaded Swifty into the back of the ambulance, and their view of him was cut off as one of the paramedics slammed the door shut.

"Is Swifty dead?" Jeff asked quietly.

Pie Eater said nothing, and the two boys watched in silence as the ambulance peeled away.

~end part two~