Thanks for all the nice comments. Sorry about the formatting I'm sorry if there are typos but I will come back and fix them later. We're under a tornado watch and I better get off the computer

-Paris

He bumped up against something. It hurt. Someone was talking to him but he didn't quite understand. Gads, it hurt. "Mm. Ow."

"Ryan? Ryan! Are you awake, man? Please be awake."

More words bubbled around his head but a few finally started to sink in. "Seth?" Ryan's voiced croaked.

"Open your eyes, Ryan. Don't you dare leave me alone out here."

"Seth?"

"Yeah, it's me." Ryan could here Seth's voice quiver.

Ryan was nearly overwhelmed with relief. He let his body relax. Seth was here. Seth was okay. He just wanted to sleep now. He allowed the aches to float away.

A sharp pain bit him in the ribs on his left side. "OW!" His eyes shot open as he tried reflexively to move away. Moving was a mistake. He winched and held his breath for a moment until the discomfort subsided. "...Damn."

Ryan blinked until he could focus. He had to look up. Seth was behind him and he had an arm wrapped around Ryan's chest. They we're floating. They were still in the water.

"Sorry." Seth grinned faintly.

Ryan did his best to glare at him. "Did you pinch me?"

Seth giggled irrationally; the laugh was verging on hysterics. "I-I though you we're going to faint again."

Seth's smile was contagious as Ryan felt some of the adrenaline leave his body. "Pass out maybe, but I never faint."

This time Seth let out a genuine bark of laughter. But then Ryan saw his friend's face crease with pain. "Oh," he moaned. "Don't make me laugh."

Ryan tried to turn to see Seth better. "Seth? Are you okay?" As he turned his body was wracked with own pain again. He closed his eyes and held his breath for a moment. This time he was more able to focus on where the pain was coming from; his head, his right arm, his right chest and his left knee. He finally let out a gasping breath. "Seth?"

"Ryan relax, I'm okay. I think I broke some ribs though. But, you look like ground round."

Ryan snorted; even now Seth managed to make jokes. "Thanks for the visual."

"You're welcome."

"So, what happened? I'm a bit fuzzy. Why are we in the water?"

Seth gave him another concerned look but Ryan chose to ignore it. "The Summer Breeze got nailed by those drunks in the motor boat. They took off. The Breeze is sawdust."

It was then Ryan realized that Seth's other hand was looped around what was left of the small ship's floaters. Ryan swore under his breath. "Any idea how we can get home?"

"Plenty, I could use my cell phone to phone Dad."

"Then why don't you?"

"Apparently some electronics don't like swimming. Go figure."

"Yeah," replied Ryan. "Go figure. What about flares?"

"How deep can you dive?"

Ryan sighed. "So basically we're fucked."

"Damn straight." Seth smiled sarcastically. "Soon or later a boat will come buy or Dad will start to freak out and someone will call the life guard."

"I don't think we're going to get to pick up that stuff for your mom."

Seth chuckled then groaned. "No laughing remember? Besides this isn't funny."

Ryan grinned goofily despite himself. "Nope not at all funny."

Seth cleared his throat. "We might have to swim a bit are you up for that?"

Even the thought of moving made Ryan fell nauseous. "I'll up for what ever we have to do. I thought you said some one would come and find us."

"They will..." Seth hesitated.

"But?"

"Well, the sun is setting. And now I don't want to freak you out or anything but well dusk is the big time for sharks."

Ryan's head snapped back so he could look at Seth. "You better still be joking."

"I wish I was. Plus, I think the water is going to get cold pretty fast. I'm not sure we can wait."

Ryan swore under his breath but obviously Seth hadn't heard what he said.

"What?"

"This never happened when I was Chino."

Seth laughed. "So who's meaner? Eddie, AJ or the sharks?"

Ryan just glared at Seth. "So how should we do this?"

"Um, swimming right... Can you grab on to the floater?"

Ryan tried to wiggle the fingers on his right hand. They refused to respond. That probably wasn't good. "I'll try, let go for a sec will you?"

Seth loosened his grip. Ryan wasn't aware how much Seth had been holding him up. He quickly began to sink. He kicked his leg with surprise. A surge of pain rippled up from his knee all the way to his hip. He gasped and seawater rushed down his throat. Quickly a hand grabbed him by the colour dragging him upwards. He grabbed the floater with his good hand desperately as he coughed and sputtered for air.

"Dude? You okay?"

Ryan coughed for a few minutes more unable to catch enough breath to answer his foster brother. Seth pounded him on the back as he spit out water.

"You okay?" Seth asked again as Ryan got his breathing under control.

"Yeah," He croaked. "My life jacket?"

"Doesn't work so well when it's ripped to shreds," finished Seth.

Ryan winched, as the stitch in his chest got worse. He closed his eyes until the irritation finished washing over him.

"So where does it hurt?"

"I'm fine Seth."

"You're not, don't get all macho either. It's just you, me and Nemo out here."

Ryan glared at Seth for a moment but finally sighed with resign. "I'm fine."

"Yeah well the gash in your head and the hamburger arm say otherwise."

Ryan nodded as he leaned forward to rest his head on the floater. "I'm a bit dizzy. My chest aches, I think I messed up my knee...satisfied?"

"What about your arm?"

"Well, I can't really move it. So it's probably not good. But I've had worse. I'll be okay."

"You've had worse?" The surprise was evident in Seth voice. "I knew you had problems before..."

"You asked me which was worse before?" Ryan interrupted. He really didn't want to get in to this right now."

"Yeah," replied Seth.

"Well I'll take sharks over A.J. any day. Besides, sharks are smarter and don't reek of Jack Daniels."

"Ah, point taken. Okay tough guy what I need you to do mostly is hold on and kick with your good leg. Think you can do that."

Ryan could help but grin.

"What!?" Questioned Seth suspiciously.

"You sound just like Sandy." Ryan's smile grew bigger.

"Oh, that's low brother, real low." Seth waved his arm dramatically. "And, here I am trying to save your life!"

"Whatever, just head us in the right direction."

"Aye, aye Captain."

"Seth?"

"Yeah, Ryan?"

"Shut up and paddle."

Sandy paced in front of the picture window in the living room. Kirsten sat on the couch unconsciously wringing her hands over and over.

"They should have been back by now." Sandy paced as he worried.

"I'm sure they are fine. They are probably just at the mall or something. Maybe they had car trouble." Kirsten was just as worried as Sandy was and she was desperate for this all to be just a miss understanding.

Sandy stopped pacing and knelt down in front of her. He took her hands in hers. "You said they went sailing Kirsten. Seth's sailboat isn't docked in the harbor. I think we did the right thing by calling the Harbor Patrol. All teens can be irresponsible but the boys would have called by now."

Kirsten wiped away a tear. It was from the stress nothing more she told herself. The boys would be fine. "I shouldn't have let them go... I think Ryan was coming down with something. But, he didn't want to admit it. If something happened..."

Sandy pulled her in to an embrace then. "Shh, there are fine I'm sure of it. They'll be home soon and Seth will be raving about their adventures. And we'll fill Ryan up with so much chicken soup he won't know what hit him."

Kirsten closed her eyes for a second allowing herself to be comforted. They would be home soon. Everything would be fine. She wouldn't allow herself to think about any alternative scenarios.

The sun was long gone as Seth squinted to see Ryan in the moonlight. He had tried to keep it light earlier but now concern was burning the pit of his stomach. Ryan looked bad and was obviously having trouble. He was pale and had started shivering about 45 minutes ago. His shivering seemed to get worse with every minute that ticked by. Now he was resting his head on the platoon and he had stopped kicking for the fourth time. Seth didn't want him to fall asleep. Ryan might have a concussion. He didn't know why but falling asleep was bad if you had a concussion. Seth shivered as well. The water had gotten really cold. They had to keep moving.

Seth poked Ryan in the shoulder jostling the other boy.

"Huh what?" Ryan was obviously becoming disorientated and that wasn't good.

"Ryan, which Spiderman do you like best?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryan groaned.

"Just answer the question."

"I didn't know there was more then one."

Seth gasped in mock exasperation. "Have I thought you nothing?"

"There's just P-Peter Parker." Ryan shivered and his eyes closed just a little.

"Well at least you know that much."

Ryan put his head back down on the floater and gave a weak kick with his leg. "I-I saw the movies."

"Oh yeah well... there is Ultimate Spiderman, the Adventures of Spiderman. ..." Seth rattled on for a moment. "Ryan!"

Ryan jerked his head up. "Huh yeah what?"

"Dude, you're scaring me."

"Sorry Seth, I'm just tired."

Seth shuffled over towards Ryan so he cold reach out and touch his forehead. Ryan jerked his head away reflexively but Seth had felt his head. Ryan skin was cold but he also felt clammy.

"You're sick."

"I'm fine." Ryan replied.

Seth thought that it must be so instinctive to him to admit he was okay. Even when he was hurt bad Ryan couldn't confess how he felt. Seth closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't want to think about what kind of life you had to leave to develop instincts like that. Seth wanted to be a little more like Ryan right now though. His side ached something furious but right now he had to be the one in charge. Ryan could barley hold on to the piece of beat up fiberglass that was his beloved boat.

Seth opened his eyes again. He glanced over to his friend again. Ryan was still holding on but was otherwise completely still. He was just about to poke him again when something caught his eye. A light, a very bright light.

Oh thank God it was the Harbor Patrol!!. Seth jumped up as high as he could and started shouting. "Help! Help! Over here!"

The light trained on them then. "Stay there son, we'll come to you!" Shouted a man over a bullhorn.

Seth turned to Ryan excitedly. "See I told you..." his voice died away abruptly. Ryan was gone.

Tbc