They'd been flying for several hours when Ralph felt Bill's shoulders shaking. Alarmed, he looked down.
"You took the stairs," Bill said, rocking with laughter. "I can't believe you took the stairs."
Ralph rolled his eyes.
"Are you ever going to let me live that down?" he said.
"Not on your life."
"I could always let you swim back," Ralph said evenly. "You know-"
He broke off. Bill's laugh had turning into a shuddering cough.
"Are you okay?" Ralph said when the coughing subsided.
"Not really," Bill wheezed.
"Listen, kid," he went on weakly. "I think I'm gonna pass out for a little while. Sorry…" His strained voice died away.
Ralph felt the body in his arms slump and relax.
"Bill?"
There was no response. Ralph felt blind panic rise in his chest; there was no place to set down, no boat or buoy as far as the horizon. A moment later Bill stirred and Ralph felt a sighing breath against his cheek.
After long minutes with no change for the worse, Ralph began to relax. He found himself staring at his own lengthening shadow as it streamed out ahead on the surface of the water. The flicker of light and shadow was hypnotic.
Bill stirred again and his head fell forward to rest against Ralph's chin. A wild cacophony of color and sound burst across Ralph's mind. This time when the vision took him, he landed on rocky sand.
The sky overhead was a velvety blue-black and sprinkled with stars. As he climbed to his feet, Ralph saw his station wagon standing a few yards away. The engine was running.
He turned and saw Bill kneeling by his body. This time, Ralph knew, it really was himself he was seeing. It was that night, only a week ago as amazing as it seemed now.
He remembered opening his eyes, seeing Bill, and the next instant finding himself in a stark white room. He'd known, without question, he was in the alien ship. A strange voice, flat and toneless like a computer's, had told him about the alien hunter's genetic-based weapon. It had described his injuries and what Bill had done to save his life.
He had heard it and thought he understood. But standing on the dark sand, looking down at Bill's stricken face as he went through the motions of CPR, Ralph knew he hadn't understood at all.
Ralph watched himself take one breath, and another. He saw Bill sink back on his heels, shaking; whether from cold or shock or both, Ralph didn't know.
Bill whispered something Ralph couldn't quite hear, and reached out to brush the hair back from his forehead. As he stepped forward, he caught Bill's next words.
"Don't do that to me again."
Ralph's throat felt too tight to speak. He watched as Bill moved to lift him up off the sand. Then he saw Bill's eyes widen in surprise just before the scene rippled and went dark.
Ralph blinked in confusion. With a shock, he realized he was lying down in the back of the station wagon. Blue light streamed in through the windows, lighting up Bill's face.
Bill was looking down at him with an expression that was a strange mixture of relief and fear and something else. Ralph knew he had only a second. He had to tell Bill not feel guilty, that it wasn't his fault. He took a breath and the world faded to white.
The gentle swells of the ocean rolled out in front of him. Bill stirred in his arms, but didn't wake. Ralph flew on toward the darkening horizon, thinking hard about the strange knot in the pit of his stomach.
-continued-