After what seemed like an eternity, the water had settled, and Mother Nature had calmed. Hundreds of people had flocked to the library seeking shelter, including Sam, Brian, J.D. and myself.

J.D. was still trying to get his cell phone to work. He was persistent. I'd give him that.

I looked up at Sam. "Listen. Thanks for coming back for me. It was really brave."

Sam just smiled, and I felt my cheeks grow hot. I looked down. I noticed the leather bag that had almost cost me my life. "I guess I'd better return her bag."

We shared a smile, after all that we'd been through together. Rising, I walked across the room to where the mother and daughter sat.

I kneeled down. "Here's your bag and passports." I whispered in French. "Voici votre sac et passeports."

The woman looked up at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. She thanked me in French over and over, until I bid her goodbye.

Standing up, I saw Sam talking with a librarian. "Excuse me. Are there any pay phones on the upper floors?" The woman shook her head. "No, no. But there are some on the mezzanine." Sam quickly thanked her. "Oh! But I believe it's under... water!" She called after him.

"Where are you going? The power's out!" I followed him. "Older pay phones draw their power directly from the line." He said matter-of-factly.

Sweeping down a dark, deserted staircase, the sound of rushing water could be heard. Sam had handed me a flashlight, telling me to shine when he said. I nodded slowly.

At the bottom of the staircase, I shined the light on a row of pay phones, about to go under. "Are you sure about this? I asked uneasily.

Wading out into the water, Sam paddled over to the phones. Jamming a quarter into the slot, Sam shouted, "It works!" After a moment, Sam shouted, "Dad!"

A pause.

"We're at the public library."

Another pause.

"Can you call Laura and Brian's parents and tell them we're alright?"

The water crawled up my legs, as I wondered if my parents would even care. If they even missed me. Suddenly, I watched as Sam lost his grip, and slipped beneath the waters.

"Sam? Sam?" I cried, flashing my light, the beam bouncing off the walls. I gasped as Sam emerged, choking and sputtering.

The water had risen up past my waist, and I called Sam's name again. "What should we do?" I heard him say into the receiver.

That was the last I heard him say.

I couldn't see him anymore, the water rising toward the archway. "Sam! Sam come back!" I screamed franticly, as the water rose up over the arch, and was left standing alone in the stairwell, the silence maddening.

My flashlight was still pointed at where Sam had once been.

I stood staring at the water, waiting for the moment where Sam would rise up. But it never came. Deep down, I knew he was gone. And I could feel my heart breaking.

But then I saw him. Gasping, crying, I reached out and pulled him toward me, the flashlight dropping with a clatter, dragging him up onto the marble.

I was sobbing. "I thought you drowned." I hugged him, as he lay shivering, trembling, dying. But then it hit me as I watched him suffer. "Let's find some dry clothes for you." He murmured a soft "yeah," as I helped him to his feet.

Hauling up the staircase and into the lost and found section of the library was easier said then done, his body so numb with cold, he was just dead weight. I paused briefly, trying to remember what Mr. Donovan had said in Health Class.

"Take off your clothes." I ordered, and surprisingly he did it willingly, dropping his pants, pulling off his sweatshirt.

Sam stood shivering in his boxers when I returned, coats piled in my arms. Throwing off my own coat, and wrapping a fresh one around him, I came up to him, and held onto him tightly.

His bare back and chest felt like ice. "Whoa! What are you doing?" Sam trembled if my arms. "I'm using my body heat to warm you. If we let the blood from your arms and legs rush back to your heart to quickly...," my voice cracked. "...your heart could fail."

Sam was silent.

"Where did you learn that?" he questioned. I smiled. "Some us were actually paying attention in Health class." I laughed into his shoulder. "Are you feeling better?" I asked, looking up into his eyes. Sam nodded, or he shivered. I couldn't tell. "Much better."

If I made it out of here alive, I would have to remember to thank Mr. Donovan for teaching Health Class, for teaching me. Or else I don't think I would be wrapped up in Sam Hall's arms without him.