Yes, I am back. Sorry, when I don't get many reviews, I don't feel like writing. It makes me feel that most people don't care too much if I continue my story anyway. But, for the sake of the few people who DID review [thanks much Seruh.x and lendara] I've decided to write another chapter. Enjoy!

Oh, and I just realised I completely forgot to include a disclaimer in my stories.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters.

Chapter 4

Cliff

No! I thought to myself, tears streaming down my cheeks. No! He can't die! He rescued me! He can't be punished for that! Wake up, Cliff, wake up!

I rolled Cliff onto his back. He had a rather large bump on his head, and he was very pale. Tears streaming down my cheeks, I put my hand on his chest. A heartbeat! HIS HEART'S STILL BEATING! MAYBE HE HAS A CHANCE!

I thought back to when I had learnt CPR. It was so long ago, and I didn't pay much attention to it.

What's the point of this? I remembered thinking to myself. It's not like I'll ever use this. If only I had known…

OK, I thought. Umm, mouth to mouth resuscitation and then press down on his chest.

I put my mouth on his and breathed into his mouth. Then a pushed down on his chest. I repeated this over and over, the only thing going through my mind being Wake up, Cliff, wake up! And every now and again I'd think I sure hope I'm doing this right.

I don't know how long I did that for, but I kept going, even though I was losing chest ached and I had to gasp for air, but I didn't stop.

Soon after, I panted and gasped, my hope gone. It was over. Cliff was dead. Tears streamed down my cheeks and onto his face. Why? I should be the one lying dead on the sand.

"Cliff," I sobbed. "I'm so, so, sorry."

I closed my eyes, and then I heard a sound that made my heart leap. He coughed.

I opened my eyes quickly and looked down at him. His breath was weak and restricted, but he was breathing.

"Cliff!" I gasped.

I think he tried to say something, well, croak something, but I didn't understand.

Oh thank goddess! I thought. He's alive!

I looked at the pale boy on the sand. He may have been alive, but he was very, very weak. I needed to take him to the Clinic immediately.

Tears still streamed down my cheeks as I helped him stand up and placed myself under his arm. He was too weak, and he could die any moment. But I didn't let my fear show.

"It'll be OK," I whispered. "Everything's going to be OK."

I walked as fast as I could, practically dragging Cliff behind me. I hoped to see someone in the streets that could help me, but I saw no one. I burst through the clinic doors.

"HELP!" I cried. Doctor rushed over.

"Oh my goddess," he said. "What happened? No, no time for explainations. Elli! Mary, go to Elli." Doctor wrapped Cliff's arm over his shoulder and I let go of him. Doctor hurried into a room and closed the curtains. Elli, who had seen Cliff and Doctor go in, hurried over and took my hand.

"Come," she said, motioning for me to come upstairs with her. I was reluctant, but she won.

She guided me to a couch and handed me a glass of water, then sat with me. She should be worrying about Cliff, not me. I thought. For all she knows, I just happened to find Cliff stranded on the beach, and I'm perfectly fine. Then I realised I was drenched and crying it a swimsuit, probably looking much shaken up. And my feet were bleeding.

"What happened?" she asked gently, then quickly added, "You don't have to go into too much detail if you don't want too."

I shook my head and wiped my tears. "I went for a swim and got caught in a rip. Cliff jumped in to rescue me and got dragged under, and then I found him washed up on the beach moments later, not breathing."

Tears returned to my eyes as I remembered how Cliff had looked when I found him. No doubt that that image would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.

"Shhhhhh," said Elli. "It's OK. Everything will be fine."

"Elli," I cried. "He saved my life! He…I…I…." I stopped and burst into a fit of sobbing. Elli put her hand on my shoulder comfortingly, but I just kept crying. I cried for about ten, maybe fifteen minutes straight, then I heard footsteps and I looked up. Doctor stood at the doorway. I jumped up.

"IS HE OK? TELL ME HE'S OK!"

Doctor looked at me. He seemed to have swallowed a lot of water and that's a rather nasty bump on his head…"

Tears filled my eyes. No. I'm dreaming. Wake up, Mary, wake up. Cliff can't die. He can't.

"But," continued Doctor. "He seems to be responding well to the treatment and he should be fine."

"OH, THANK GODDESS!" I cried, wrapping my arms around Doctor. "Thank goddess, thank goddess, thank goddess." I wiped my eyes. "Can I go see him?"

"He's drifting in and out of consciousness, and he's not conscious at the moment," Doctor explained. But I wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Can I go see him now?" I asked; my voice louder and stronger.

"Uh, if you insist…" said Doctor, and he stepped out of the way. I raced out the door and down the stairs and then tiptoed into the curtained room. The first thing I heard was the heart rate monitor, the constant beeping showing that he was fine. I looked over at Cliff. I saw the constant rise and fall of his chest and I saw the colour slowly returning to his face. I walked over and sat on the chair beside the bed.

"Thank you," I said, though sure that he couldn't hear me. "You saved my life, Cliff. Thank you."

Cliff's eyelids fluttered open, and he looked around, confused.

'What? Where? Huh?" He looked like he was trying to remember what had happened. I stood up and walked over to him.

"Mary!" he gasped. "Y-you're OK!"

"I'm fine," I said. "You saved me. And I'm so glad you're OK."

For a moment, it looked like Cliff blushed, but that could just be the fact that he was pale a moment ago and the colour is returning to his face again.

"W-what happened? A-after I s-saved y-you?" he stuttered.

I sat back down. "I got onto the ledge and a wave dragged you under, and another brought you to the shore. I-umm, I brought you to the Clinic."

There was no need for me to tell Cliff that I had done mouth to mouth, practically kissing him. I blushed at the thought.

"Thanks for saving me, Cliff," I said. He smiled for a moment before his eyes shut again. I worried for a moment, but the heart rate monitor continued it's beeping, every beat with an even space between each other. He was unconscious again, but he was going to be fine.

I shivered. The clinic was cold, and I was in a swimsuit. I looked at Cliff one more time, glad that he was OK, and then I left the curtained room.

As I went to leave, Elli called out.

"Mary! Let me bandage your feet before you go anywhere."

I sat down, and Elli put some antiseptic on my cut feet before bandaging them up. "Thanks," I said, and raced back to the beach to get my clothes.

When I wanted people to help me while I was taking Cliff to the clinic, no one was there, but my mother and her friends just happened to be in the town square as I ran past.

"MARY!" gasped my mother. "Where are your clothes? What happened to your feet? Mary?"

"Just cut them while I was swimming, Mum," I said. "Elli bandaged them up for me, I'm fine."

My mother clearly didn't believe a word of it, but I ran back down to the beach and hid behind a large rock to get changed.

"You sure everything's fine?" asked my mum as I walked back through the square. "You don't look so well."

"Mum, I'm fine, really," I lied. Then I ran back home, put my swimmers in the wash and then lay on my bed to cry. I knew Cliff was fine, but that couldn't stop my tears. It's my fault he's stuck in the hospital for a while. It's my fault he's got that huge bump on his head. It's my fault he almost died. And the antiseptic is stinging my feet.

And that was chapter 4. I hope you liked it. Please review if you want me to continue this story! I've enabled anonymous reviews, so anyone can review!

And if you have any ideas for what could happen next, tell me. All ideas are very gratefully accpeted and considered seriously, no matter how strange they may be.