The Strength Within
Part 1
He'd never run so far so fast. His heart was thundering painfully in his chest, it felt about ready to burst, his lungs were burning with the effort too. He'd thought himself fairly fit but this proved he wasn't!
He could see the farmhouse now, its white walls standing in stark contrast against the rich green of the hills and fields surrounding it. It had seemed to take forever to get here, at one point he'd started to panic, believing himself to be lost. But then he'd told himself he couldn't be, that'd he'd stuck to the path, the path that had earlier led them to the quiet secluded and what he now realised to be treacherous cove.
His feet pounded beneath him, and he told himself every step took him closer to the help Aaron needed. He was half out of his mind with worry, terrified for his boyfriend's life, he knew he was in real danger of losing it and that he wasn't the only one!
/
He was cold, tired but more than anything scared, but not nearly as scared as the little girl clinging so desperately to him was. He could see the fear in her blue eyes, and it radiated off her like heat would do if she hadn't been so very cold too.
It was a summer evening but the sea was cold, unbelievably cold. It was choppy too, a wind whipping it up around them as the merciless tide carried them out to sea. He had to keep them both afloat until help got to them; he could do that couldn't he? He had to.
He kept telling Callie she was safe, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, that help was on its way. He'd managed to coax a name out of her, had then told her his, told her they were friends now and that she could trust him. He wasn't about to let a friend down now was he!
He'd thought himself a good swimmer, a strong swimmer and he was when it came to endless lengths of a pool, where the water was warm, where the water was still. He'd not thought twice on seeing someone was in trouble, especially on realising it was a child. He'd kicked off his trainers and dived on in after her, shouting over his shoulder to Jackson to call for help.
As he'd fought against the buffeting waves he remembered there was no signal where they were that Jackson would have to make his way back to the B&B they were staying at to ring the Coastguard. It was a good half-hour's walk but he knew Jackson would run all the way.
He was treading water, trying to keep both their heads above the sea, at the same time trying to keep his eyes fixed on land, on what was slowly getting further and further away. He'd earlier thought about swimming towards it, but he'd decided that swimming against the tide would only weaken him quicker, and that the best thing for him to do, was as little as possible, so as to preserve his strength. He hoped he was right, that he was making the right decisions here, because he didn't know for sure that he was.
He couldn't quite believe the situation he found himself in. They'd only been here half a day and he was already in trouble. Ok so it wasn't trouble trouble! The bad sort of the trouble. No this was the sort of trouble that would turn his mum and Paddy's hair white if they knew about it! They didn't have to know though did they, they didn't have to ever find out, not unless... and he wasn't about to let that happen.
His day had started off so well too. He and Jackson had left Emmerdale on a high. Happy and excited at the thought of a week away together. The last time they went on holiday they'd gone abroad but not this time, although technically speaking they were going to a different county... but only across the border into Wales.
It had been Jackson's idea, one that at first hadn't really appealed all that much to him. A week of water sports was in other words just endless opportunities to make himself look stupid! What was the record for the amount of times you could fall off a surfboard? He didn't know but he bet he could beat it easily enough. But in the end he hadn't needed much persuading, Jackson's enthusiasm winning him over almost instantly. That had been a few months back and in the mean time they'd saved the money needed. Today Saturday, after an early breakfast, they had set off on their activity packed summer break... and it was already turning into an unforgettable adventure... one he could well have done without.
He hated to think how worried Jackson would be about him now, he knew how he'd feel if he was the one left behind on dry land... "Callie?" He'd let his thoughts wander, let them stray from the eight year old whose life was in his hands, and he'd just realised her eyes were closed. He knew he couldn't let her go to sleep, she might not wake up if he did!
/
He was on his way back to the cove now, wings on his feet, all sorts going through his mind. He was scared, angry. Angry at himself. It had been his idea to come here, his idea to go and explore the rocky coastline... but then if he hadn't what would have happened to the child then?
There had been no one else about, not that he could see. What the hell was a kid that age doing there on their own anyway? He'd like to know, he'd very much like to know whose neglect had led to Aaron endangering his own life.
Just half an hour or so ago they'd been sat on a grassy outcrop of rock, enjoying the sea view, sharing the odd kiss, discussing the following day. They didn't have a care in the world, with a week of fun stretching out ahead of them... how in so short a space of time had it all turned into a nightmare?
TBC