Her Smile Heals Me (part 27)
Saturday, July 23rd
9:02 pm
"Ok, this one…or this one?" Santana asked as she turned around from the closet, holding up two new swimsuits she bought on a recent trip to the mall with Rachel.
Brittany was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, leaning over Santana's suitcase, helping her fold her clothes to pack for their trip to the beach. She looked up, eyeing the bright pink bikini instantly. "That one…definitely," she pointed to it with a sensual smirk.
"This one?" the Latina confirmed, pondering, "It's not too…."
"Oh, it's too alright…waaay too sexy for public viewing," Brittany stood up and closed the distance between them, pulling Santana into her arms for a kiss then adding in a suggestive tone, "but once you put that one on, I'll keep you busy inside the cabin."
Santana laughed and kissed Brittany again. "So I should bring the other one too?"
"That's probably a good idea if you want to actually make it down to the beach," Brittany teased, playfully squeezing the curve of Santana's backside with both her hands, "And not be arrested."
The two girls laughed and kissed again, hearing a knock on Santana's opened bedroom door.
"Sorry to interrupt," Rachel said cautiously, peeking around the doorway.
Brittany pulled away from Santana with a grin, mentally envisioning Santana in the pink bikini.
"You're not…come on in," Santana told the smaller brunette.
"We're just goofing around," Brittany assured her.
"Packing for the trip?" Rachel observed.
"We leave in the morning," Brittany answered excitedly.
"Ten whole hours in a car," Santana groaned.
"But, then…," Brittany redirected their focus with her excitement, "…five full days of fun in the sun."
Rachel smiled at them but continued to stand awkwardly by the doorway.
"You're back early, Rach," Santana commented, looking over at the clock on her nightstand, "How did your date go?"
Rachel was dressed up in a typical Rachel frock, a colorful sundress with child-like charm. When she left the house two hours earlier, it was obvious to Santana and Brittany that she was dressed up for a special outing with Finn, even though Rachel had seemed rather subdued.
"It was…interesting," Rachel said with some hesitation in her voice.
"Was dinner good?" Brittany asked casually, making conversation as she kneeled back in front of Santana's black suitcase.
"Um, well…we decided to skip dinner tonight," Rachel answered cryptically, still standing back a little from Santana and Brittany.
Santana turned back around from the closet, handing two pairs of sandals to Brittany. Santana had truly started seeing Rachel through sister-like eyes and picked up on her slight jitteriness. Tilting her head in slight confusion, she asked, "Rachel, did something…happen tonight?"
She smiled nervously before revealing, "I slept with Finn."
"Oh wow…that's…uh…," Santana didn't quite know what to say to that declaration, never being one to deal too well with sex or sensitive feelings.
"That's a really big step for you," Brittany took over, seeing Santana struggling with the appropriate reaction. She reached out a hand to Rachel and pulled her down to the floor, "Do you feel okay?"
The tiny Glee Club diva nodded. "I guess…I mean, yes…Finn was really very sweet…and attentive…and…," she trailed off.
"And…?" Santana sat to the floor too.
Rachel shook her head. "I don't know why I did it…well, I do…sort of," she rambled, trying to make sense of her myriad of emotions, then she paused to collect herself before confessing, "I thought it would make my feelings for him stronger, but it only made me realize…I don't love him the same way he loves me. I just don't."
Brittany grimaced sadly across the half-circle at Santana. The Latina had shared with Brittany some of Rachel's feelings which she'd confided to Santana two weeks earlier.
"So how do you feel now?" Santana asked delicately.
Rachel's eyes clouded over with tears, and she answered, "Pretty silly at the moment."
"Aww, Rach…don't feel like that…you can always talk to us about anything," Brittany assured her, putting her left arm supportively around the smaller brunette's shoulders.
Santana took Rachel by the hand and squeezed it.
"Thank you," Rachel said, leaning into Brittany and wiping at her wet eyes, "I think I want to break up with Finn…but I just don't want to hurt him."
"Sometimes it's less painful to hear the truth up front than for it to be dragged out," Santana advised.
Rachel nodded knowingly.
There was another knock on Santana's door.
"Hello," Daniel said in a cheery voice.
"Hey," they told him.
Rachel wiped again at her eyes, her back to her father, attempting to hide her emotions from him. Once she felt composed, she turned around and plastered a fake smile across her face. "Hi, Dad."
"Hi, sweetheart," Daniel smiled. He reached into his pocket and removed his wallet, pulling out several crisp twenty-dollar bills and handing them to Santana, "And for my other sweetheart…spending cash for your trip."
"You don't have to give me money," she loved the men who were now her fathers, but she still felt slightly uneasy when it came to their money.
"Trey and I always want our girls to enjoy themselves, so take it and have fun this week," he insisted.
Santana still hesitated.
"If it makes you feel better about taking it then bring us back souvenir t-shirts, deal?"
"Okay," Santana laughed, taking the money from his outstretched hand, "Thanks, Dad."
"My pleasure," he winked at her then patted Rachel on top of the head, "Did you have a good evening, pumpkin?"
"Yes, Daddy," Rachel said with a strained look toward Santana and Brittany.
"Wonderful! Goodnight, girls…see you in the morning," he said as he left the room.
When the Pierce family van pulled in front of #8 Seashore Way, it was dark and all three backseat passengers had fallen asleep. Mrs. Pierce giggled to herself when she saw them in the glow of the interior light, noting that they looked like a line of dominoes that had fallen over. Brittany was leaning against her pillow on the passenger side door. Santana was leaning against Brittany, and Emily was leaning against Santana with her little arms wrapped sweetly around the Latina's waist.
Mrs. Pierce reached between the front seats to gently rouse them, saying, "Girls…wake up…we're here."
Brittany lifted her head, her neck instantly aching from the weird angle she kept the last hour of the trip. She squinted a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the light inside the van, seeing her father sliding out of the driver's side and her mother collecting her belongings on the passenger side. The ten-hour drive from Lima, Ohio to Ocean City, New Jersey seemed to take longer and longer each year, Brittany thought. If it weren't for her dad's insistence that they could drive the trip cheaper than the cost of flying the entire family to the east coast or his fear of flying that he tried so hard to mask, Brittany knew her mom would choose the quick and painless path.
"Come on now," Mrs. Pierce stated louder and a bit more persistently, patting Santana on her knee, "Help by grabbing your suitcases."
Santana finally sat up, pushing Emily off her with a small laugh toward Brittany, "My little barnacle."
Brittany leaned into Santana, squeezing her and kissing her on the cheek, asking in a teasing tone, "Does that make you my big barnacle?"
"Maybe," she smiled, unbuckling her lap belt.
Brittany reached down to unbuckle her seatbelt then opened the van door to step out with Santana right behind her.
They all moved around the back of the vehicle to assist with the luggage as Mr. Pierce started pulling each piece out.
"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom," Emily said, her voice thick with recent sleep.
"Ok, honey…just a minute," Mrs. Pierce answered her with a pat on the head, "Let me help Daddy with these bags."
"But…I gotta go nooow," the little girl crossed her short legs and pleaded.
"Come on, Em…I'll take you," Brittany said, pulling up the handle on her turquoise suitcase to pull it behind her, tucking her pillow under her other arm and taking her little sister by the hand to walk the two of them up to the front porch of the beach cabin.
Before they reached the steps, the front door opened and a tallish blonde woman stepped out of the house with great eagerness, saying loudly, "You guys made it! Brittany! Emily! You've both grown at least three inches since Christmas."
"Hi, Aunt Jill," both girls greeted their mom's older sister with a hug.
"B…," Emily tugged on Brittany's t-shirt.
"Sorry…restroom emergency," Brittany told her aunt.
"No problem, I understand! Mallory's inside…she'll show you where the downstairs bathroom is," the older woman told them, adding over her shoulder, "Tell Andy I said to turn off that video game and come out here and help with the bags." Jill Whitman walked the rest of the pathway to the blue Sienna, greeting her younger sister with a giant hug, "Meggie!"
Meghan Pierce smiled broadly, "You look great!"
"We expected you hours ago."
"There was a wreck on I-76 that had traffic backed up for miles," she responded to her sister with a sideways nod of her head towards her husband.
"Hello, John," Jill smiled, choking back a laugh, "Still insisting on driving, huh?"
"Hello, Jill," Mr. Pierce kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek before leaning back into the van to pull out a black suitcase, "What do you have in here, Santana? Bricks?"
"Just the necessities," Santana answered, taking the bag from him and feeling how heavy it was, "Plus eight pairs of shoes."
"Will you wear eight pairs of shoes in five days?" John asked with raised eyebrows.
"Oh John…give her a break…a girl always needs the perfect shoe for every outfit, right Santana?" Jill insisted with a playful slap to his shoulder.
"Hi, Aunt Jill," the Latina smiled at the familiar woman who was always a bold personality to be around.
"Hi, sweetheart," she hugged the teen as two older boys stepped off the porch heading in their direction. The older woman called to them, "Andrew! Nick! Get over here and help. You guys are slow as snails."
"Sorry, Mom," Andy apologized, circling around the back of the van to pick up two more bags, speaking toward the Pierces, "Hi, Aunt Meg, Uncle John."
"Hi, Andy," his aunt patted the nineteen-year-old on his broad shoulder, "Thanks for helping."
"No problem," he said, starting back toward the house.
"Here, I can take that," a tall, handsome brunette said to Santana as he stood on the sidewalk next to her.
"Oh, Santana…you remember Andy's friend, Nick, right?" Jill asked her.
"Nick?" Santana looked up at his face, not recognizing him at first in the low-lighting.
"Santana?" Nick looked equally-puzzled since three summers had passed since the last time he saw her, "Wow…you look…um…fantastic."
"Thanks," she shifted uncomfortably under his compliment, tucking her long dark hair behind her ears and stepping back to allow him to walk in front of her.
As the rest of them entered the brightly-lit beach house, Brittany was coming around the corner from the bathroom. "Where's Uncle Rob?"
"He'll drive up on Tuesday," her aunt answered, "He has a meeting tomorrow in Philly, and Alex had a baseball tournament this weekend."
"Mom said Melissa is doing a summer semester in Ireland?" Brittany asked.
"Yes! She's loved it so much she said she might move there after college," Jill told her.
"That sounds exciting," Mrs. Pierce added.
"I know! Then we can all take turns visiting her," Jill stated enthusiastically, turning to her youngest child, "Mallory, show Emily the room where you two are staying…there are bunk beds in that smallest room upstairs, Meg, so I thought it would be perfect for the little ones…Brittany, Santana…there's one other room with a double, you girls don't mind sharing do you?"
The brunette looked at the blonde and smiled broadly before they both shook their heads, confirming, "No, we're totally fine with that."
Meg Pierce turned and gave them a look that clearly expressed do not do anything up in that room that will embarrass us before turning back to her sister with a forced smile, asking, "And where are John and I sleeping?"
"Your bedroom is at the top of the stairs…," Jill said, looking over at her son, "…Andrew help them upstairs with that luggage. Once you get settled, there's stuff for sandwiches in the fridge if anyone's hungry."
"We stopped and had dinner," Meg let her know, checking her watch to see that it was nearly ten o'clock, "I think everybody is tired from the car ride. We'll probably just head to bed so we can get an early start in the morning."
"Sounds good," Jill agreed, adding, "There's plenty of fresh linens up in the bathroom."
"Come on, Emily…I'll show you our room," eleven-year-old Mallory grabbed the littlest Pierce by the hand and led her upstairs.
Santana and Brittany were pleased with the room they were given at the far end of the hallway which was on the other side of the only upstairs bathroom. It had a double bed that took up most of the space in the room, but there was a white rocker made of wicker in the far corner and a window seat built in below the room's only window.
Brittany immediately went over and raised the window, sitting on the blue and white-striped padded bench and reaching out her hand to Santana, "Come smell the salt water."
Santana stepped over toward the blonde, draping her arm over her shoulders and leaning into her. She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. The sea air felt somehow cleansing, and Santana responded, "Listen…you can hear the waves."
"I love the water," Brittany told her.
"I know you do," Santana smiled, leaning down to kiss the top of Brittany's head.
A couple of minutes past then they heard a deep voice from behind them say, "These two are yours."
The girls turned to find Nick Chakas in the doorway with a black suitcase in one hand and a turquoise suitcase in his other.
Brittany stood up and walked toward him, "Thanks, Nick."
She rolled hers into the room and sat on the hardwood floor to unzip it while Santana just pointed toward an empty space right inside the doorway.
"You can just set mine there…thanks," she said, still standing by the window. The breeze from outside was blowing the white, shear curtains as well as Santana's dark brown hair.
"It's pretty windy out there tonight," he commented, "You'll want to close that window before you fall asleep."
Santana tried to push it down, but it wouldn't budge.
"It sticks sometimes," he said, stepping into the room, "Let me help you."
Nick moved toward the window, stepping carefully around Brittany on the floor, and pushed hard on the wood to close it.
"Thanks," the Latina said, taking a step back from him and crossing her arms.
"No problem," he smiled, his straight, white teeth showing, "I had this room last summer."
Nick was a tall guy, having grown a lot since the last time Santana saw him the summer of 2008. He was at least six feet, probably even a couple of inches over that. His Greek heritage gave him a prominent nose, but he wore it well with the rest of his chiseled features. He had dark, wavy hair that he wore in sort of a shag cut much like the hairstyle Andy wore, but Andy was several inches shorter and had sandy blonde hair.
Brittany dug out her toothbrush and some toothpaste and stated, standing up, "I'm going to grab the bathroom before someone else does."
Santana shifted uncomfortably, watching Brittany leave the room, hearing the bathroom door shut soon after.
"So…where were you the last couple of summers?" he asked casually, not moving from his spot near her.
Santana took another step away from him, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. "Cheer camp last year…," the brunette answered, "…and my family went to Puerto Rico the summer before that."
"Oh right, you're Puerto Rican," he nodded, "Well…from what I remember…."
"Nick…," Santana cut him off, "Listen…a lot has changed with me…like a lot."
"Yeah…like you got even hotter," he winked at her, closing some of the gap between them.
"What happened between us is in the distant past so…," she walked over to the bedroom door, hoping he would take the hint to leave, "…let's not make this week awkward, ok?"
Santana watched him stand there a second, and she could see his mental wheels turning. She knew a guy like Nick was probably unaccustomed to being shot down right out of the gate. He cleared his throat and flashed another toothy grin at her as he walked toward the door.
"I get it…," he stopped right in front of her and reached up to brush her long hair off her left shoulder, "…You're going to make me work for it this time."
"Please don't touch me," Santana said softly, casting her eyes downward, her anxiety level rising as she stood between him and the wall.
"That's not what you said last time," he smiled.
"I'm with somebody now…," she looked back up at him, never knowing exactly what or when to say something about her and Brittany, "I assure you…I'm not interested."
Nick opened his mouth to say something as the bathroom door opened loudly and Brittany walked back in through the doorway.
"Excuse me," she said lightheartedly as she squeezed in between them, "Don't let me interrupt."
"I was just leaving," he replied, adding with another smile, "We can catch up more tomorrow. Goodnight, Brittany."
"Night, Nick," the blonde replied with a slight wave, kneeling again at her suitcase.
"Goodnight, Santana," he said as he finally left.
The Latina instantly shut and locked the door, a shiver passing through her entire body as she turned around toward Brittany.
"He's nice…I always liked him," she said, taking off her t-shirt and removing her bra then pulling on a tank top.
Santana swallowed hard and tipped over her bag so she could unzip it. She had never told Brittany that she slept with her cousin's best friend during that summer trip…a few times that trip actually…and she certainly did not want to bring it up now.
"Yeah…real nice," Santana rolled her eyes, her breathing slowing returning to normal.
Everybody was eager to wake up Monday morning as soon as sunlight started filling the beach cabin. After showers and breakfast, Brittany and Santana took the younger girls down to the beach to play and watch Andy and Nick surf while Mrs. Pierce and her sister went shopping on the Boardwalk. They all left out soon after nine thirty with Mr. Pierce waving to them from behind his work laptop.
Santana kept it tame for their first day at the beach by wearing her slightly-more-conservative black bikini and making sure to shield herself from Nick's constant gaze by wearing a white, lightweight top as they all walked the path to the shore.
The guys went out on their boards straightaway while the girls put on sunblock and spread out beach towels and set up a couple of beach chairs.
Brittany and Santana splashed around for a little bit in the shallow part of the water, watching Emily and Mallory collect sea shells in their colorful buckets.
As the water started filling with more and more people, the Latina decided to make herself comfortable back on shore in a low-sitting beach chair, feeling the sand between her toes and sunning herself, a significant portion of her attractive face blocked by oversized, black sunglasses.
The late-morning sun felt relaxing to Santana as it slowly heated her skin, and while she started to drift off, she could hear squeals of delight and laughter from Emily and Mallory as they built a sandcastle nearby with Brittany.
Santana wasn't sure how much time had passed, it could have been thirty minutes or it could have been over an hour, but she was suddenly roused from her relaxing nap by the feel of cool water droplets on her exposed body.
She opened her eyes once she realized the sun was being blocked too, glancing upward, expecting to see a raincloud. Instead, she saw a very tall guy in a black wet suit standing over her with his arm propped casually against his green and blue surfboard, droplets of sea water dripping down from his very wet hair.
"Can I help you?" she asked dryly, not stirring.
"Enjoying the sun?"
"Until you blocked it," she retorted.
"Oh…sorry," he laughed, kneeling and laying his board down in the sand, "Is that better?"
"Uh, no…," she pushed up on her sunglasses a tad, "…that's worse actually."
Nick just looked at her with a confused expression on his face.
"Did I ask you to join me?" Santana said harshly.
"What's your deal?"
"I told you last night, Nick…you're wasting your time," she adjusted slightly in the beach chair, "I'm with someone…happily."
"Sooo…we can't be friends?"
Santana chuckled. She knew guys like Nick.
"Why is that funny?" he asked, sitting all the way to the ground and crossing his long muscular legs at the ankles.
"Because you're staring at my chest even as you ask that."
This time Nick laughed. "Guilty…," he confessed, running his large hand through his wet hair, "…but admit it."
"Admit what?" she continued to look straight ahead.
"You would not wear that swimsuit if you did not want to be noticed."
"I'm wearing this swimsuit so I can get a tan," Santana stated dismissively.
Nick laughed harder. "Yeah, okay…sure."
"Are we done being friends yet?" Santana asked sarcastically.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
Santana did not answer. Truthfully, she wasn't entirely sure why she felt such dislike for him. She was really into him that one summer before her freshman year. He was older and seemed a lot cooler than Puck whom she'd already slept with a couple of times earlier in the summer. She never told Brittany about Nick, mostly because she hadn't told Brittany about Puck at that point. In fact, Brittany knew Santana lost her virginity to Puck, she just didn't know that it was actually four months earlier than she still thought.
"Well, just for the record…I may be a bad memory…but I'm not a bad guy," Nick said as he stood up, brushing off the sand from his hands as he walked back toward the water.
Brittany walked over and plopped down on a beach towel next to Santana, facing away from her, "Will you put some more lotion on my back, hon?"
Santana took a deep breath and sat up, twisting in her chair for better access. She didn't like having secrets from Brittany, but she wasn't sure this was the best time to make huge confessions. The Latina knew Brittany was not out to her extended family even though the blonde was never one to hide from the truth. Santana was sort of just taking her lead from Brittany's actions and comments, and so far this vacation, Santana felt noticeably friend-zoned.
"Are you enjoying the day?" Brittany asked her as she handed a tube of sunblock over her shoulder.
"Yes, of course…are you?" she answered with strained enthusiasm.
"You need to come see our sandcastle…it's awesome!" Brittany said proudly, pulling her long blond hair up as Santana spread the white cream over her pale, freckled skin that was already turning a slight shade of red.
Santana looked around at the people on the crowded beach as she rubbed sunscreen across Brittany's shoulders and neck and down her upper arms, making sure to get it up under the straps on her swimsuit top. She internally pondered the fact that none of the beachgoers knew she and Brittany were a couple…a couple who was in love and engaged to be married at some point in the future. Yet, Santana knew she could never truly feel the same carefree joy of just casually leaning over and kissing the back of Brittany's neck like she wanted to at the moment.
"Ok, you're all set, love," Santana snapped the lid on the tube and set it on the beach towel, smiling at Brittany when she turned to look at her.
Brittany stood up and reached down to take Santana by the hand, "Come on."
Santana allowed Brittany to pull her to a standing position then she wiped her backside as she walked over to the sandcastle they built.
Brittany stepped down into the shallow moat that was created by the displaced sand, turning around to smile up at Santana, holding her hands out in a grand presentation of their creation, "Tada…impressed?"
Santana laughed at seeing the gratification on their pink faces, "Very!"
"See the window for the princess over here, Santana?" Emily pointed to a cut out on the castle tower.
"I see…you did such a great job!" the brunette told them, smiling over at Brittany who was kneeling in the sand, her nose wrinkling as she squinted in the bright sunlight.
"That way the prince can climb over the castle wall and up the tower to save the princess," Mallory added, demonstrating with two small seashells.
"Oh, is that right?" Santana tried to show interest.
"Nuh-uh, Mallory…it doesn't have to be a prince!" Emily insisted with a pout.
"Who's going to save the princess then if the prince doesn't?" the eleven-year-old asked her younger cousin with confusion.
"Another princess!" Emily said adamantly, picking up two seashells of her own, explaining matter-of-factly, "See…this princess can climb up the tower, way up here…and then she rescues the other princess…and they kiss…cause they love each other very much."
Santana looked over and smiled lovingly at Brittany who winked and smiled back at her proudly.
The older girl just shrugged as if that made sense too, noticing her brother coming out of the water.
"Andy look!" Mallory called to him as he and Nick walked up to where they sat.
"Great job, Mal!" he complimented, "Hey Britt, did you still want to go out on my board?"
"Is the water cold right now?" she asked, not having a wetsuit.
"It's pretty choppy, but it's warmed up," he answered her.
"I think I'll wait," the blonde answered.
"I want to go!" Emily jumped up.
"Oh no you don't," Brittany said sternly.
"But you said, Andy!" she frowned, "You said you'd teach me to surf."
"No, Emily…it's not safe," Brittany told her.
"We don't have a lifejacket for you, Em," Santana tried to help.
"What if I take her out just a little ways on the board and let her paddle back?" Andy suggested with a smile.
"Please, B?" the little girl pleaded with a giant grin, her tongue showing through the gaps in her tiny teeth.
Brittany paused, thinking, before she sighed heavily and relented, "Ok…but please don't go out very deep."
"Yay!" Emily stepped up out of the trench and started running toward the water, yelling back over her shoulder, "Come on, Andy!"
"Don't worry…I'll stay right with her," he said reassuringly, walking off with his white surfboard tucked under his arm.
Brittany looked over at Santana and grimaced, "I should probably stay close by."
Santana nodded and smiled as she watched Brittany head toward the water too then she stepped back over to her beach chair to sit down.
"You don't want to go out in the water?" Nick asked the Latina.
"No, I'm fine here."
He sat down next to her on the beach towel with his long legs pulled up and his arms wrapped around his knees.
"Aren't you hot in that suit?" Santana decided to make the best of his presence.
"Sort of…but it's a bitch to get back on," he stated, "I'm going back out in a little while."
Santana shrugged, watching Brittany walk out in the ocean until she was about thigh deep, the top part of her aqua-colored swimsuit showing. Santana loved that particular suit on Brittany because it made her eyes look even bluer, and the bluer Brittany's eyes looked, the more they sparkled like when the sunlight danced on top of the water.
The Latina could see Andy holding onto the board a few yards beyond where Brittany stood. He moved out a little further until the water was to his shoulders then he stopped to show Emily how to position herself on the board, on her stomach, so she could paddle her way back toward the shore.
"Are you guys getting hungry?" Nick asked, "When they come back, I can go get us lunch from the snack stand over there."
Santana did feel her stomach growl when he said that. "Yeah, maybe…let's see what the rest of them want to do," she deferred, reaching for her bag to dig around for her phone. She pulled it out and lit the screen to see that it was shortly after Noon. Before she could look back up, she heard a scream, not a high-pitched scream, but a deep, male's scream.
"Oh shit," Nick jumped up, "I bet he got stung."
Santana didn't follow Nick to the water but stayed seated and watched as Andy grabbed at his lower leg.
Nick walked out until he was in ankle-deep water, getting close enough to yell toward Brittany, "What happened?"
Brittany waded closer toward Andy then turned to yell back toward shore, "Jellyfish."
Nick nodded, saying to Brittany, "Tell him to come back in…we'll get the medic to treat it."
"Andy!" a child's voice screamed out loudly in a panic.
Brittany whipped back around to see that, in his moment of pain, Andy had inadvertently lost his grip on the edge of the surfboard and the tide was carry Emily further out.
"Hold on, Em!" Brittany called calmly to her little sister, not wanting to startle the child, then she started swimming out to her.
Brittany swam quickly past her cousin, trying to close the distance between her and Emily, noticing that the board was bobbing up and down in the deeper, choppy water.
"Paddle back this way!" Andy hollered, grimacing in intense pain, "Like I showed you, Em!"
Santana stood up and walked to where Nick was standing, "Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine…I've been stung twice in one day before and survived," he joked, looking down at her, enjoying the side view of the Latina in her bikini as she stood next to him.
"It hurts bad though, I've heard," Santana said as she watched Brittany catch up to the drifting board then start to pull Emily back toward the shore. The Latina privately breathed a sigh of relief once the two of them made it back to Andy.
"It's definitely not pleasant…it feels like a thousand needles stinging into your skin," Nick described graphically, seeing Andy pull Emily safely off the board in order to transport the child on his back the rest of the way.
"Nick…that wave looks really big," Santana observed, sounding worried.
"Andy! Behind you!" Nick yelled out to warn them of the rising danger.
Nick took off quickly toward them just as the giant wave crashed into the trio, picking up the board and all three of them in its path.
"Brittany!" Santana screamed out as all three of them disappeared under the water.
To Santana, it seemed like a lifetime that they were missing from view, but in reality, it could not have been more than a couple of seconds before the board popped back up out of the water, moving with the current toward shore. A second after that, she saw Andy surface with a drenched Emily still tightly attached to his neck.
Santana let out the air she didn't realize was caught in her chest, relieved, expecting to see Brittany surface in the next second, but the only things she saw were the surfboard wash ashore and Nick as he took Emily from Andy's grasp.
Once the Latina realized what was happening, she ran out into the water, screaming, "Brittany!"
Nick helped Andy and Emily back to shore, but Santana swam out past them in a panic.
"Santana!" Nick tried to stop her.
When Brittany finally surfaced, she was face down.
"Britt!" Santana said frantically as she grabbed the blonde and flipped her over, seeing a trail of fresh blood down her forehead. Then Santana realized Brittany wasn't breathing. On adrenaline alone, she wrapped her right arm around Brittany's abdomen and started pulling her toward shore.
As she got to where she could stand up, she felt a strong arm pull Brittany from her grasp.
"Let me help," Nick told her.
"No!" Santana shouted, not wanting to lose her physical link to Brittany, but Nick was taller and stronger and lifted Brittany over Santana's head.
The tall brunette carried her and laid her on the wet sand just as one of the beach's trained lifeguards met up with them.
Santana came ashore feeling dazed from the whirlwind of activity and emotion. Her eyes adjusted then fixated on the bright red shorts of the lifeguard as he kneeled at Brittany's side, performing CPR.
Andy came limping up behind her, lowering Emily to the ground, and Santana heard the child scream out, "B!"
"Emily," Santana reached out and pulled her back by the arm.
"Santana…can't you help her?" the seven-year-old pleaded.
Santana didn't know how to respond, her eyes filling with hot tears. They stood there watching, holding their breath, waiting for Brittany to take a breath of her own.
"You can't let her die, Santana," Emily looked up at her with tears streaming down her little face, "You're supposed to save her!"
Time and Santana's heart both nearly stopped, and she looked over at the sandcastle, hearing Emily's earlier words echo through the sea air… then she rescues the other princess…and they kiss…cause they love each other very much.
Santana took in an arduous breath of salt air, tears escaping from her dark eyes, and she looked up into the blue sky as the yellow sun disappeared behind a large cloud.
Author's Note: I'm nervous! How about y'all? I sure hope Brittany breathes!
This chapter got longer than I thought it would so I am breaking it into two parts. There will be a Chapter 28 and an Epilogue. Then…Her Smile Heals Me will be complete. Thank you all so much for reading my story. Please let me know your thoughts after reading this update. Stay tuned for the finale! Kim