Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

“We’re still looking for her,” Zur said. “We may have some free vehicles in an hour or so.”

“An hour will be too late.” Marcus didn’t know how he knew this, but he did.

“If we had more manpower, we’d send someone out in another car,” Zur added. “Sorry, Marcus. This is a Code Red situation. No emergency services available. We’re doing our best.”

“What about the truck that ran her off the road? Anyone see it, report it?”

“We’ve got no eye-witness reports. Her husband never rented a truck. At least not in his name.”

“And you still haven’t been able to reach him?”

“No. Kingston’s not answering.”

“How convenient.”

“Look, as soon as I know anything, I’ll call you.”

Marcus checked his watch. “Call my cell phone.”

“Will do.”

As soon as Marcus hung up, Leo nudged him and passed him a sheet of paper.

“This is the time the rain hit the area?” Marcus asked.

“Yeah.”

“So if she was a half hour past Edson, that would put her about here.” Marcus pointed to a spot along Highway 47 on the map on his monitor. He consulted the sheet Leo had given him. “It started raining about here.”

“How long did she drive in the rain?”

“Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. But she was forced off the highway, and we have no idea how long she was passed out before she called us.” He did a rough calculation. “That would put her somewhere in this area.” He drew a circle with his finger around an area of the map.

“The McLeod River runs near that stretch of the highway,” Leo said. “And it has a number of tributaries. That could be what she heard. The river.”

“At least now we know where to look.” Marcus pushed away from the desk, stood and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair.

“What are you doing?”

“The one thing I can do. I’m going to look for them.”

“Marcus!” Leo hissed. “Are you crazy? You can’t just up and leave.”

“Watch me.” He patted Leo’s shoulder. “Look, my shift’s nearly over. We have limited resources and no one else can go look for her. We know she’s not far from here.” He strode to the window and looked outside. “The rain’s slowing. I might be able to see where she went off the highway.”

“What about Shipley? You know he’s gonna be pissed.”

“I’ll deal with him later. Right now we have a mother and two kids counting on us. We’re their only hope, and I can’t sit by waiting for emergency vehicles to come available when I know she might be twenty minutes away.”

“She said at least half an hour from here.”

Marcus grinned. “Not the way I drive.”

“Be safe, man. I’ll do what I can from this end to smooth things over.”

“You make sure you stay by the phone.”

Marcus headed for the door, but not before flicking a look toward Shipley’s office. The man was nowhere in sight. Finally, a stroke of luck. “If he says anything to you, you be sure to tell him this was my idea and you tried to stop me.”

“Hold on!”

Leo rushed down the hallway and through the stairwell door. He returned a few minutes later, face flushed and panting. In his hands were an emergency kit and two oxygen tanks.

“I borrowed the rebreathers from the training room,” he said between breaths. “You might need them.”

“Borrowed? You know this is for paramedic training. Shipley’ll be pissed.”

Leo shrugged. “You just have ’em back before Titanic even notices they’re missing.”

“Thanks, Leo.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I may have to ’fess up, and you might not have a job to come back to.”

“There are other jobs.”

Strange. For the first time, Marcus felt a sense of liberation at the thought of pursuing some other career. Sure, there was a slim chance he could go back to being a paramedic once he’d kicked the drugs and passed his probation period. But did he even want that? He wasn’t sure anymore.

Leo followed him out into the hall. “Call me as soon as you find ’em. And, Marcus?” He hesitated and chewed his bottom lip.

“Spit it out, Leo?”

“You know this isn’t part of your job description.”

“I know.”

“You may not find them in time. They might not all make it. Are you prepared for that?”

“I won’t fail, Leo. Not this time.”

“Marcus—”

“Funny how things come full circle sometimes. Fate?”

Leo grunted. “Or destiny. Go get ’em.”

Marcus raced from the center with two thoughts in his head. One, he was going to find Rebecca and her kids. Two, he would get them out— alive .

Rebecca opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to clear her vision. She was assaulted by images of the crash, Ella unconscious in the back, Colton with his leg pinned between the seats.

Her forehead felt tight. She touched it. Dried blood. That was a good sign at least.

She inhaled carefully and flinched when a sharp dagger of pain shot through her ribs. Definitely broken. She wondered how long she could remain conscious.

What if I die here, with Ella and Colton in the back seat? She shook her head. No! I can’t think like that.

“Mom, are you awake?”

“Yes, Colton.”

“I was scared you wouldn’t wake up.” She heard his voice tremble. “You didn’t drop the phone, did you?”

She had a moment of trepidation when she thought she had, but she found her cell phone securely tucked between her chest and the steering wheel. “No, I have it.” Thank God!

She glanced at the phone. The man from 911 should be calling her soon.

Marcus.

She thought of his voice, how soothing and comforting it was. There was kindness in his tone. And something more. Sadness. His wife was dead. And his son. What were their names? Jane and… Ryan.

This made her think of Wesley. She flipped open her phone and punched in his number. No answer. If he was still on the road, he wouldn’t pick up the phone.

She left a message. “Wesley, we’ve been in a car accident. Ella and Colton are fine, I think. I’ve called 911. They’re looking for us now.” She checked the battery. “I can’t call you again. My battery’s too low. I’ll call you when we’re safe.” She hung up.

“We’re gonna get rescued, right, Mom?”

She pressed the phone against her cheek. “Yes, honey. Soon.”

The phone rang.

“Marcus?” she said.

“Yes, it’s me. How are you doing?”

“The same.” She lowered her voice. “I’m sure I’ve broken a couple of ribs, and I’m afraid of internal damage.”

“We’re trying to locate more vehicles to search for you.” His voice sounded tight. “I’m sorry, Rebecca.”

“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything.”

“I’m feeling a bit helpless here.”

She bit her lip. “You’re thinking of your wife, aren’t you?”

Pause. “Yes.”

“And your son.”

“Ryan. He was a good kid.”

“I bet you were a good dad.”

“I tried. We didn’t have an easy time getting pregnant. Ryan was a gift.”

He told her how, when he was into his second year of medical school, Jane had become pregnant. Without a second thought, he’d quit medical school―much to his parents’ dismay―and got a job as a lab assistant. Then he married Jane in a quiet family-only service in his parents’ backyard. Four months into the pregnancy, Jane had a miscarriage.”

“That’s awful,” Rebecca said. “I’m very sorry.”

“I submerged myself in work, while Jane mended. We tried for three years. I didn’t think it would ever happen.”