(continued from pg. 336) I have a sick feeling in my stomach as I swim deeper and deeper but when I feel my tired lungs starting to give out, I finally feel something. It felt like short pieces of hair. I gasp and feel water filling my mouth and going down my throat. I jerk back, violently hitting my head of a boulder that I didn't realize was behind me. I quickly swim up to the surface, spitting and coughing the water up, my head starting to throb immediately.

Was that really him? I thought.

I dive back down going to the same spot. I put my hands in front of me, feeling around for any sign of Finch and open my eyes. The burning sensation from the salt water erupts my eyes but I ignore it in determination to find him. Once again I feel and see hair floating in front of me. My eyes are starting to go blurry as I reach further down and feel flesh in the shape of a face. Looking to the right of me, I feel fingers brushing my arm. It’s him! Without a second thought, I reach further down beneath his arms and with all my strength, I pull up towards the surface. My body craves air, my lungs feeling like they’re about to explode. I know I’m running out of oxygen but so is he, so I refuse to go back up without him. I can’t.

I pull and pull, now only about 10 ft away from the surface. I look up towards the top seeing the setting sun from under the water sloshing around. Than a terrible feeling of doubt or rather fear overcame me. Will I make it to the top or will I die here with Finch? No that can’t happen. We will both make it to the top and see our families. Everything will be okay. It has to be. We can’t end here.

Getting a burst of energy, I pull us higher and higher until we reach the surface. I look at his face, dark hair, closed eyes, limp body. He can’t be dead. Not now. I start swimming with him perched on my back, but it’s so so tiring. I feel myself slowing down quickly. All of a sudden, my eyelids feel like the heaviest thing in the universe. I look around and spot an older couple playing with their young daughter and son on the far end of the beach.

Holding Finch’s arm around my left shoulder, I raise my free arm high above my head and start yelling, “HELP! PLEASE HELP US!”

I see the little girl’s head cock in my direction. She pulls on her mother’s sundress and points in our direction. The woman looks towards us and yells for her husband. Their son, that looks to be around my age suddenly starts running towards the pier. The older man seems to be dialing a number on his phone. I look towards the pier. There’s a pair of jet skis that the boy jumps on and starts reving it. As he starts riding the jet ski, I’m getting sleepier and sleepier by the second. The more the boy gets closer, the more I realize it’s Roamer.

“Violet?!” he exclaims in shock.

Once he reaches us, he stretches his arm out towards me. I shake my head and turn so he can see Finch. Roamer’s eyes widen and his jaw drops a bit. He quickly recovers and closes his mouth. Taking Finch, he puts him behind him on the jet ski. Quickly Roamer checks if Finch is breathing and gasps.

“What is it!? What’s wrong?!” I yell.

“He’s not breathing!” Roamer says quickly turning around and pressing on Finch’s chest and listening for a pulse. When there’s no reaction from Finch, Roamer continues to apply pressure to his chest repeatedly.

My head’s constantly throbbing and I’m getting very light headed by the minute. This can’t be the end for Finch. He’s not dead, he can’t be.

Suddenly Finch coughs  a few times, his chest rising and falling violently at first and then he starts breathing almost normally.

After a minute, his piercing blue, ocean like eyes flutter open.

“Gosh, I’m sorry Violet. I’m so so sorry,” Finch says with a raspy voice.

“It’s okay, really. You don’t have to apologize,” at this point tears were already filling my eyes.

I pat the jet ski and tell Roamer to take him to the beach. He looks at me in an “Are you sure?” sort of way. I nod and look at Finch one last time as they ride farther and farther away. Once I see them reach the beach, I start swimming. I’m still in excruciating pain from hitting my head earlier. I brush it off and keep going.

After a minute or two, I feel a sharp, violent pain attack as if someone had shot me. I look around and suddenly everything goes blurry at first and than completely black . The last thing I heard was Finch yelling, no, screaming my name.

“VIOLET! VIOLE~”

Finch

All of a sudden I see Violet stop swimming, looks around and screams. I’m about to run into the water after her but Roamer holds me back.

“Calm down man. You need to sit down, she’s fine.”

“She just screamed, didn’t you hear her?! She’s not “fine”!”

“Don’t worry, she’s okay.”

“Ugh”

I push Roamer off me and jump on the jet ski and ride off after her. She shouldn’t be swimming after being underwater for who knows how long.

I get closer to where I saw her last. She’s out of sight. Like she disappeared. I’m starting to panic and dive into the water. I open my eyes and look around with both my hands and my eyes. I look down and see Violet sinking deeper and deeper into the water. I swim to her and pull her towards the surface, putting her on the jetski. I notice the sound of sirens and look towards the beach to see police cars and flashing lights. Holding Violet close to me, I rev the engine and zip off to the beach.

Carrying her bridal style when we arrive to the beach, I hand her to the paramedics. They perform CPR on her and place a breathing mask on her face.

“Is she going to wake up?! When is she going to wake up? Is she okay?” I have a million questions that no one is answering.

They place her on a stretcher and into an ambulance. I get in before they have a chance to close the doors and we are rushed to the hospital.

“Head injury…” “Trauma to the brain…” “Possible coma…” The doctors and nurses are talking  gibberish, me barely understanding a sentence. By now, we’re at the hospital. Shining, bright, terrifying. What happened to her? Why isn’t she waking up? Why isn’t anyone answering me?! I have no idea what’s going on but one thing’s for sure. I’m not going to leave her side just like she never left mine.

“VIOLET! VIOLET! Wake up!... Please wake up.”

Doctors try to pull me away, me fighting all of them away. “I won’t leave her!”

“Son, this girl has acute head trauma, she needs immediate assistance from the doctors. She will be in good hands but for now they will try everything to help her, but you need to let them do their job,” some random doctor said placing his hand on my shoulder. I took one last look at her beautiful, unconscious face. I place a kiss on her forehead and the doctors and nurses take her away to a room, closing the door right in front of me.

“Why won’t she wake up?” I ask no one in particular. My voice is breaking more by the moment.

“They’re trying to figure that out as we speak. Don’t worry, she looks like a strong girl. She should be fine” the man to my right says.

“I-I love her. I can’t let anything bad happen to her.” This is my fault. If I just killed myself without telling her or saying anything, this wouldn’t have happened. I almost collapse into a chair in the waiting room, covering my face with my hands. Gosh Violet, why did you do that? Why did you go after me? Why couldn’t you just let me die? Lived on without getting hurt, found a better guy that isn’t as screwed up as me. The tears are trying to force their way out my eyes.

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah” I manage to get out over the sniffling.

The unknown man sits down next to me putting his hand on my shoulder gentilly. I look up at his face for the first time. He’s seems to be my height with a defined face, grey eyes, and thinning black hair. He looks to be in his mid or late forties.

“Son, you really shouldn’t worry. This hospital has the best doctors. Now, tell me what happened?”

So I told him everything.

By the time I was done, I heard a nurse calling my name. “Mr. Finch?”

I stood up immediately and walked with her to another room but when I went inside, I didn’t see Violet. All I saw was a woman who seemed to be about 50 or so, with glasses and a small stack of papers in front of her.

“Hello Mr. Finch, my name is Karen Evans. I would like to ask you a few questions if that’s okay,” she said not really making it seem like a question and rather a statement.

“Is Violet okay?”

“I am not allowed to discuss the girl in questions condition with you sir.”

I slam my hand on the table “I’m not answering anything until I know she’s safe.”

The woman had a surprise yet sympathetic expression on her face. She sighs and says calmly “Ok ok. The girl, Violet right? She is only passed out but is exhausted and has mild head trauma. There will be no long term effects but she will need to stay in bed for a few days, maybe a week depending on how she is when she wakes up. Better?”

“Much, thank you”

“Now are you willing to answer a few questions?”

“Yes, okay.”

“I understand that you’ve had a history with bipolar depression. Is that correct?”

I roll my eyes “Sure whatever, that’s what the doctors say anyway.”

“Why were you in the water?”

“Oh I just decided to take a small dip in the water. You know? Refresh my holy, happy outlook on life.” I know I probably shouldn’t be so sarcastic with this lady but I can’t really help it.

“Were you trying to take action to ending your life?” she looked at me completely serious.

I need to make Violet happy and get help but last time, it didn’t work. But it’ll make her happy. “Yes.”

Mrs. Evans let out a sigh and shook her head a little. “Well this means you will need to take an evaluation and get checked into a mental health facility. You have been to one before, correct?”

“Yes but I’m not leaving”

“By state law, you are required to receive immediate treatment.”

“I’m not leaving until I know for sure that Violet’s okay and safe.”

She sighed again and looked out the window in the door. “Alright, let me consult your parents and my supervisor and I’ll see what I can do.”

After a long night I’m sitting next to an unconscious Violet holding her hand, looking at her beautiful calm face. Whispering “I’m sorry” and “I love you” over and over. I feel her hand twitch and look up at her eyes. They flutter open effortlessly and close again due to the bright light.

“Violet?” I get up eager to get one of the doctors. “She’s awake!”

Her parents got to the hospital a few minutes earlier, signing some papers. Everyone starts rushing to the room as I go back to hold her hand again. Her eyes open again and looks straight at me.

“Violet, I’m so so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s alright.” She looks at me with reassuring eyes.

I kiss her and let the doctors do what they need to. But she’s okay. She’s okay. Thank god she’s okay.