Please.
The truck skidded to a stop. Creed blinked hard at his distorted vision. His door was flung open. He moved in slow motion as he clambered out, Meg held tightly against his chest. He saw the littlest Winter run before him, dripping wet and waving for him to follow. Unquestioningly, Creed flew after him as the little boy jumped into the nearly overflowing tub. Creed stepped in the water and hurried in slow motion to sit, fully clothed in the warm water. He shifted Meg so she would be as immersed as possible, her head leaning against his chest as her body drifted into a prone position between his outstretched legs.
Water sloshed over the rim of the tub, wetting the bathroom floor.
The room filled with the immediate Winter family. Margo was on her knees beside the tub feeling helpless. Her salty tears fell and mixed with the cloudy salt water enveloping her daughter’s body.
No one spoke, holding their breath instead. Everybody looked on with anguished hope as Danny took a handful of water and started to wash the blood off his sister’s face.
While he worked, he hummed a simple melody.
Minutes crept past.
Water droplets forming at the faucet’s edge plopped loudly in the silent space.
Danny’s melody echoed hauntingly.
A scuffling of boots and murmuring could be heard from the adjacent bedroom as 17th Company soldiers moved aside to make way for the arrival of Alik and Evan.
The boys hurried into the small space directly to the edge of the tub and crumpled to their knees on the wet rug—one on either side of their mother. Instinctively, the three felt the need to touch Meg’s gently floating body.
Evan slipped beneath Danny’s arms to feel for a pulse in her throat. His sensitive fingertips made slight adjustments. Over his shoulder, Sloan silently passed him a stethoscope. He glanced back at her as he took the instrument and nodded once in appreciation for the bag of emergency medical supplies she and Sloan held between them.
Quickly he positioned the earpieces and leaned over the edge of the tub.
“Lift her,” he whispered to Creed, “just enough to get her chest above the water.”
Creed nodded silently and shifted one hand under Meg’s back. Her body easily bobbed up to the surface. Danny stopped his work for a moment, allowing his brothers access to her. Evan positioned the drum right where he should be able to hear a heartbeat, held his breath and closed his eyes.
He said nothing as he listened.
After a few seconds, he shifted the drum slightly desperate to hear life in his sister.
Danny put his warm, wet hand over Evan’s, stilling his movements.
When Evan looked up, Danny offered a comforting smile and shook his head. “You hold her hand, let me work on her heart.”
Evan slowly sat back, his stethoscope still hanging from his ears.
Creed let Meg’s body slip back under the water.
Everybody stared at Danny in awe.
The four-year-old’s voice vibrated with a quiet confidence, but that’s not what caused jaws to drop. The child’s eyes had changed from the color of Texas skies to an iridescent, snowy blue.
“Danny?” Margo whispered, awestruck.
“It’s okay, mommy,” he reassured and looked back at his sister’s ashen face.
“He says you have a lot of work left to do.” Danny spoke directly to his big sister. Leaning down, he put his hands on either side of his sister’s face and smiled widely at her closed lids. “Wake up, Meggie.”
Everybody gasped at the sight of Meg’s face pinking up just before her eyes fluttered wide open.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Danny’s peals of laughter were only interrupted by the occasional hiccup, which only made him laugh even harder. He and Maze had been playing chase in the clear, shallow waters stretching along the slice of beach belonging to Paulie’s Hawaiian property—the property the beloved old friend had left to Margo in his will.
Margo grinned adoringly at her youngest, wondering if she should run inside to get her camera.
Theo lounged beside his new bride watching her, watching Danny, and sighed contentedly, remembering the night they married.
They had chosen a sunset beach ceremony surrounded by their children and extended Winter clan. The entire wedding party was barefoot and joyful.
Pictures from that night captured images of a blushing Margo dancing in the sand. She was glowing with love in her sheer, flowing knee-length dress all in blue—to match Theo’s eyes. Around her neck, she wore a dainty gold locket—a wedding gift from Theo. Inside the locket were hard-to-find pictures of her parents and sister, Becca.