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Post by Kat on Nov 11, 2005 8:12:49 GMT -5
Moki had also been watching the departure, still feeling a little bad that Vinnie had reacted so harshly and trying not to feel guilty for it. As hostess, she should have paid a little more attention to him. When she saw him go for Chip though, all her guilt washed away. What her parents had always told her was true-- people often show their real selves within the first hour of meeting them. Vinnie obviously was an asshole.
When she saw him throw Chip from the side of the boat, though, she was shocked for the first moment. She'd never had to deal with anything like that before here, not even from the drunk resort patrons; how could someone so horrible be so close by? Dan's shout broke her out of her shock though and she immediately sprinted to the dock, passing him by and jumping in the resort's patrol boat that was stocked with aquatic first aid items. Looking back at Dan she shouted, "come with me!" Barely giving him enough time to jump into the boat she sped off toward Chip, obviously used to navigating the waters in order to get to someone in trouble. Having to shout over the rush of wind and water around them, she wanted to let Dan know that she wanted to control the situation.
"Dan! I have full lifeguard training and I know how to handle situations like these out in open water, so you need to listen to me, okay?" All the training her father had taught her during the past four years on rescue procedures in the water were rushing at her and to her surprise, they were making the utmost sense. She knew exactly what had to be done and wasn't panicking in the slightest. She explained to him that he could not panic on her no matter what condition they found Chip in, which given that he was still underwater, he would probably be unconscious. They would need to work together to bring Chip on board-- she wanted Dan to try and support his body while she handled his head after having seen it hit the railing, then on board she would administer CPR. They were coming up on the spot where she had seen him fall over and knowing how the boat would react in these waters, she cut the motor with enough distance for the boat to sail very close to Chip, telling Dan to put on a life jacket before jumping over board, hoping he would listen. If not and anything happened to him, this could all end up coming down on her head. As the boat coasted closer to where they would have to jump, Moki put on her own life jacket, not inflating it though. She knew herself well enough to know how she would react in the water, but she'd only just met Dan.
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Post by Cres on Nov 11, 2005 8:32:37 GMT -5
Truth be told, Dan was happy that Moki seemed to be on the top of the situation, as he suspected he would not have been able to act so calm without her professional attitude there so close. He, too, was shocked for what Vinnie had done, but having seen some action in the past and knowing Vinnie, he was less surprised. He was just angry at himself for not going with Chip. He should have known Chip wouldn't keep his mouth shut and would end up in trouble.
"Yeah, ok," he answered to Moki when she told him to listen to her. Certainly. He was too worried about his friend and too hot-headed by nature to handle this coolly alone anyway.
Dan was, however, trained enough into dangerous situations by his several adventures with Chip to be able to keep a cool head with someone telling him exactly what to do. So he put on the life jacket quickly.
Chip, meanwhile, was struggling half conscious and half unconscious. Water was everywhere - and he was beginning to lose the little consciousness he had had. Everything became black, and slowly he stopped fighting altogether.
"Just tell me what to do," Dan said with a deep, calm voice, which had only the edge of tension audible. For now, he needed to keep his head cool. There was time to freak out later. Once they had got Chip safe.
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Post by Kat on Nov 11, 2005 9:03:35 GMT -5
Ace grinned to Teddy at his comment, oddly feeling like he could go back to joking about anything now that Chip was there. He made the mistake of glancing over at Vinnie and the girls, though. He caught Vinnie's death glare, practically able to feel it without seeing it, knowing it was directed fully at him. Vinnie must have remembered him well from that night at Reflections. He felt very uncomfortable having that look directed at him, scared even. What if he ever encountered Vinnie and no one else was around? What would happen? Was this glare just a spur of the moment thing, or was Vinnie holding a grudge against him?
When Chip left to take Vinnie back, Ace was relieved Vinnie would be going, but he wanted Chip to stay. He could see the worry in Chip's attempted smile and it didn't help at all. He said nothing, just watched. When Lancer mentioned getting a drink Ace's worry grew again. Watching him walk off toward the outside bar he knew better than to say anything. Lancer didn't exactly seem happy either. Turning to look at Teddy, Ace looked quite upset. He should really use this time to talk to Teddy about earlier. Maybe it would at least take his mind off of Vinnie.
"Teddy?" He looked at his friend, the boy who had at one time been his best friend, unsure of what to say. He just wanted to say something to ensure there wouldn't be any odd feelings between them.
He was jolted out of his thoughts though when he heard shouting, turning just in time to see Vinnie hit Chip and send him into the water. He was frozen, unable to move as he stood there and watched Chip plummet into the water. When he didn't immediately re-surface Ace felt himself panic a little. What if he didn't come back up? What if Chip died out in the water? Was it his fault? Had their arguement had anything to do with him? From Vinnie's death glare and Chip's protective nature, he had a feeling that this somehow may have involved him. He watched as the boat sped out to where Chip had fallen in; he didn't even know who was on the boat. The look on his face showed his emotions, his eyes brimming with tears that he didn't even realize were there.
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Post by Kat on Nov 11, 2005 10:04:27 GMT -5
***Now watch me as I pull this situation out of my ass! I hope those years of watching Baywatch will help;)***
Moki glanced at Dan, taking a deep breath. The boat was getting near the point where Chip should be, her estimate of a stopping point proving to be right on the mark. "Okay, I'm going to jump in first and take a look around underwater to find him. I want you to stay here until I tell you to jump in, okay?" Making sure that he had time to process what she was saying, she continued on. "When I find him I'm going to need you to help me pull him up. You grab his legs and I'll grab him under the arms and together we should be able to pull him up, and when we do we'll swim him over to the boat. Judging on his state, if he's unconscious or thrashing in a panic, I'll need you to hold him on your own while I climb up the back of the boat," she indicated that the back was flat, making it easy to pull someone up, "then I'll grab him again and pull him up. Once we get him in I'll need you to grab blankets and a neck brace from that bin there and bring them over. I might have to do CPR on him, so you'll need to give me room to work. Okay?" She started searching the water for any tell tale signs of bubbles, but couldn't find any yet. "And Dan? If he starts thrashing around when we bring him up, it's going to be a lot harder and you might have to try and bring him in on your own, I can't risk getting both of us pulled under by him. Okay?" She looked back at him, glad he was listening to her so easily. The boat drifted to a stop and Moki nodded her head, reminding him to wait for her command to jump in. Taking a second to calm her breathing, she took in a full breath of air and jumped in, exhaling as she went underwater, her eyes open and searching for Chip.
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Post by Cres on Nov 11, 2005 13:43:00 GMT -5
[[hey, we're all winging it! I think people can't stay conscious under water without air for very long, especially if they've breathed in water, so I figured Chip'd lose consciousness... hehe]]
Dan acknowledged everything Moki told him with grunts, not deeming it necessary to actually say anything. He remained on the boat, anxiously peering down while Moki dove.
Chip was floating downward, hanging somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. He wasn't very far from the surface, having managed to struggle upward for the while it took for Moki and Dan to get there, but he was sinking now.
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Sharise
Tease on a Leash
"Must I hide?"
Posts: 727
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Post by Sharise on Nov 11, 2005 15:30:42 GMT -5
Teddy followed Ace's gaze, where he was met with a shock. Things were spiraling out of control far too quickly. What the hell had gotten into Vinnie? Better yet, why wasn't Chip coming backup? The teen started to panic but refused to let it show. Especially sense he could tell that Ace really cared about the man.
Reaching out, Teddy placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. He hoped that the boy wouldn't try to push him away. It was obvious that he needed some support right now.
Lancer's attention was brought back over to the crowd as Dan screamed. He continued to sip at his drink from the bar, unmoved by what was going on. It was like a bad episode of Bay Watch. Then again, all the episodes were bad.
"Bloody hell..." Instinctively, Phin placed a protective arm around Bee. Things were getting pretty crazy. He just hoped that things wouldn't turn fatal.
Dan ran off so quickly, that it took Bp a moment to regain her senses. She looked out at the ocean after Chip had been thrown from the boat. She was a bit confused at first, but things quickly came together as Moki and Dan sped off. "Shit..." Bp knew how close Chip and Dan were. She could only imagine how worried Sweetheart's brother was. It was easy to say that she wanted everything to work out in the end.
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Post by Kat on Nov 11, 2005 21:37:38 GMT -5
Feeling Teddy's hand on his shoulder, Ace turned to his friend, not really thinking before he practically fell on him, clinging to him a little desperately. Way too much had happened today and right now he really needed a hug. He also couldn't bring himself to watch what was happening in the water, too scared that he would see the rescuers get out there and not pull Chip up. Not saying anything, he simply buried his head into Teddy's shoulder, his arms wrapping around the bigger boy's torso.
As Moki dove into the water she opened her eyes, taking her time to scan the scene under water, finding Chip quickly. Kicking her feet to get closer to him she resurfaced directly above him, pointing down so Dan would know exactly where to go. She dove under again, getting to where Chip was and grabbing him under the shoulders, pulling him up to the surface. So far he wasn't struggling, which was a good sign. If he didn't struggle at all, she would probably be able to get him into the boat herself, but she was very glad Dan was here.
Breaking the surface with Chip's head barely above water, Moki hoped Dan was ready and able to support Chip back to the boat. Looking around for Dan, Moki yelled for him, "Dan, come to me!" She was a little amazed that she had the strength to support Chip this long.
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Post by Cres on Nov 11, 2005 23:31:17 GMT -5
Bee felt Phin's protective arm around her. She was still alarmed enough about what was going on in the water to really realise that she was actually leaning to him as a response.
"Oh my God, he's not getting up," she whispered. Seeing something as horrible as that sent her nervousness staggering again. She noticed her hands were beginning to tremble just a little.
Dan got into the water as soon as Moki came up again and pointed down. As she got him up, he was there quickly, knowing that Chip's weight would be too much for her. He felt cold chills go through him as he saw how immobile Chip was. It was so strange to see him like that, as opposed to the little flame he had known from since pre-school. He swam to Moki and Chip and wrapped a strong arm around his best friend's torso, nodding to Moki that he had him now.
It was at that point that Chip's consciousness returned. He had not hit his head too badly, and the rush of air into his lungs sent him coughing water. He was still too disoriented to fully appreciate what was going on, but he did realise he was still in the water and that someone was holding him tight. He chose to stay mostly limb in Dan's arms, hazily realising that he probably couldn't do much more than that, and knowing that struggling would only pull them both down.
"It's ok, man," Dan said to Chip when he realised he was awake, "I've got you."
And he pulled Chip with him as best he could to the boat.
On the beach Cara, who had felt completely awful about the whole thing for the whole episode, took her hands down from her throat, where they had been nervously, and let out a sound.
"Oh, they got him," she squeaked. "It looks like he might be moving. I think... I hope he'll be ok."
She wasn't sure who she was talking to.
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Sharise
Tease on a Leash
"Must I hide?"
Posts: 727
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Post by Sharise on Nov 12, 2005 13:05:39 GMT -5
The boy wasn't surprised as Ace practically collapsed in his arms. Pushing the day's earlier events from his mind, Teddy held the blonde tightly. He didn't dare say a word, or even look out at the water.
Bp felt a tinge of guilt, and she had no idea why. Maybe it was because she had Dan too preoccupied earlier, when he could have been on the boat with Chip. Either way, it was too late now. She just hoped things would be alright in the end.
"They have him..." Phin looked down at Bee. It was obvious that the girl was shaking terribly. "It's okay." With a soft smile, he reached down and cupped the girl's hands in his. Bee's hands looked tiny compared to the teen's.
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Post by Cres on Nov 12, 2005 13:45:23 GMT -5
Bright Eyes blinked a few tears from her eyes, ashamed of her anxious symptoms, but Phin seemed to understand. She smiled a little to him and felt safer, held by him. It reminded her of the times she had felt safe with Lancer. Those times were long over now. She refused to think about Lancer now, despite the lingering feelings of caring.
"Thank you, Phin," she said quietly, looking at him, trying for a smile. "I'm sorry I behave like this. I am a little... excitable these days."
Well, truth be told, she had always been that way - even if those tendencies had since heightened.
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Sharise
Tease on a Leash
"Must I hide?"
Posts: 727
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Post by Sharise on Nov 12, 2005 13:47:57 GMT -5
Phin shook his head. "It's ok." He smiled softly. "No need to apologize."
He gave the girl's hands a little squeeze for extra comfort. The current situation was crazy enough to even make him a little anxious.
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Post by Cres on Nov 12, 2005 14:01:24 GMT -5
Bright Eyes smiled to Phin. He was the first person who had been so close to her in a long time. It felt kind of nice. He thought a little ruefully that he probably had a girlfriend somewhere, or even if he didn't, he probably would soon. Or then he was gay. Then she reminded herself that she wasn't looking for a new relationship right now. If ever. So it was all right anyway.
Still, Phin's understanding felt nice.
"You're really the nicest guy I've met in a long time, did you know that?" she said with a smile, however. Though on the slippery slope to total reclusion, she was not there yet.
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Sharise
Tease on a Leash
"Must I hide?"
Posts: 727
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Post by Sharise on Nov 12, 2005 14:05:04 GMT -5
"Really?" Phin tilted his head, and smiled brightly. "Thank you."
He glanced out at the ocean, never letting go of the girl's hands. When he turned back to look at her again, he bit his lip. "I almost feel like stepping back a little. I don't want to get in their way when they reach the shore."
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Post by Cres on Nov 12, 2005 14:09:50 GMT -5
Bee nodded at once to what Phin was saying. She glanced over to the sea as well, shuddering a little.
"I wouldn't mind stepping back a little either. I might start crying if he's still unconscious when they bring him in," she confessed. "And I don't think they need that."
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Sharise
Tease on a Leash
"Must I hide?"
Posts: 727
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Post by Sharise on Nov 12, 2005 14:17:56 GMT -5
"I don't think you'll be the only one crying." Phin looked around the crowd, just now noticing that Ace was burrowed in some guy's arms.
Sighing, he placed an arm around Bee and turned away from the shore. "Shall we take a seat at the bar?" Phin hadn't even bothered to notice that Lancer was sitting at the bar. Though it wouldn't have mattered if he had. The past lives of the kids in Meadowbrook were unknown to him.
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