Forever Remember: The Rose Code

Chapter 4: The Rescue

Strong hands grabbed me under my arms and dragged me to the surface. They lifted me out of the water and onto the hard cement beside the pool. A cool breeze caressed my skin, causing me to shiver with delight. I was alive! I opened my eyes and saw the beautiful face of Tyler Price hovering over me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I choked, unable to answer. The chlorinated water burned my nose and throat. Tyler rolled me on to my side, and I coughed all the unwanted liquid out of my lungs.

Exhausted from my efforts, I gazed into Tyler's dark blue eyes. "You saved my life," I wheezed. "Thank you."

"How do you feel?" Tyler asked, sounding as impersonal as a doctor questioning a patient.

"Fine," I said automatically.

I sat up and instantly regretted the motion. My head throbbed with such intensity I assumed a jackhammer was drilling a hole through it. I touched the back of my skull to check and found a large lump.

Someone threw a beach towel over me.

"You better cover up," Mimi said with a sneer.

Underneath the towel, I realized my bikini strings weren't tied up, but were dangling down, pulling my top down with them, a few millimeters from total exposure. My whole body turned red hot with embarrassment as I readjusted my top and retied the strings around my neck. A crowd of curious eyes stared at me while I attempted to regain my composure. My arms and legs felt like millions of pins and needles had pricked them.

A tall, tanned blonde with a whistle around his throat and a walkie-talkie in his hand stood beside Mimi. He had to be one of the life guards for the pool. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine now. Thank you." I lied, because if he realized I was hurt, he would be required to call The 'Rents. They would be furious if they found out I went swimming with Dean.

"Please let me know if you need anything. I'll be right over there." He pointed to the lifeguard's stand by the side of the pool.

"I definitely will." I lied again and breathed a sigh of relief when he walked away.

Dean emerged from the pool and approached Tyler. "Hey man. Thanks for rescuing my sister."

I glared at Dean and tried to stand, but my knees buckled. Tyler caught me before I fell over. Dean attempted to help me too, but I growled, "Stay away from me!"

I sat back down with Tyler's careful assistance, and he had to notice the lump protruding from my skull.

"I'm so sorry, Jasmine. It was an accident," Dean alleged, but his guilty face betrayed him.

He was such a liar. While I considered which nasty words to call him, Melaney and Shawn arrived at the scene.

Melaney rushed to my side. "Oh my, Jasmine. Are you okay?"

"I have a slight headache, but I'm alive."

"She has a huge lump on the back of her head. She should see a doctor," Tyler said with clinical concern.

"No way! I don't need a doctor. I'll be fine. I just need to get out of the sun and have a cold drink."

"You could have a concussion. If your vision gets blurry or you start to vomit, you should go to the hospital," Tyler advised.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. Please don't make a big deal out of a little lump," I pleaded, hoping Tyler would understand my reluctance to seek medical attention and not inform the life guards on duty about my injury.