Last Summer ✔️

Chapter 7

IZAAK

  Izaak followed Scotty down to the bottom barely able to see.
  Scotty moved fast but Izaak managed to keep up with him, pushing aside the water, the cold water seemed to be wanting to cut through his skin.
  Then Scotty had come to an halt and Izaak saw her, Scotty pointed at her leg, somehow a giant rock had managed to trap her under the water, they swam to it, they tried to push the rock away but it was no use, the rock was stuck, Izaak's lungs started begging for air, more and more bubbles of air left his mouth but he couldn't give up, not now, it might already be too late. Scotty had started digging away some rocks underneath the big rock, finally making it possible to move the one Ruth had gotten stuck on,they pushed it, Izaak thought his brain might explain, his lungs screamed forair.
  Almost, he thought to himself, the rock gave in and released Ruth, he grabbed her arms, and he and Scotty set themselves off form the bottom.
  Now it took even longer to get up, pulling Ruth with him, but Scotty helped him get back up, finally he could breathe again.
  Together they pulled Ruth up, holding her above the water, Scotty climber up the rock first, then helped getting Ruth,who was still unconscious.
  ''She is alive.'' Scotty panted and he started with chest compressions as Izaak climbed out of the water, Izaak had no idea Scotty knew how to preform CPR but knew he would be the one to save Ruth.
  Cory had paddled his way to the shore, pulling Ruth's boat behind him and he struggled climbing out of the canoe on to the rock.
  ''Cory! Give me your jacket!'' Izaak ordered, Cory did as he said and handed him his jacket, ''Call Katrin.'' He added before he returned to Ruth and Scotty, who was back at chest compressions. Izaak kneeled next to them when eventually, water ran out of Ruth's mouth and she coughed, both Izaak and Scotty sighed of relieve, Izaak felt warm tears on his cheek blend with the water of the lake, in the background he could vaguely hear Cory talking, probably on the phone with Katrin.
  Ruth opened her eyes and tried to sit up.
  ''Slow down.'' Scotty told her, but he let her sit up, Izaak helped her put on Cory's jacket, the three of them were all shivering of the cold water.
  ''Are you feeling okay?'' Izaak asked, as he rubbed her arms, trying to get her warm. Ruth nodded and she leaned against Izaak who wrapped his arms around her, continuing to rub her arms and back.
  ''Katrin is coming with blankets and towels and stuff, she'll be here as soon as possible.'' Cory said putting his phone inhis pocket, Izaak watched as Scotty got up, something was flickering in hiseyes, anger.

  ''I hope you are okay? I hope you didn't catch cold up on your canoe?'' Scotty asked sarcastically, Cory looked at him but didn't say anything.
  ''Why didn't you do fucking shit?''Scotty continued, water dripped from his hair, his nose and clothing.
  ''WHY?'' he urged, Cory looked down to his feet, ''I didn't know what to do.'' He mumbled in reply, so soft Izaak could barely hear it. Up until now Izaak hadn't thought about the fact that Cory hadn't gotten out of the canoe as he and Scotty had tried to help Ruth until now.
  ''Bullshit!'' Scotty spat back at him, ''I told you what the fuck to do! You could've reacted!''
  ''Scotty.'' Izaak said, his voice shaking from the cold, ''It's okay, Ruth's alive, Katrin is on her way.'' He tried to calm him down. Scotty clenched his jaw.
  ''No.'' he said through gritted teeth, ''He fucking could've done something.'' Scotty was also shaking, though Izaak couldn't tell if it was because of the cold or his anger, maybe a combination of the two. He turned back to Cory who seemed to be on the verge of tears, but thatdidn't stop Scotty, ''I told you to help, we could've gotten her out way faster if you just fucking helped. You saw where she fell you could've pointed us inthe right direction. Any fucking thing.'' He still talked through gritted teeth.
  ''I'm sorry.'' Cory moaned, tears startedrolling over his cheeks, ''I panicked.''
  ''We all fucking did-'' Scotty continued, ifit wasn't that he was holding Ruth, Izaak would've jumped between the two, Scotty's eyes spat fire as Izaak interrupted.
  ''Enough, Scotty, back off.'' Izaak said firmly, drops of water fell from the trees as Scotty turned to him, his face had turned red, he was still shaking as he asked, ''I? What about-''
  ''Yes. You.'' Izaak cut him off again, some of his anger seemed to shift, he now seemed intrigued, one eyebrow slightly raised.
  ''Cory made a mistake. We all fucking do, it's a part of being human. And no one reacts in the same way in the same situations.'' Scotty scoffed but didn't say anything else, Cory still stood there, tears running over his cheeks as he looked at his feet.
  ''I'm going to see if I can meet Katrin, willbe easier for her to find us that way.'' Scotty said in a calmer tone but clearly still very angry, he turned around and made his way through the trees without saying another word.
  Once he was out of sight Cory began sobbing, Izaak tried to encourage Ruth to stay awake, at least until Katrin would arrive. Cory's jacket had now also gotten soaked and probably didn't help keeping her warm anymore, but Izaak wasn't sure what to do so he rubbed her arms a little harder now.
  ''Look, we all panicked, and this anger is Scotty's way of dealing with it, which doesn't make it okay and he should apologize, but just give him some time.'' Izaak continued, he then received a nod from Cory, and he wiped his tears from his face.

  Izaak had no clue as to how long they had sat there but eventually Scotty and Katrin came into view, both of them carrying abunch of towels and blankets.
  Scotty seemed to have calmed down a bit and probably already explained the situation because Katrin didn't ask any questions as to what happened.
  ''I took my car, but we'll have to walk awhile to get there.'' Katrin informed them as she wrapped Ruth in blankets after drying her off as much as possible, she had ordered the boys to turn around as Ruth removed her wet clothes, put on dry clother and then was wrapped with the blankets, she also suggested Izaak and Scotty to do the same when she handed them towels and blankets, they then received some old but dry clothes, sweatpants and sweaters.
  ''Ruth can you walk?'' she asked Ruth gently.
  ''I think so.'' Ruth replied, her first words since she fell in the water.
  Katrin held Ruth tightly as they started walking, it was still raining, though not pouring anymore, the trees they had been under had blocked out most of the rain.
  Scotty walked in front, to the car, he refused to speak to either Cory or Izaak, but Izaak knew that was only temporary. 

  ''That probably was the worse experience inmy life.'' Ruth spoke after a long while of silence when they had returned to Tree Point, they were sitting in the lounge, wrapped with blankets, hot beverages on the table and Scotty sipped his tea. A fire cackled in the fire place, everyone else but them had been send out of the lounge so they could recover in silence, they had been staring at the fire for a while without speaking at all. A few people from camp had entered Tree Point to hang out at the lounge but were send away by Evelyn. 
  ''I'll take your word for it.'' Scotty said who drank another cup of tea, Ruth chuckled softly.
  ''Thanks by the way.'' Izaak looked up, so did Scotty and Cory, ''For you know what.'' Cory turned his face away again, Izaak said nothing but Scotty chose to lighten the mood, ''What can I say, ever since the duck incident, I've changed.'' Another soft chuckle from Ruth.
  Then the door opened again and they all looked up to see Katrin enter.
  ''Just checking in.'' She said and she satdown on an empty chair, ''Glad to see you're doing better.'' She said when she saw Ruth's smile.

  That night Ruth spend the night in a privet cabin so she could have her peace and the boys also returned to their cabins and they climbed in their beds without speaking a single word to one another.