Page 77 of Vanishing Legacy

Penny screamed and flailed her hands. “Daaaa!”

“Hang on, Penny, I’ve got you.” Saltwater sprayed Alana’s face, stinging her eyes and filling her nostrils with its briny scent.

Penny kicked her feet and arms, but she was treading backward. Away from Alana. If she dove in after her, they could both be trapped under the sinking boat. “Swim toward me, baby. A little farther so I can pull you up.”

Alana stretched farther into the water but couldn’t…quite…reach. She would just have to go in after her.

The vessel lurched again. Water rushed in, covering half her body. A heavy object fell on the back of her leg. The pain ripped the breath from her lungs—a searing agony that caused her vision to go dark. She twisted to see over her shoulder. A marble-topped end table had fallen on her left leg and pinned her to the ground.

Penny stopped screaming, and her body began to sink. Alana pushed through the pain with gritted teeth and summoned all her strength. With trembling hands, she reached for Penny. Her fingers strained to grasp the girl’s limp form.

She couldn’t reach. Alana let out a scream that echoed across the sea. “Nooooo!”

She writhed under the crushing weight of the marble table, determined to get it off her leg. Hot tears mingled with sweat and saltwater ran into her eyes. She wriggled and writhed, desperately trying to free her leg, but it was no use. The table had her pinned to the spot.

Her teeth chattered. The water continued to rise around her. Soon she would be underwater too.

Alana heard splashing footsteps and looked over her shoulder to see Ziva emerging from the smoke. Her muscles tensed, and her hands balled into fists, preparing for another fight.

Ziva’s eyes bulged. “Where’s Penny?”

“She slipped under…under the water. My leg is trapped.” Alana began to cry. “I can’t...I can’t…”

Ziva turned and dove through the hole in the hull, disappearing into the water below.

Alana turned her attention back to the table. She pulled her leg and screamed as pain shot through her hamstring up to her back. Blood bloomed through her pants and clouded the water around her calf. The table had cracked, and a shard pierced her leg. The more she pulled, the more she tore her own flesh.

She brought her left knee up under her stomach. Panting, she paused to bite back the wave of pain. When it passed, she pushed her hips under the lip of the table and pulled her elbows down until she was up out of the water. The table lifted an inch. She pushed harder and gained another inch and pulled her leg free.

She was on all fours, breathing hard, when Ziva broke through the surface of the water with Penny under one arm. Ziva coughed and sputtered water. “Take her. Get her…out…”

Alana felt the weight of Penny’s lifeless body as she pulled her out of the water and held her pressed against her torso. “What about you?”

“I can’t climb up,” Ziva gasped. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll find a way out.” She sucked in a deep breath and disappeared back into the water.

Alana pulled herself to a standing position. With the gash in her leg, every move was excruciating. Time was running out. With shaking hands, she put two fingers on Penny’s neck and searched for a pulse. There was nothing.

“Oh God. Oh God, help!” Alana cradled Penny in her arms and swung around, searching for some place flat to lay her. The room was filled up to her knees with water. If she could just get to the back deck, the Coast Guard could see them. Alana sloshed through the water. In a few long strides, she was outside on the deck.

Then Cash was by her side. “Give her to me.”

His strong arms encircled the lifeless form of his daughter and laid her on the tilting floor. They dropped to their knees beside Penny and began CPR. Alana tipped Penny’s head back and checked that her airway was clear. She sucked in a breath and exhaled into Penny’s airway. After five rescue breaths, Cash interlocked his fingers and started chest compressions.

Alana counted. “One…two…three…”

When she reached thirty, Cash paused, and Alana gave two more rescue breaths. They started the cycle again.

Then again.

And again.

“Keep going,” he said.

Tears streamed down Alana’s face as she watched Cash manually pump blood to Penny’s brain. His voice was steady and reassuring. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Just stay with me.”

She wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or to Penny, but the desperation in his voice was clear. Alana kept counting compressions.

“Spare Penny’s life, God. At Your word You can restore life. Do it now.”