Icy water closed over Becca’s head, sealing her off from the world of light and air. She kicked hard, diving down toward the glowing emergency strip lighting that tracked along the floor to the exit. But the current was too powerful, and it surged and slammed her into the wall, spinning her upside down, Her hip smashed painfully into a sharp edge, driving precious air from her lungs. Becca twisted and gripped a corner, squinting through the turbulent water. An orange word pierced the watery maelstrom.

Exit.

Her lungs burned as she swam forward, the instinct to suck in a breath strong and overwhelming. She pushed off, letting the water pummel her through the doorway into the corridor beyond. Interminable seconds ticked by until she fought her way to the surface, coughing, her nose only inches from the ceiling.

She gasped, sucking in water and air. Her lungs revolted and she gagged, her reflexes fighting the liquid onslaught. The ceiling was slick as she skimmed it with awkward hands, searching for grip, anything that would get her the hell out of here before the blood in her veins turned to ice and she slipped beneath the surface to sleep forever.

Ethan surfaced close to her, spitting water. “Becca!” He struck out, closing the gap between them in a second. His hand slipped behind her neck. “The end of the corridor.” His head jerked. “It’s still open.”

Becca opened her mouth to speak but her teeth chattered with a force that threatened to shatter the enamel and the words didn’t come. Cold permeated her bone marrow, slowing her thinking, her breathing, and her pulse. Ethan’s voice drifted further away as she slipped under the water, breaking his hold on her neck. Her feet were leaden, weighing her down into the darkness.

Becca opened her eyes.

There was only blackness and cold which sank deeper within her, scouring the last residue of warmth from her bones. It penetrated her from the inside, stealing the life from her organs in a rush of heat and oxygen molecules.

A final silver bubble escaped from her mouth. With no resistance, a river of salty ice forced its way down into her lungs and her body convulsed.

Becca surrendered to another time when cold water had filled her mouth, recoiling from the horror of the invading ocean, allowing herself to be spirited away down the long corridors of her memory.

Cool water quenched the desert in her throat.

Ethan? His voice was gentle in her ear. “Take it easy. Small sips.”

She blinked. He was there, hovering over her, his hair sticking up in all directions.

Her mouth was still dry and sticky, parched.

“More water.”

Ethan clasped her hand, his eyes creased with concern. “Okay. A little more.” He reached behind her, and her world began to tilt. She was in hospital. Curtains were drawn on one side of the bed and on the other was a window. Dust motes danced in the sunshine that streamed through the window and warmed the sheets.

“Here. Let’s get you sitting up.” Ethan lifted her, propping her up on cushions. She tried to shift but her arms were uncooperative, and she tilted at a funny angle. Ethan caught her, her face bumping his unshaven cheek. “I’ve got you,” he murmured. He twisted his head and kissed her forehead. He eased her back up into a sitting position and tipped the paper cup once more. She spluttered and pushed the cup from her lips, struggling to form the words she wanted to say.

Her hand flew to her belly.

“Our baby?”

Ethan’s shoulders crumpled, grief fuzzing his edges as her brain consumed the final traces of oxygen.

Excruciating pain shot up her forearm, obliterating the memory. Becca keened. She wanted to go back, to the sun and the warmth and the curve of his arms. But the sun was gone, her body chilled to the core, and she was surrounded by never-ending darkness and ocean.

Muscle and bone ground in her arm. Her attention wandered She didn’t need her arms anymore. The pain was too intense.

Agony pummeled her chest. Hammered her lungs. She resisted the assault, wanting to return to the dead ocean.

“Becca!” Ethan was here.

Her body jerked and blessed heat blossomed in a fiery jolt across her chest.

Cracking, fragmented torment reconnected her limbs in a scorching explosion of adrenalin. Her face, arms, chest, and legs, all fired back to life in a nauseating convulsion. She lurched upward, spewing water in a filthy retch while a battery of pain continued on her shoulders, forcefully expelling the water from her lungs.

She gagged, vomit following the seawater. Her vision was jagged and uncoordinated, skittering from light to darkness, but her body registered the intense grip of strong arms around her. Her stomach convulsed, again and again, the pain and tightness an intense bead of agony in her abdomen, unwilling to release her till every last drop of seawater was gone.

Someone was calling her name over and over, holding her close, rubbing the blood back into her upper body in a frenzy.

Ethan.

“Breathe, Becca. Breathe, damn you.”

Her abdominal reflexes finally eased, allowing her to suck in sweet air. She coughed as she inhaled, her hands flailing. Ethan was all around her, his voice a soothing rhythm in her ear. Gentle pressure eased her up into a sitting position and he kissed her forehead, clutching the sides of her head between his large hands as she inhaled ragged breaths.

“I thought I’d lost you.” His breath was hot in her ear. “I thought you were gone. Don’t ever do that to me again.”

Becca wrapped her arms around his neck. She breathed him in and kissed the skin of his neck. Hot tears soaked her face, warming her cheeks, and she sobbed against him.

This time she wasn’t letting him go.