My Bondi Guardian Angel

Hey? Jesse?

***Maxi's pov***

As I reached Jesse and the girl, he appeared utterly drained. He clung to my board and half-lying onto it. I turned toward the beach and gestured frantically toward the lifeguard tower, hoping they would spot us and send backup.

Quickly, I checked the girl's vital signs, which, considering the circumstances, weren't too bad. She was breathing and had a pulse, so I began the slow but steady journey back to shore. When the water got to about waist-deep, Chappo and Reidy sprinted into the water to assist Jesse.

They provided support, each taking one of my friend's arms and helping him up the sandy shore. Meanwhile, I continued paddling back to dry land, knowing that her state was stable. I was very worried about Jesse, I had never seen him in such a vulnerable state before.

***Jesse's Pov***

"Hey Jesse, mate, wake up!"

I felt like someone was waking me from a blissful deep sleep. I didn't want to open my eyes now, I still wanted to rest, but this persistent guy shaking my shoulder was annoying me. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder.

"Ouch! Why did you do this?" I groaned.

"Boys, he's awake! Hey, I didn't have the choice, you wouldn't wake up!" That was Maxi. 

I saw Chappo and Hoppo going downstairs to me.

"Oy Jesse, do you want tp go to the hospital to get checked out?" I figured that was Hoppo.

," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "Didn't swallow much water, so I'll be fine." I rubbed my eyes and sat up gradually. However, the room began to spin, and I had to reach out to Maxi for support. Once the dizziness passed, I stood up and asked, "Is the girl from the cliff alright?"

"Errrh... I don't know, I think she left in an ambo a few minutes ago... Why?" Maxi said, confused.

"Can one of you guys drive me to the hospital after our shift? I wanna talk to her a bit."

"Yeah sure!" Chappo replied. "I'll go with you. What happened?"

"Maxi just spotted the girl climbing the cliff... again. She did the same thing yesterday, but I managed to talk her out of it. I had a feeling she might attempt to jump from there, so I sprinted to the top, and she jumped. I tried my best to stop her, but I couldn't... I felt guilty for not reaching her faster, so I jumped in to try and save her." I paused to gauge their surprised expressions. "She lost consciousness when she hit the water, so I kept her afloat until we were visible from the beach, and that's when Maxi arrived on a rescue board. After that, I just ran out of steam."

The boys stood there in astonishment, clearly taken aback. 

Knowing I was fine, most of them returned to the beach or climbed up the tower to get a better view of the water. I had intended to return to my post on the beach, but Chappo stopped me in my tracks.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"Errhh... North end with Gonzo, why?"

He looked unimpressed by my answer and sighed.

"Please, Chap... I really want to stay at work, I'm totally fine!" I don't think I was convincing enough for him, because he replied:

"No, you're not... Stay with me in the tower, I'll drive you to the hospital in ten minutes, I will be on lunch break."

I did what I was told, and stood there for the next 10 minutes watching the water with Chappo and Bisho.