Between Two Skies

chapter twenty

Song suggestions:

• Sparks - Coldplay
• Where's My Love - SYML
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Neteyam — POV

She was still unresponsive.

Fear tightened sharply in my chest, cutting through my control. I pushed into her chest one last time with a rough grunt, putting everything I had left into the movement.

Her body jolted.

She coughed violently, water spilling from her mouth as her chest finally drew in air.

"Sa'eyra!" I called her name instantly, my voice breaking through the roar of the river.

Relief hit me so hard my hands almost shook.

I moved fast, sliding one arm behind her shoulders and helping her sit upright so she wouldn't choke. Her body folded forward as she coughed again and again, gasping desperately between each breath. Water dripped from her hair and soaked the front of my chest as I held her steady.

"Easy," I murmured, staying close, one hand firm against her back. Her whole body was trembling, panic flooding her movements. "Breathe. You're okay."

Her eyes were wide and unfocused, panic swimming in them as she struggled to pull in enough air.

I took her hand carefully and pressed it against my chest so she could feel my breathing.

"In," I said quietly, breathing in slowly so she could copy me.
"And out."

I exaggerated the motion for her, drawing in a slow breath, then releasing it.

She hesitated for half a second, then followed, trying to copy me. Her breath was shaky at first, uneven and rushed.

"In.
Out."

Her shoulders slowly began to loosen. Her breathing steadied little by little.

"Good," I encouraged softly, nodding at her. "Very good."

Once her breathing started to settle, I lowered her hand slightly from my chest but kept my fingers wrapped around her wrist, pretending it was just for balance while I quietly counted her pulse. It was too fast, but strong and alive.

Her gaze drifted around the rocky edge and the rushing water near us, confusion slowly replacing panic. Her pulse jumped again beneath my fingers.

"You're okay," I said gently.

She didn't react. Her eyes stayed distant, lost somewhere inside her own fear.

"Hey," I said more firmly this time, grounding her as I tightened my grip slightly so she could feel me. My voice dropped, steady and controlled. "Look at me."

Her eyes finally flicked back to mine.

I held her gaze steadily, making sure she stayed with me and not with the water, not with the fear, so she could not drift away again.
"You're fine," I told her softly, keeping her eyes locked on mine. "You're safe."

That did it.

Her lower lip trembled. Her eyes filled quickly, turning red and glassy as she fought to hold the tears back. I could still see the panic sitting deep in her chest, the shock slowly turning into emotion now that her body realized she was alive. I could see how hard she tried to keep herself together, to stay tough.