Someday I'll Find You Part 21

"That was you. It was on the nightstand. You nearly knocked it over with your gymnastics." Sarah got out of bed to get the phone. Limping slightly, she made her way over and picked it up.

Rae watched her, loving the way her body moved and chuckling as she stretched her back. She handed the phone to Rae.

"h.e.l.lo?" Rae laughed as she watched Sarah wince.

There was no one on the other line. Rae thought she heard breathing.

"Look, pal, if this is an obscene phone call, you're barking up the wrong lesbi-"

"It's Mark Rhodes. I'm..." His voice stopped as he took a deep breath.

"Mark, what's wrong? Where are you?" she asked calmly.

"They know about you. I'm sorry, I tried. I need to get out of town fast."

"Mark. Where are you?"

"Belmont Harbor..."

"You stay right there. I'll be there in ten minutes," Rae said and listened. She could hear his deep breathing as he mumbled.

"Okay. Okay." Then the line went dead.

Rae tossed down the phone and dressed. Sarah followed suit, and both headed down the stairs. Rae stopped and looked back at Sarah.

"Sarah," she said, and Sarah put up her hand.

"I'm going. We're wasting time." She pushed Rae toward the door.

It took ten minutes. At one in the morning, there was little traffic as Rae pulled into the parking lot at the harbor. Rae had called Delia, who was to meet them.

Rae glanced at Sarah, who held up her hand.

"Don't tell me to wait here."

"Sarah, you'd be safer."

"Safer? You think I'd be safer alone? Christ, don't you watch horror movies? Good grief, you never separate, ever," she exclaimed. "So don't even think about it."

Rae hung her head at the absurd situation. Twenty minutes earlier, they were in the throes of unbridled l.u.s.t. Now Rae started to chuckle.

"Are you all right? G.o.d, don't go nuts on me now," Sarah said seriously.

Rae stopped, opened the glove compartment, and took out a flashlight. "C'mon, you insane woman."

They saw Delia's car pull next to them. "Never a dull moment, Rae," Delia said as she got out. She too had a large flashlight in hand. She smiled and motioned to Sarah. "Your shadow is coming along?"

Rae chuckled. "You never, ever separate. Don't you watch horror movies, Detective Grainger?"

Sarah glared at both of them and stood her ground. "Are you two finely honed investigative minds going to stand there making jokes or find that poor boy?"

Shamefaced, they led the way to the harbor dock.

"Okay, let's split up," Delia said.

Rae nodded and took Sarah's arm, leading them in the opposite direction.

They walked toward the rocks that lined the beach. "Watch your step, these rocks get pretty slick," Rae said.

Sarah nodded and followed. Then she saw something move down by the sh.o.r.eline. "Rae, shine your light, about fifty feet." Sarah pointed to the rocks that jutted out along the Lake Michigan sh.o.r.e. The wind had picked up as Rae raised her flashlight. The high beam searched the rocks, then Rae saw him, as well.

"How in the h.e.l.l did you see him?" Rae asked absently, then whistled sharply. In the distance, she heard Delia whistle back.

They made their way closer. Rae turned to Sarah, who just nodded.

"I'll wait. You're in much better shape than I," she admitted, knowing she would have a hard time maneuvering on the rocks. Sarah could be stubborn, but her mother didn't raise an idiot. "Be careful," she warned anxiously.

"Go get Delia." Rae smiled and winked. Sarah gave her a curious look.

"You're enjoying this," she exclaimed quietly as Rae pushed her.

"Go, go," Rae insisted and headed for the sh.o.r.e.

Delia was jogging toward them as she came up to Sarah. "He's out by the rocks. Rae's already on her way," Sarah said a bit breathless.

Delia handed Sarah her phone and flashlight. "This is a police phone. Press 11, it's a direct line to my precinct. If anything happens, you call that, don't wait," she said firmly, and Sarah nodded, taking the phone. Delia smiled and jogged toward Rae. She turned and called out, "The other is a flashlight, you just turn it on..."

Sarah glared at her and shined the beam right at her. "Like this?" she said smugly as Delia laughed and turned away.

"They're both insane," she whispered as the high beam illuminated the way for Delia.

Rae was making her way toward Mark. He was lying half in the water and half on the rocks. As the G.o.ds above laughed, the wind picked up and the waves started. She was just about to him when a wave took him.

The huge wave easily swept him off the rock. "s.h.i.t," Rae cursed as she got there a second too late. Just out of her grasp, the lake took him. She heard Delia call to her, but by now, the wind was whipping around and the whitecaps were forming. Rae couldn't see, but she knew the waves would be coming quicker. She had to make a decision. She couldn't tell where he was. Sarah's beam from the flashlight searched the lake, and she found him. Rae glanced back at Sarah and gratefully waved.

Delia was at her side, breathing heavily. She realized what Rae was about to do.

"Don't, Rae, you know this lake. The undercurrent will..."

Rae wasn't listening. She looked at Mark, who was semi-conscious and floundering horribly only thirty feet from them.

"If I don't go now, the next one will take him." Rae stripped off her jacket.

She dove in, the freezing temperature of the water instantly shocking her. She came up gasping and swam to Mark. He wasn't as far as she thought but far enough. A few strokes, and she was on him. Quickly grabbing him, she turned and headed back to Delia, who was lying on her stomach reaching for him.

The waves crashed against them as Rae struggled with all her might to reach Delia's outstretched hand. Finally, she came close enough and pushed Mark closer. He was groaning as Delia grabbed his collar and pulled with every ounce of strength she had.

Together, they hoisted him on the rock. Rae looked behind her and saw a wave coming.

"Get him off this f.u.c.king rock!" she called, and Delia pulled him. At the same time, he tried to help himself. Delia laid him safely against the rock and immediately turned to Rae, who floundered on the slippery rocks, trying to get a foothold.

Then it happened-the whitecaps came and crashed into the rocks, sweeping Rae off and pulling her under.

It was an odd feeling. Rae could hear the roar of the waves, but it was pitch-black as the water engulfed her. I am not dying in Lake Michigan, she thought angrily and reached for the surface. She was frozen. Her body numbed as she broke through and gasped for air. She looked around and tried to gauge how far off she was. She heard Delia screaming for her and saw Sarah standing at the rocks.

She never swam so fast and hard in her life, never taking her eyes off Sarah's scared and worried face. Never in her life had she wanted to live so badly.

She got to the rocks before another wave hit. Between the both of them, they hauled her freezing body out of the frigid water. Off in the distance, Rae heard the sirens, and suddenly, there were paramedics everywhere.

Sarah was hugging the life out of her as Rae shivered and held on to her. "I'm okay. I'm okay," she insisted as her teeth chattered.

A paramedic threw a blanket around her as they walked back up the sh.o.r.eline. Sarah had her arm around her waist, guiding her.

"What in the world were you thinking? You could have been killed," she admonished as the tears sprang into her eyes.

Rae was shivering uncontrollably as she stopped and turned to her.

"S-stop n-nagging." She smiled as her lips quivered.

Mark was on a stretcher and put in an ambulance. Delia, with a blanket wrapped around her, talked to a policeman while directing traffic. She turned to Rae and Sarah.

"Your chariot awaits." She pointed to the ambulance.

Rae shook her head. "I'm fine. I don't-" She was interrupted by two paramedics, Sarah and Delia, as they shoved her into the ambulance.

Chapter 24.

Sarah paced in the ER waiting room. Delia came out chuckling. "She's fine, Sarah. Go on in."

Sarah kissed her cheek and dashed past her. The nurse just pulled back the curtain. Rae sat there wearing hospital greens, pulling on the drawstring of the pants.

"These are comfy. I can keep them?" she was asking, sounding like a little kid.

"Yes, only if you leave now before you upset another nurse," the old doctor scolded and flipped her chart closed.

Sarah stood there and watched as Rae turned five shades of red and frowned. "I'm sorry, Doc. I just hate hospitals... No offense."

He turned to her and examined her arm. "None taken. Nice scar you have there. What happened?"

Sarah waited to see what concocted scenario she would give. To her amazement and admiration, Rae took a deep breath and told him the truth.

"I was in the navy. A grenade went off too close. It's shrapnel," she said quietly. She then looked up to see Sarah standing there with tears in her eyes.

"h.e.l.lo," Rae said quietly as Sarah stood next to her, running her fingers through her wet hair. Her skin was still freezing.

The old doctor ignored them as he looked at her arm. "Hmm. Pretty good work, though. Lost quite a bit of bicep. I was a navy doctor when I was younger. Saw quite a bit of shrapnel injuries, but that was in 'Nam. How is it that you were that close to a live grenade?"

Rae was still gazing at Sarah. She took a deep breath and never took her eyes off Sarah. "I could tell you, Doc, but then I'd have to kill you."

Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed quietly. The doctor chuckled. "Well, I can't have that. I have an ER to run. Now get out of my hospital. There's nothing wrong with you that a good hot bath won't cure."

He then looked at Sarah. "You seem to have some interest here, young woman. No alcohol, no running around for twenty-four hours. No diving in Lake Michigan. Keep her quiet if that's possible," he said over his shoulder as he walked away.

"Okay, let's get you home," Sarah said as Rae slowly stood. She then reached down and cupped Sarah's warm face in her cold hands. Gently kissing her, Rae took a deep, quivering breath.

"All I saw was your face," she whispered. "And that was enough for me."

Tears sprang into her eyes as she thought how easily Rae could be somewhere at the bottom of Lake Michigan right now. Rae watched her, knowing what she was thinking. She gave her a rea.s.suring hug.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," she said lightly as they walked out.

Delia sat in a chair...sleeping. They stood in front of her and Rae grunted. "Detective Grainger," she barked, and Delia jumped up, completely disoriented.

"s.h.i.t," she cursed as she sat back down. "Don't do that. How do you feel?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked at her outfit. "How come you get to wear those?" Delia asked childishly.

Rae looked down at herself and smiled. "I get to keep them," she said proudly.

Sarah took her by the arm. "Come, children."

"Wait. How's Mark? Where is he?" Rae asked, and Delia took her other arm.

"He's in a room, sleeping. I asked him a couple questions, but all I could get out of him was 'be careful, they know,'" she said as they ushered Rae out into the autumn night. "I've got to get back and file a report. Maybe now they'll reopen this. I don't know."

"You need to get some sleep, Delia," Rae said seriously. "Thanks. That boy would've drowned if you weren't there. We both would have. I'll stop by in the morning."

"Oh, no, you won't. Twenty-four hours. Doctor's orders," Sarah said as she pushed her into the car. "She'll talk to you later in the day. Good night, Delia, go get some sleep." She kissed her cheek and pushed her toward her car.

Jane stood by her bedroom window. Standing there alone, she put her hand to her eyes and wept. The argument with Pam earlier didn't help. For some reason, Jane just wanted to be in her own apartment that night. She didn't want to stay with Pam, who was angry, to say the least.

Amy's parents noticed the awkward silence as they drove to the hotel. Mrs. Davis got out and hugged Jane fiercely. "You take care, Janie. Get some sleep. It'll be a long day."

Jane hugged her in return, then pulled back with tears in her eyes. "I should be taking care of you." She wiped away her tears.

Mrs. Davis put a motherly hand to her cheek. "You've been a good friend to Amy. Let me feel like a mother once again," she said in a shaky voice and kissed her cheek.

"We'll pick you up in the morning. Sleep well." Jane watched until they walked into the hotel and out of sight.

She had turned to Pam, who was scowling as she got back into the car. Jane took a deep, sad breath. The rest of the drive was completely silent. Pam stared at the road, and Jane looked out her window.

Now she stood there crying. Something had changed in Pam, and she couldn't put her finger on it. Thinking about their year together, she realized quite a bit had happened.