edge of the main channel where the current swept him up and dragged him along. At the same speed as Aubrey. He sucked in some air and windmilled his arms, keeping his eyes on the waterfall’s horizon.
Aubrey’s feet were outlined by the clear blue sky, then her knees. Jack dug deep, giving it one last heroic effort. His fingertips just feathered through the ends of her hair as she floated calmly over the edge of the waterfall.
Jack put on the brakes. Really, he said to himself as he swam like hell back upstream, what good would it do him to go over just because Aubrey had? He’d probably fall on her and if she wasn’t already dead, finish the job. And if she wasn’t dead, just hurt, and if he didn’t fall on her, what good would he be to her if he broke a leg or something? Wouldn’t it be best to get to the riverbank and climb down to her?
Except the riverbank, despite his best efforts, seemed to be getting farther away. He put in a couple more halfhearted strokes before muscle cramps and the laws of physics made him give in to the inevitable. He turned downstream just in time to tumble over the edge of the waterfall and splat, spread-eagled face-first, about fifteen feet down. Thankfully, a bunch of rocks broke his fall, covered with just enough water to cushion the blow so he didn’t die, but not enough to keep him from getting up close and personal with the topography of the riverbed.
He lay there for a few seconds, taking mental inventory of the critical body parts, which seemed to be okay since he didn’t feel the need to curl into the fetal position, and the breakable body parts, which all seemed to be intact. The soft body parts would probably be turning some interesting colors before long, but nothing seemed to hurt too much at the moment. Or maybe he was just numb from the frigid water. His ears, however, were working fine.
“Are you all right, Jack?” he heard Aubrey ask. “Does it hurt?”
That was when his temper kicked in. He jumped to his feet—actually it was more like crawling, and he only made it to his hands and knees. But mentally he was upright and looming over Aubrey with a scowl on his face. “I just fell fifteen feet.”
“So did I.”
“At least you landed in the water.”
“Yippee for me.”
Jack twisted around, then grunted and groaned his way to vertical. She made such a pathetic picture sitting there in waist-deep water, shivering and blue-lipped, that some of his anger faded. He waded over to her, hooked the collar of her jacket and hauled her to her feet.
“I can make it myself.” She shoved him away, took two steps, and the bottom dropped out again.
Jack watched the water close over her head and contemplated the possibility of moving to eastern Europe and starting a whole new life—for all of ten seconds before he jumped in after her. He fished around in the vicinity of that damned floating backpack, found something that didn’t seem to be a rock or fish, and hauled it skyward.
Aubrey broke the surface in a geyser of water, still insisting she was perfectly fine without him. He ignored her, taking her into the classic lifesaving grip before stupidity and hypothermia solved her problems permanently. It wasn’t easy to get them both back to the shore, but at least he got to do it with his arm wrapped around her neck. “What the hell were you doing?” he asked as he let her go and she flopped like a ragdoll at the edge of the river.
“When you’re in rapids,” she said, her teeth chattering, “you shouldn’t fight the current, just point your feet downstream so you don’t hit your head on a rock, and ride it out.”
“You read that somewhere.”
“Yeah.”
“How about Isaac Newton? Gravity? Ever have an apple fall on your head?”
She stared up at him, her eyes narrowed.
“That wasn’t rapids, that was a waterfall.”
“Not a very high one.”
“It still hurts when you hit the bottom.”
“Well, where the heck were you?” she demanded,
Aubrey’s feet were outlined by the clear blue sky, then her knees. Jack dug deep, giving it one last heroic effort. His fingertips just feathered through the ends of her hair as she floated calmly over the edge of the waterfall.
Jack put on the brakes. Really, he said to himself as he swam like hell back upstream, what good would it do him to go over just because Aubrey had? He’d probably fall on her and if she wasn’t already dead, finish the job. And if she wasn’t dead, just hurt, and if he didn’t fall on her, what good would he be to her if he broke a leg or something? Wouldn’t it be best to get to the riverbank and climb down to her?
Except the riverbank, despite his best efforts, seemed to be getting farther away. He put in a couple more halfhearted strokes before muscle cramps and the laws of physics made him give in to the inevitable. He turned downstream just in time to tumble over the edge of the waterfall and splat, spread-eagled face-first, about fifteen feet down. Thankfully, a bunch of rocks broke his fall, covered with just enough water to cushion the blow so he didn’t die, but not enough to keep him from getting up close and personal with the topography of the riverbed.
He lay there for a few seconds, taking mental inventory of the critical body parts, which seemed to be okay since he didn’t feel the need to curl into the fetal position, and the breakable body parts, which all seemed to be intact. The soft body parts would probably be turning some interesting colors before long, but nothing seemed to hurt too much at the moment. Or maybe he was just numb from the frigid water. His ears, however, were working fine.
“Are you all right, Jack?” he heard Aubrey ask. “Does it hurt?”
That was when his temper kicked in. He jumped to his feet—actually it was more like crawling, and he only made it to his hands and knees. But mentally he was upright and looming over Aubrey with a scowl on his face. “I just fell fifteen feet.”
“So did I.”
“At least you landed in the water.”
“Yippee for me.”
Jack twisted around, then grunted and groaned his way to vertical. She made such a pathetic picture sitting there in waist-deep water, shivering and blue-lipped, that some of his anger faded. He waded over to her, hooked the collar of her jacket and hauled her to her feet.
“I can make it myself.” She shoved him away, took two steps, and the bottom dropped out again.
Jack watched the water close over her head and contemplated the possibility of moving to eastern Europe and starting a whole new life—for all of ten seconds before he jumped in after her. He fished around in the vicinity of that damned floating backpack, found something that didn’t seem to be a rock or fish, and hauled it skyward.
Aubrey broke the surface in a geyser of water, still insisting she was perfectly fine without him. He ignored her, taking her into the classic lifesaving grip before stupidity and hypothermia solved her problems permanently. It wasn’t easy to get them both back to the shore, but at least he got to do it with his arm wrapped around her neck. “What the hell were you doing?” he asked as he let her go and she flopped like a ragdoll at the edge of the river.
“When you’re in rapids,” she said, her teeth chattering, “you shouldn’t fight the current, just point your feet downstream so you don’t hit your head on a rock, and ride it out.”
“You read that somewhere.”
“Yeah.”
“How about Isaac Newton? Gravity? Ever have an apple fall on your head?”
She stared up at him, her eyes narrowed.
“That wasn’t rapids, that was a waterfall.”
“Not a very high one.”
“It still hurts when you hit the bottom.”
“Well, where the heck were you?” she demanded,
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