HOPE FLOATS
LUKE
I narrowed my eyes trying to figure out what the hell he was signaling as he waved the journal. But the closer I got the more I noticed what Josh really looked like.
He looked awful–sweaty, pale, and swaying like a palm tree in a storm. “Josh! What the hell’s going on?” I screamed over – wishing he would stop running.
“Boat,” he muttered, barely managing to form the word.
“What? Boat?” I asked, looking out over the ocean and so did Sarah but there was nothing but the big blue.
Before I could ask him what the hell he was talking about, he dropped to the ground with a thud, faceplanting into the sand. “Shit! Josh!”
I dropped to my knees beside him, my fingers shaking as I checked him for injuries and flipped him on his back. He groaned but didn’t open his eyes. His skin was hot – more than what was normal on a tropical island and he was lounging in the shade. “You better not fucking die on me, man!”
“Luke!” Sarah called as she sprinted over. Giving him one look- she looked up at me and I could see it there, plastered on her face. This wasn’t good. “Get the water! We need to move him out of the sun–now!”
“Right!” I scrambled to grab the water we had. Together, we hoisted Josh, dragging him into the shade beneath some thick palm trees. Gritting my teeth. Moving Josh should be easy. Fuck – I’ve had twice his size ram into me on the field and I didn’t so much as budge but my strength was gone. I didn’t have anything left in me.
“Come on, man,” I urged, the words tumbling out between. labored breaths. We finally settled him onto a bed of dry leaves, and Sarah quickly poured some water into his mouth, urging him to drink. “Just a bit, Josh,” she coaxed, brushing the sweat- soaked hair from his forehead.
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