Chapters 17 - Mayke Calvin

***Rescue and Fight.***

I'm almost reaching the Coleman's beach house, crossing the large bridge that grants me a privileged view of the cliff behind the house. The sea is rough today, with waves crashing against the rocks forcefully. I drive through the gates and park the car near the other cars. I get out, locking it, and walk towards the back of the house. I'm nervous and eager to see her, but I can't enter the house in such a rush. As I turn onto the walkway that leads to the back of the house, I catch sight of someone jumping from the lookout, and I start running. I dash down the stairs, skipping several steps, and toss my phone onto the deck. Without hesitation, I dive into the sea. I submerge and scan the surroundings to find the person. The waves are powerful, and I make every effort not to be carried towards the rocks. I resurface to take a breath and dive again, this time successfully. I grab the person and start swimming back, aiming for the shallow part where I used to dive with my friends as a child. As soon as I emerge, I glance at the person and recognize it's Ayumi. My feet touch the sand, and I cradle her in my arms, making my way to the small beach. Once there, I gently lay her down and realized she's not breathing.

I immediately initiated chest compressions, noticing the absence of breath and movement in her chest. I lean in closely, checking for chest movements, listening for breath sounds, and feeling for any air coming from her mouth or nose – the 'VOS' method. However, there is no response, and panic starts to set in. I position my hands on her chest, interlocking my fingers, keeping my arms straight, and exerting forceful downward pressure, delivering two compressions per second, until she regains consciousness. It doesn't take long, and she starts coughing. I carefully turn her onto her side to help clear her airway, and relief washes over me.

“Yumi, are you okay? Can you hear me?” I ask, and she looks at me but faints again.

I scoop her up into my arms and ascend the stairs. As soon as I step onto the walkway, the door opens, and Kaleo appears. When he sees me, he rushes towards me.

“What happened?” he asks, and I proceed inside with him.”

“Let's take her inside, call a doctor to come and see her, and I'll explain what happened,” I said. As soon as we passed through the door, everyone got startled and started asking what happened. Kaléo grabbed his phone to call the doctor, and I carried her in my arms, heading to her room in the house and placing her on the bed. I know I'm not a doctor, but I checked her pulse since I studied medicine for a few years before giving up to join the police.

It didn't take long, and the room was filled with people. “What happened? Why is she all wet like that, and you too?” Aunt Havah asked. “I arrived and decided to go around the back of the house. As soon as I turned on the walkway, I saw someone jumping and went after them. I only realized it was her when I started swimming to get out of the sea,” I explained.

“It was the video, I knew this would go wrong,” Lucca said. “Do you think she remembers anything?” Hanna asked, looking at us. “I don't know, we'll only find out when she wakes up,” I replied, turning my gaze back to Ayumi, who had a calm expression.

“Uh-oh!” Ollyvia exclaimed as she entered the room. “Evelyn arrived with the doctor, and she's downstairs wanting to know why we called a doctor.” “I'll go down and talk to her and send the doctor up,” Aunt Havah said, leaving the room.

Not long after, the doctor entered and examined Yumi. Evelyn stormed into the room, looking at all of us and rushing to the bedside. While we waited for the doctor to examine Yumi, Evelyn looked at Kaléo, wanting to kill him.

After a while, the doctor packed his things in his bag. “She's fine, but she'll need to be taken to the hospital for some tests since she drowned and water got into her lungs,” the doctor said, getting up. “Don't worry, I'll take her,” Evelyn said, standing up. “As soon as she wakes up, give her a bath to warm her up and take her for the tests.”

“We'll do that, thank you very much, doctor,” Evelyn said, and the doctor left the room. “Girls, stay here with Ayumi. I want to talk to Kaléo,” she looked at him with a stern face and pointed to the door. “Outside, now!” she said and left the room.

“This will be a big mess!” Karol said, approaching.

“I'll go there; otherwise, she's going to end up killing him, and it won't just be through her gaze,” I said, getting up and leaving the room, heading to the office.

“You are irresponsible!” I heard Evelyn shout as soon as I approached the door.

“How could you leave her alone?” I opened the door and walked in. She didn't even look at me, and Kaléo looked at me, pleading for help. I sat down in the armchair, ready to intervene when needed.

“Listen, I'm going to take her with me. She can't stay here.”

“What? No way! We're her family!” Kaléo said, and I could see that he was starting to get irritated.

“I don't know what you did to make her behave like this. You told me she left the house; you should have gone after her! Ayumi is recovering. She's been through a lot. She was buried alive, and you still show her videos of her attacker? What were you thinking?”

“It wasn't intentional. I didn't even remember that we had footage of him. I thought she had just gone out to catch some fresh air. I didn't expect her to…”

“Attempt suicide? Look, put yourself in her shoes and think about how confused she must be. And what if she remembers something that traumatized her? She needs constant supervision.”

“Ayumi is not a child, Evelyn. She doesn't need to be watched constantly.”

“She has forgotten so much. She doesn't remember her past, and you want to shove what she went through in her face like that? Is that your idea of taking care of her? I'm taking her to my house. I'm sure she'll be safe there.”

“You're not taking her away from here! We're her family, and Ayumi is my responsibility. Evelyn, let's be honest. You only saved her from a tragic end, but we are her family. So, put yourself in your place and stop trying to be Ayumi's overprotective mother. She already has us to take care of her,” Kaléo said, and I stood up to intervene.

“You crossed the line, man!”

“I know, but I don't need another person telling me that I messed up once again by not protecting her,” he said and left the office.

“I know he blames himself for not staying here and protecting Ayumi, and now the guilt, accusations, and self-reproach he will impose on himself will be even greater,” I thought to myself. With a sigh, I left the office and happened to encounter Aunt Havah on the way.

“Go to your room and take a shower. The girls are helping Ayumi, who woke up. Warm up, and then eat the oatmeal I made for you all,” Aunt Havah instructed.

“I'll go check on Ayumi first,” I responded, ready to make my way towards her room.

“Mayke,” Aunt Havah called out, causing me to immediately stop in my tracks and turn to face her. “Go to your room, take a shower to warm up, and then you can see the little girl smile. Obey.”

“Okay, I'm going, Aunt!” I acknowledged, obediently following her instructions.

“Good boy!” Aunt Havah smiled approvingly as I started walking towards the stairs, making my way to the other side of the hallway towards my room.