Dante wasn't expecting the shock to his system when he plunged into the freezing cold water. Everything went fuzzy. Dante could feel himself floating away from the bridge. He should probably do something about that. Maybe….
A muddy white shoe floated by and Dante's senses jolted awake. He remembered why he nose dived off the bridge, and with a new sense of conviction, swam against the current looking for Naya. All the summers his older brother spent teaching him to swim came rushing back.
"Kick, Dante! Kick!" Andre called out from the other side of the pool.
"Shut up asshole! I am!" Dante yelled back, coughing up the clear chlorinated water.
Dante swam lower. It was much darker than the pool and nowhere near as clear. Random pieces of trash and debris drifted past him. Dante had no plans to resurface without Naya, but he knew he couldn't hold his breath for much longer. Luckily, he didn't have to.
Just as he felt his senses dim again, Dante found Naya floating lifelessly just a little further down. Dante pushed through and grabbed her by her wrist. Dante began to swim up when he felt a pull in the opposite direction. He looked down and saw Naya, alert and pissed off. More than that, she was scared. She tried again to release herself of Dante's grip, but Dante held on tight. He pinned her hand behind her back and wrapped his free arm around Naya's waist and other arm, completely restraining her. Naya nevertheless tried futilely to escape as Dante swam to the surface.
Naya instinctively gasped for air as they reached above the water.
"No!" she shouted, "Let me go! Please!" she pleaded, her voice becoming panicked and shrill. She kicked at Dante.
Dante felt a pang in his heart, but he managed to drag Naya to the sandy bank of the river. Naya went limp in his arms before he could put her down. Dante tapped her cheeks lightly, trying to get her to wake up.
Dante looked up and saw Freddie and Alex running down a muddy slope to Dante and Naya.
"Is she… alive?" Freddie asked, almost scared to know the answer.
"I don't know!" Dante shouted, cradling Naya's head in his arms. Dante found himself rocking back and forth, the same way Dante's mother had with his brother's body the night Andre died.
Alex ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair. "Check her pulse. And if she's breathing," he said with a quivering voice.
Dante pushed two fingers against Naya's wrist. Faint, but there. Dante laid her gently on the ground and watched for her chest to slowly rise and fall like he'd been taught to during his high school health course.
"She's just unconscious." Alex sighed in relief. "Let's just call an ambulance and get her to the hospital."
"No, no hospitals," Dante insisted.
"You can't be serious. You have t-"
"I said no hospitals!" Dante snapped. Dante refused to let her die. Not like Andre.
"Okay, fine," Freddie relented, trying to calm Dante down. "We'll go home and figure it out."
Dante nodded.
"Okay," he said, his voice shaking. Dante picked Naya up in his arms and trudged up the muddy hill to his car.
Dante rode in the bed of the pickup truck with Naya as Alex drove to Dante's house as fast as he could in the rain. Thunder clapped above and lightning illuminated the stormy sky.
Dante heard himself whispering a prayer he'd learned from his abuelita.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
Much to everyone's surprise, when Alex pulled up to Dante's house, Gloria was already there, taking shelter under Dante's porch. When Dante came out of the back of the pickup holding an unconscious girl in his arms, Gloria's face went from intent to seduce to what the hell did you idiots do.
"What the hell did you idiots do?" Gloria yelled at the boys in the truck. Dante ignored her and came barrelling towards the house. Gloria reached under the welcome mat, pulled out the spare key, and opened the door for Dante. Dante rushed to his room, locked the door, carefully lay Naya down in his bed, and paced frantically, trying to figure out his next step.
Alex took pity on Gloria's bewildered expression and tried to explain, "Long story short, she jumped, and Dante saved her."
She needed more answers, but now was not the time. Gloria pushed Freddie, who was trying to gently coax Dante out of the room, out of the way and banged on the door.
"Dante, open up!"
No answer.
Gloria hit the door again, "Do you even know what you're doing? Let us help you."
Gloria sighed in relief as the lock clicked open. She saw Dante sitting on Manny's bed, looking at the girl in his bed with a pained expression. She wanted to give him a hug and let him break down, but she knew Dante would never let her. Instead, she bucked up and began ordering the boys around.
"You," Gloria pointed, pointing at Dante, "Go to your mom's closet and get some dry clothes. Freddie, bring me some blankets, and Alex, raid the medicine cabinet and bring back a thermometer and anything else we might need like bandages and pain and fever meds." The three guys stared at her with blank faces. "Did I stutter? Go!" She yelled and the three scattered fearfully.
Gloria took a seat next to the girl. She seemed at peace. "Sometimes I wish I was brave enough to do what you did," Gloria whispered.
The three boys returned with their assigned items and Gloria instructed them to wait outside. Gloria changed the girl into Dante's mother's clothes, but the top didn't quite fit, so she grabbed one of Dante's t-shirts. Once she checked Naya's temperature and wrapped her in the blankets, she went outside to fill the boys in.
"She's got some minor cuts and scrapes and a bit of fever, but other than that, she seems fine. But I'm not a doctor. Any questions?"
"Gloria, what are you doing?" Dante crossed his arms. "Thanks for helping out, but now's not the time to-"
"Dante, I'm pregnant."