Storm Tide Read Free Page B

now,” says Ellen, sounding like she is about to cry.
    We lower the man onto the ground and stand there with our arms hanging loose. Neither of us moves.
    â€œWhat should we do?” says Ellen. She looks exhausted. She must be, if she’s asking for my advice. But I’m exhausted too, so I just shake my head.
    The man moans again, and I take a deep breath and pull myself together. “We have to get him inside. He’s soaked. He needs to get warm.” Ellen nods. We pick him up and start walking again, this time a little faster.
    Inside, we head straight for the sofa. We bend down and let the man fall onto the seat. He slides down so that he is lying across the cushions. He lies there for a second, then turns over and throws up.
    â€œOhhhh…gross,” I say. The salty stink of it fills the air. I think I am going to be sick myself, so I run out of the room. I calm myself and head for the radio to call the coast guard.
    â€œDiscovery Lighthouse to coast guard, come in. Over.” I say.
    No answer.
    â€œDiscovery Lighthouse to coast guard, come in. Over.”
    â€œWe read you, Discovery Lighthouse.
    Simon, how’s it going over there? Over.”
    â€œMark, is that you?” I ask. “We need you to send an ambulance.”
    â€œAre you two okay?”
    â€œWe’re okay, but we hauled some guy out of the water. He needs to get to the hospital. Can you send an ambulance?”
    â€œNo can do, kiddo. Can’t send anyone out in weather like this. Where is he now?”
    â€œWe’ve got him here with us. In the living room.”
    â€œKeep him warm. We’ll send someone when it calms down.”
    I slowly put down the handset.
    I try Mom and Dad on the boat, but I don’t really expect them to answer. There’s no way they would be out in this weather. We don’t have landlines or cell phones on the island. I keep bugging Mom about it, but so far she hasn’t budged on the issue. Too expensive, she says. If only she knew what was happening now.
    I walk back to the living room. Ellen is cleaning up the mess with one hand and pinching her nose with the other. She looks up at me. “When will they get here?” she asks.
    I shrug. “Mark says they can’t send someone in this weather.”
    â€œMom and Dad?”
    â€œNo answer.”
    Ellen’s whole body sags. We look at the man lying on the sofa. He’s breathing, but he looks unconscious. Then Ellen looks at me. “What are we going to do?”

Chapter Six
    Ellen drops the rag into the bucket and stands up. She runs the back of her hand across her eyes. I think she’s about to lose it, but she takes a deep breath, puts her hands in prayer position and closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath. “It’s okay,” she says. “We can deal with this. Look at you. You’re shivering. Go upstairs and change out of those wet clothes. I’ll do the same, and then we’ll make some tea. We’ll make some extra in case he wakes up. It will warm him up. But first, let’s prop up his head in case he needs to throw up again.”
    Wow. I’m impressed. Not that I’d ever tell Ellen, but what she just did was totally cool. Hearing her take control makes me feel calm. I nod and grab a pillow from the armchair while Ellen lifts the man’s head. I place the pillow under him and throw a blanket over him. Then I run upstairs and change.
    After we’ve had some hot tea, I feel better. I have stopped shivering, but now I’m starting to feel nervous again. I don’t like the look of this man. His beard is ragged, and his shoes have holes in them. I can’t help wondering what he was doing out on the water in such bad weather. Why did he pitch that tent without asking? And why did he take it down so suddenly? What is he doing here?
    A branch of the tree growing next to the house hits the wall. That’s some wind out there. I shiver. The