Once she made it to shore, Maya rested her pounding head in her hands, the world spinning once more. Even though the rocks were poking her in the back, she lay on the beach. Maya was grateful that both she and Paige had made it to dry land alive and mostly in one piece. Her only regret was that she’d lost a perfectly good surfboard in the process. Still, she would trade a surfboard for her life and the life of her friend any day.
“That was pretty impressive,” Kai said. “I’ve never seen anyone take on a bull shark before.”
“Thanks,” Maya said flatly, staring at the spinning sky.
“If it’s not too much trouble,” Paige said. “I’d like to get to the hospital.”
“Right.” Maya tried to jump up, but only managed to get to a seated position before turning around and throwing up.
“Should I try again to get an ambulance?” Kai asked, looking with concern at both Paige and Maya.
Paige turned to her friend. “You clearly need to see a doctor too.”
“I’ll be fine,” Maya replied in a soft voice. “But I think if you could drive us to the hospital now, that would be good, Kai.”
Kai helped Paige up. By putting most of her weight on Kai, Paige was able to hop on one foot.
Maya tried to stand again, but the world went fuzzy as soon as she lifted her head.
“Just lie down, and I’ll come back for you once Paige is in my car,” Kai said.
Maya didn’t need to be told twice. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“You need to stay awake,” Kai said sharply.
Maya groaned but opened her eyes.
Once he got Maya and Paige safely in his truck, Kai drove all three of them to the hospital a few miles away. Paige used his phone to call her dad and Maya’s parents and tell them what had happened.
Maya tried to focus on her knees rather than the world flashing by her outside. Kai and Paige were chatting more casually than Maya would have thought possible given what they’d just been through, but Maya didn’t join in on the conversation. She shut her eyes to keep the nausea at bay. Her head throbbed with every bump they went over. Maya was so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep.
A sudden pain jolted Maya awake. Kai was yelling her name and smacking her arm to try and get her to wake up.
Maya groaned and blinked a few times. Flashing lights to her right told her they were almost to the hospital. Her eyes fluttered shut again and Kai’s yells drifted farther and farther away.
* * *
Maya woke up in a dark room to a whispered conversation floating off to her left. She recognized her parents’ voices but not the others.
Maya looked around at the closed curtain hanging around her hospital bed. She thought about reaching out for the curtain, but her muscles ached and even lifting her arm felt like an impossible task. So instead she said in a croaky voice, “Hello?” Her word came out so soft even she could barely hear it. She cleared her throat and tried again, louder this time.
The curtain opened a crack and a smiling doctor looked in at her. “Hello, Maya. How are you feeling?”
Maya shrugged. “Like I was hit by a bus.”
The doctor gave a soft chuckle. “Well, that doesn’t seem surprising given what you’ve been through. Can you tell me what day it is?”