Caddie stared at him, unable to speak. Then she heard Hudson’s voice. “They’re taking Ben to the hospital,” he said. “Where the fuck were you while this was happening?”

Caddie looked at him, grateful, and found her voice. “I ran out of air,” she told Brian. “He tried to stop me from coming up too fast.”

“Shit,” Brian said. “Did he get hit?”

“What do you think?” Caddie said. She turned to Leo, who was packing up the medical kit. “Where are they going?” she asked.

“The hyperbaric chamber in Pacific Grove,” he answered. “It’s in the fire station.”

“Can you drive me?” she asked Hudson.

Hudson nodded. “Of course,” he said. “I just need directions.”

“You can follow me,” said Leo.

“I can take you,” Brian offered.

Caddie said nothing, merely turned and walked away. She couldn’t even look at Brian right now, let alone talk to him. If she did, she wouldn’t be able to stop. Her rage at him was second only to her concern for her father.

When they got to Hudson’s car, she realized she was still in her wet suit. Her clothes were in her father’s car, which was parked nearby. But it was locked, and she couldn’t get in. Wishing she had something warm to put on, she gazed longingly at the windows.

Seeing her rub her arms trying to warm herself, Leo walked to her father’s car. He pressed the panel covering the gas cap and reached inside. When he removed his hand, a set of car keys dangled from his finger. “It’s an old diver trick,” he said, opening the door. “Of course, since everybody knows about it, I guess it isn’t really much of a trick.”

Caddie, with great relief, took her clothes from the backseat. As quickly as she could, not caring that people might be watching, she removed her wet suit and pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. She threw the wet suit into the rear of the Volvo and locked the doors once more, pocketing the key.

“Sorry I took so long,” she apologized as she got into Hudson’s car.

“No worries,” he said. “We’d probably just be in the way anyway.”

She wanted to thank him for his kindness, but something stopped her. I could have just taken my dad’s car, she thought. He doesn’t have to come. It was a mean thought, and she was ashamed of it. Still, she couldn’t help wishing that it was just her going to the fire station.

Leo drove quickly, and they reached the station within fifteen minutes. As Caddie got out of the car, she was surprised to see that the fire station was a small brick building. She’d expected something larger, more modern. This looked like any small-town firehouse. How could they possibly have the equipment needed to help her father?