With the light off, it seemed even darker, and Cate had to fumble to take hold of Jack’s legs. Every moan that escaped Jack’s lips sent a sharp pain through her, but the only thing worse than his pain would be being left behind, and Cate wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Down! Get down!”

Elise’s command pierced her as she let go of Jack and fell to the ground, stumbling and then landing heavily on her side.

There’s someone here. Cate’s face was in the ground and she blinked away the sand that clung to her lashes and caked her lips. It’s over. We’ve come so far, and it’s all over.

She heard a whimper, before realizing it had escaped her own mouth.

“Who’s there?”

The call cut straight through her, but not for the reason she’d expected. They were British. They’re British!

Cate didn’t wait. She clawed at the ground as she launched forward, tripping as she rose and lifted her hands as a light cast over her face, blinding her. She squinted, shielding her eyes with one hand as she kept the other high in the air, not wanting there to be any mistaking who she was. That she was friendly.

“My name is Cate Alexander and I’m a British nurse.” She tried to speak confidently but her voice was barely there. “I’m a nurse,” she whispered, before dropping to her knees, the weight of everything, the pain of everything, felling her.

“Cate, I’m Oliver,” one of the men said, rushing forward and clasping her elbows, drawing her back up to her feet.

“There’s more!” the other man said, and she spun around as the flashlight illuminated Elise, on her knees, hands in the air, and Jack’s unconscious body lying in the sand.

“Please, help us,” Cate whispered. “We need to get him on the boat. Please.”

The two men lifted Jack between them, far more easily than she and Elise could have done, and she hurried to his side, keeping up with them with a hand on his body as they lugged him across the sand.

“The boat’s here, we thought you weren’t coming,” said Oliver, the familiarity of his accent taking Cate home, washing over her and making her believe she was actually going to see England again, that it wasn’t just a dream. “You only just made it in time. Ten more minutes and we would have left without you.”

“Elise?” Cate turned and saw that Elise was trailing behind.

“I’m here,” Elise said, but it was so dark that Cate could barely see her.

The gentle wash of water told Cate they were close to the ocean now, but there were no flashlights, so it wasn’t until the cold, wet sea lapped at her ankles that she knew it was real. And then lights flashed, three times in fast succession.