Page 48 of Reset

He tucked her straying hair behind her ears. “You need to concentrate on not breathing. That’s your only job. I’ll do the rest.”

Her heart raced at his touch, undoing all the hard work she’d just put in to slow it. “You know those team-building challenges where you’re supposed to fall back and let other people catch you?”

He nodded.

“I’ve never once managed to do one of those. I tried, but I just couldn’t trust anyone enough to catch me. If I can’t do that, there’s no way I can do this. You have to knock me out and drag me through.”

“First, I can’t. You won’t be able to hold your breath if you’re unconscious. Second, I’m not some random workmate who doesn’t have the upper body strength to catch you if you fall. You said you know me. If you really do, you know that if anyone can get you through those tunnels, it’s me.”

Sarah glanced down at her hands, which were clenched into fists on her lap. “Have you ever been so terrified that you can’t do something?”

“Like confront a tunnel full of rats?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I made you do that.”

“I can make you do this, but you won’t be calm while it’s happening and we want calm.”

“Maybe I could just read a book for half an hour. That helps me relax. I have my iPad; there are books on there.” And maybe, after some time, he’ll have given up on his crazy plan to drag her through the water while she suffocated from lack of air.

Of course, he was on to her. “And what book would you read to avoid doing this?”

“Pride and Prejudice, probably,” she grumbled. “Although, Darcy is nearly as annoying as you’re being right now.”

Ryan’s head fell back as he laughed. “Jane Austen is on my list, but I haven’t reached her yet. For some reason, since the coma, I’ve been reading like a nutter. I was working my way through one of those lists, you know, one hundred classics you should read before you die. But I got side-tracked by the thriller genre. Those books are like Pringles—you can’t stop at one.”

“Maybe we could read a thriller together?” Sarah asked hopefully. “It will give us time to think about this plan. And, you know, calm us both down.”

“Good try, Stats, but it’s not happening. You can do this. You might not have faith in me, but I have faith in you. You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”

“That would mean a lot more if I didn’t know you couldn’t remember everyone you’ve met.”

“I’m serious, you’ve got this. You just need to stop stalling.”

Sarah held up her hands so he could see them shake. “I’m not brave, I’m just good at hiding how scared I am.”

He enfolded her hands in his. “That’s the definition of bravery, babe. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway.”

Sarah closed her eyes and let her head drop forward. This whole thing was impossible; why couldn’t he see it? He was asking her to go into a dark, enclosed space where she would be submerged in water and unable to breathe. Every nightmare scenario from her childhood was lurking in that water. Just one of those memories could trigger a panic attack that would take them both down.

“Stats,” he said, understanding and compassion in his voice. “I really believe you can do this. Besides, it’s drown with me or get eaten alive by rats alone.”

Her head shot up as she glared at him. “That’s not helpful.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” He smiled. “The water’s looking pretty good right now, isn’t it?”

“I think we should time me holding my breath again.” She really didn’t like the determined expression on his face. It didn’t bode well for her. “Only I want to know how long I can do it for this time.”

“Nope. No more practice runs. And definitely no numbers in your head. If you have a target in mind, that’s as far as your subconscious will let you go. Much better if you put that brain of yours to use by concentrating on resisting the urge to take in air, instead of on how much time has passed.”

It was no use. She wasn’t ready. There hadn’t been enough time to prepare—physically or mentally. There might never be enough time for her to get ready for something like this.

“Maybe we should sleep on things before we try swimming out of here. It’s late. We’re both exhausted. It’s been a long traumatic day. What do you think?”

“I think you’re still stalling.” Ryan took her hand and firmly led her to the water’s edge. “Time to go. The longer we wait, the more you’ll think about it. The more you think, the more you’ll freak. Sometimes, you just have to jump in and hope for the best.” His eyes sparkled. “Pun intended.”

The water glimmered in the dim light from Sarah’s phone. It didn’t appear threatening; in fact, it seemed almost peaceful. Any other time, in any other place, she’d have found it soothing. But not here. Not like this.

Shivering, she cast a longing glance at Ryan’s jacket, which lay discarded against the wall. It was too thick to take with them. It’d weigh them down and take forever to dry out, so it’d been sacrificed. Beside it sat a pile of things from her handbag that were also useless if they got wet. Their bag was lighter now. The stash of items that might help them survive was already dwindling.