“Except burn breakfast.”
“Oh, crap.” He grabbed the spatula and quickly turned to the stove where the eggs and pancakes had burned to a crisp. Cooper tossed the smoking pieces of food into the kitchen sink and waved the smoky smell away.
Taylor bounded down the stairs with Danny close behind. “Oh, good Lord, this kid snores like you wouldn’t believe,” Taylor screeched while she tried to stay away from him.
“Me? It’s you who snores, woman!” Danny teased and then dove straight to her and tackled her onto the couch. He tickled her as she screamed and swatted at him. Katherine looked up at Cooper who laughed and continued to fix breakfast.
“Can we go snowmobiling today?” Taylor asked, as sweetly as she could muster.
“I don’t see why not.” Cooper’s response made her squeal with delight. “But first, we eat.” He put the last plate of food on the table. He had made eggs, bacon, toast and potatoes.
“Jeez, Cooper, this is amazing. Thank you so much,” Taylor said.
“Yeah, Cooper, thank you,” Katherine added.
Taylor looked at Danny and said, “Why don’t you ever burn breakfast for me, jerk?”
Danny stared at her and shook his head. “Always making me look bad, Donovan.”
“What can I say, it’s easy.” Cooper sat down across the table from Katherine and glanced at her between bites.
Katherine couldn’t stop thinking. Her head reminded her that she needed to let go of Austen, but her heart fought the notion every step of the way. A battle raged and she honestly wasn’t sure which side would win.
After breakfast the girls insisted on washing the dishes while the guys prepped the snowmobiles. Cooper gassed them up, found helmets and goggles for each rider and checked the weather online. When the girls finished, they headed outside in their winter gear and the foursome raced off.
Katherine loved every minute of this adventure as the machine rumbled beneath her legs. The only thing she could compare it to was being on a jet ski in the summer waves of the Pacific. She drove fast, but wasn’t reckless. She pulled her snowmobile to a stop at a section of the lake that was atypically warmer than other parts. The ice was thinner, but normally still frozen solid.
She looked around at the snow covered trees that surrounded the lake. The way the white powder sparkled in the sunlight made her smile. She got off the toy she drove and walked softly on the frozen water, taking pictures with each new step. She wanted to share this day with her parents and friends back home.
She took some photos as her friends horsed around and she noticed that no matter where she went or what she did, Cooper always had his eyes on her. It made her feel protected.
She headed back to the snowmobile and scanned through the digital pictures she had just taken. The beauty of it all astounded her.
Suddenly the ice let out a thunderous howl and started to crack under the weight of the machine. Cooper recognized that sound instantly and turned to yell something at Katherine. Before she had time to figure out what was going on, her body crashed violently into the ice cold water.
A horrifying sound unlike anything she’d ever spoken tore from her lips. The water was so cold, it felt like a thousand needles stabbed her all at once. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She watched as Cooper’s terrified face rushed toward her. She could make her name as it screamed from his lips. Taylor and Danny were even further in the background shouting something she couldn’t hear.
Katherine instinctively wanted to kick, but the water was so cold, her legs wouldn’t move. She tried to grab the edge of the ice, but she could barely lift her arms. The winter clothing meant to keep her warm suddenly felt like a weighted anchor. Nothing would do what she needed it to. Her body refused to cooperate. She was surprised at how quickly it gave up. Everything betrayed her, even her thoughts. Her brain stopped fighting to keep her alive. It simply wanted to make the cold go away as quickly as possible. Unable to move at all, she went under.
She was surprised at how peaceful she felt. She turned her head slowly to the left and saw Austen’s image there. He gestured wildly, frantically waving his arms and legs. He screamed at her, or maybe he pleaded; she couldn’t hear a thing he said. She just stared at him with love in her eyes and a small smile on her lips.
Austen begged her to fight. His mouth screamed at her to swim. But still she did nothing. He fought with his spirit to lift her, carry her, push her, move her, something! But he was powerless to do anything but watch. Terror was written all over his face. He loved Katherine and wanted to be with her, but not like this. He would never put her life in danger. Desperate, he tried one last time to get her to kick.
Yet she did nothing but watch him. All she could think about was how freezing cold the water was, and how beautiful he looked.
A large splash rippled through her vision and Cooper’s face suddenly appeared in front of hers. She looked into his eyes, which were wide with fear, as he grabbed her jacket and yanked her head above the water. His body splayed out over the ice evenly as Danny did the same in the distance. He gripped onto Cooper’s feet as tightly as he could.
Cooper had to go halfway into the freezing water to reach her and Danny was scared he might fall in, too. They both knew the water this time of year could and would kill you. Cooper screamed at Katherine to kick her legs as he tried to pull her out. She could barely think, let alone move.
“Danny, pull!!” Cooper yelled at him in a tone he’d never heard before, not even on the rink.
Taylor was completely freaked out. “Is she okay? Oh my God. Please be okay, please be okay.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. Taylor barely survived the death of her brother. She wasn’t sure she could live through this, too.
They slowly inched from the break in the ice until Cooper was sure they were safe. He noticed Katherine wasn’t breathing. Cooper was losing his mind, but he went into action. He performed CPR on her while Taylor screamed things in the background. Cooper couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of his heart raging in his ears.
Katherine still didn’t breathe, but Cooper refused to give up. He pushed on her chest in desperation. “Please,” he begged her, “don’t leave me. Not now. Please, Katherine. I just got you back.”