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possible.
    It was the worst thing I could have done. In a minute I was exhausted and gasping for air. I pulled my head out of the water and took my mouth off the snorkel—another mistake. It was easy, while snorkel-ing, to just relax in the water, facedown, and not even paddle at all. But all I could think of was getting to shore.
    I accidentally took in a mouthful of water and
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    THE IMMORTAL

    coughed. Now I was eagerly searching for help and I wouldn't have minded if it came from Saddam Hussein. But I was at the end of the beach. The sole lifeguard was in the middle, and he had plenty of naked women to look at on the shore, and I think he was asleep anyway. I didn't glance behind me, to see if Helen was nearby. I didn't want to turn away from the beach for even a second because I feared I might move a foot away from it.
    I couldn't swim properly with my head out of the water, but I was too shaken to replace my snorkel and put my face back down. The pain in my chest was like the heat from a torch blowing blue flame through the lobes of my lungs. Honestly, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The smell of the hospital came back to me then, the vapor of rubbing alcohol, the beep of the monitors in intensive care. It seemed that beep had been the first thing I heard when I had awakened from my long burning dream, a mechanical pulse in my ears, some bloodless heartthrob. Beep, beep, beep —you're alive, little girl. But it seemed there had been a pause—I suddenly remembered this—a short one, when the beeps had stopped, and there had been silence. ...
    I felt myself sinking.
    Nothing but the silent roar of cold air blowing through a wide empty space. Yes, I remembered, the beep had definitely stopped.
    "Josie!" a voice spoke in my ear.
    A strong arm yanked my head up.
    I blinked—I must have closed my eyes.
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    CHRISTOPHER PIKE
    "God," I gasped.
    It was Tom.
    The shore was still a hundred yards away. Tom was swimming in place beside me. He still had his work shirt on. How he had gotten there didn't matter, not to me. His arms were around my waist, lifting my mouth and nose out of the water.
    "Just relax," he said, slipping behind me, moving his arm under my arms. "Relax into me, Josie. I'll tow you in."
    "I'm all right," I said, coughing.
    "The hell you are."
    We were in shallow water a couple of minutes later. Tom helped me remove my fins and took my mask and snorkel. He held me by the arm while I staggered onto the beach. There I collapsed on the sand, grateful for the chance to catch my breath. I was not having a heart attack. The pain in my chest began to diminish. In the space of five minutes I was almost fully recovered and terribly embarrassed. Helen came running out of the water and stopped beside Tom, staring down at me.
    "What happened to you?" Helen asked.
    "Nothing," I muttered.

    "I think she cramped up," Tom said.
    Helen was amazed. "And you came to her rescue?"
    Tom shrugged. His shirt was dripping wet, along with his shorts. "I was watching the two of you from my place at the bar. I noticed Josie having trouble."
    "Why didn't you call me for help?" Helen asked me.
    THE IMMORTAL
    "I got a little tired is all," I muttered. "I didn't need to be rescued."
    Helen knelt by my side, taking my hand. She spoke to Tom. "Josie was in the hospital last year. It's easy for her to overdo it. She has a bad heart. She—"
    "I do not have a bad heart," I interrupted angrily. My humiliation was deepening. I forced a smile and shook off Helen's hand. "Don't talk about me like I'm an invalid." I glanced up at Tom. "I'm OK, I would have been OK. But I want to thank you for your concern anyway."
    Tom nodded. He understood I didn't want a big deal made of the matter. "I'd better get back to my job.
    They're not paying me to be a lifeguard."
    Helen stood up and touched his chest. "Thank you for saving my friend, Tom," she said sweetly but seriously.
    "Oh, brother," I mumbled, my eyes rolling.
    "I didn't mind a nice