Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta

Author:Gail Pallotta [Pallotta, Gail]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Fiction, inspirational fiction, Clean and Wholesome Novels, Religion and Spirituality
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2019-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The alarm jarred Suzie from sleep, and she shook. The blue and white patterns on the comforter swirled while her insides raced like an engine on full throttle. Instinctively, she pulled her knees to her chest and scrunched under the spread, but it all stopped. Shock filled her veins and she straightened. Was she still alive? Nothing trembled. No excess energy rushed through her. The weakness hadn’t swept over her. She pulled her arm out from under the covers and pinched it. Hope soared to Suzie’s heart like a rocket. She bounced out of bed.

She wanted to shout, Dr. Granger’s treatments work, to the rafters as she walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. What a glorious day, the best she’d awakened to in months, but she needed to settle down and focus on work. She dried her face then grabbed her swimsuit. The team needed U.S. swimmers. If only she had time to call Cammie now.

She tugged on her suit, wiggled into a pair of Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt, and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. She hurried down the stairs and out the door without a second to spare.

Within twenty minutes, she arrived at the Destin Community Club. Harold’s two-door yellow coupe sat in the parking lot. He charged out and headed toward her as the white bus pulled up, its brakes squealing. The door swung open, and the chattering kids bounded off, racing toward the playground.

Harold stared at the children with wide eyes. “Stop running. You’re gonna get hurt.” He rubbed a handkerchief over his thin, balding, black hair.

His unease ratchetted Suzie’s nerves a notch. Would the children sense his anxiety? She caught up to the swimmers. “Six-and-unders. At the pool.”

Harold flailed his arms. “Everyone else sit in a circle. We’re going to play doggie doggie where’s your bone.”

Suzie gasped. Did Harold have a clue?

Bob and Jay fast-stepped up to him. “If you want, we’ll start a game of ultimate Frisbee with the older kids.”

Suzie sighed with relief as Harold wiped his forehead. “Thank you,” he said.

The five and six year olds rushed to Suzie, huffing and puffing. Joey punched Melissa on the arm.

“Suzie. Make him stop,” she whined.

“Joey, cut it out.”

“I’s jest clownin’ around.” Joey cast his gaze to the ground and rubbed his foot in a circle.

“I know, but someone could get hurt. We have lots of work to do. I’m going to teach you to dive.” Without Matt, the youngsters seemed scattered like kids in a game of hide-and-seek with no home base. The sooner they busied their little hands the better.

“Dive?” Joey jumped back.

“Yes. Stay with Harold and behave until it’s time for your group.”

The youngest swimmers sat on the bleachers, stomping their feet, rattling the footing planks, and laughing.

“All right. Everyone to the deep end of the pool.”

“I wanna go first.” Rico, her demonstrator, puffed out his chest.

Anna rolled her eyes. “You always say that.”

“Stop fussing.” Suzie spoke with as much harshness as she could, trying to bring order to the children to make their practice meaningful.

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