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Part 2 of Full Circle
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Published:
2018-12-06
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2023-11-28
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47/47
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Snapshots

Chapter 24: Life Support

Notes:

I've been re-reading/skimming Full Circle and the snapshots recently, and it's been nice to dive back into this universe. And writing this was a nice break from editing Illusions of Control. Full Circle was the first big story I wrote (to completion, I'd started many others before) and this universe has really become something else. I love the family unit I've created, with all their ups and downs. I hope you continue to as well.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Life Support

Under the shade of the umbrella, and propped up by her beach lounger, Claire was thinking that the day really couldn't get any better. It was the perfect temperature to be down by the lake. They had brought down a picnic and she was spending the afternoon finally diving into a book she'd been meaning to read. Owen and Maisie were out in the middle of the lake, paddling around in the canoe. While it had been a year since Claire's unfortunate experience with said canoe, Owen had continued to hold up his end of his deal and hadn't bugged her to get back in it again. She'd seen him give her a slight questioning look whenever they'd be loading it up to take to the lake, and she'd seen him add in an extra life jacket for her, but he'd never pushed and she'd never offered to go in.

While the experience hadn't been all bad, she still preferred to stay on dry land. Or, if she wanted to go near the water, she preferred to venture into the water, and go for a swim instead. Maybe some day she'd give in, and go out again, but for now, she was enjoying the fact that she could read her book without interruptions.

She had just flipped the page when Maisie's scream of "Owen!" had her bolting upright book dropped onto the sand at her side. Blinking against the bright sun, she raised her hand to her forehand, trying to block the glare, before she remembered the sunglasses perched on the top of her head. Claire pulled them on as she scrambled to her feet, still searching the lake.

On her first pass, she didn't see them, but slowing down, and looking more carefully, she realized that the canoe was almost directly in front of her. And that she'd missed it on her first pass, because only Maisie was still sitting in it. Maisie seemed to be looking into the water on the far side of the canoe, the side that Claire couldn't see.

Eyes widening, Claire was already moving towards the water. She could vaguely hear the few of the other people on the beach doing the same.

"Maisie?" Claire shouted, but Maisie didn't seem to hear her, instead leaning over the side of the canoe, reaching for something. Where was Owen, Claire wondered. She couldn't see him, but she knew he'd gone out with a lifejacket, so if somehow he'd fallen in, he would — should — be fine. But the moment she finished that thought, she watched as Maisie appeared to drag Owen's life jacket back into the canoe. She could feel the blood draining from her face, her fingers tingling, and for a moment she froze, unsure what to do.

"I think he's got him," someone yelled, and Claire finally tuned into all the other noise and chaos that was happening around her. She realized she'd been so focused on Maisie, she hadn't even realized what else was going on. Swinging her gaze to the right, she saw the few other people on the beach were looking at something intently, something she couldn't see from her spot. She quickly moved in their direction, only then noticing that someone was in the water, swimming frantically towards the canoe.

Finally getting close to the others, Claire could see what she hadn't before. She could see Owen now, and he appeared to be treading water while holding onto someone — a child if she wasn't mistaken — while saying something to Maisie.

She watched as Maisie nodded at whatever Owen had told her, before Owen turned towards the shore, swimming briskly towards them, still clutching onto the kid. He was met about halfway by the other swimmer, who turned around with Owen and the two swam back together. As they neared the shore, Owen stood up, still cradling the kid in his arms, before rushing out. She wasn't sure he saw her, as he yelled for people to make room and call 911, before laying the kid down on the sand.

It wasn't until he did so that Claire realized the child didn't appear to be breathing. She watched, her breath caught in her throat as Owen continued to take charge. He quickly assessed the situation, seemingly laser-focused on saving the boy's life. She might have stopped breathing herself, watching as he checked for a pulse, gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and then started on chest compressions. There was something captivating about watching him work under pressure. Maybe it was his poise? Or the rhythm of his measured movements?

It was not until she saw the kid coughing up water and sitting up, that she could feel her shoulders relaxing, the fear that she didn't know she had been holding onto finally evaporating. When Owen finally sat back on his heels, she relaxed even more. He looked up, and it didn't take long before his gaze landed on hers.

She was moving before she even managed to comprehend what she was doing, and so was he, standing up, letting the others who had gathered around take care of the kid. Claire didn't even care that he was still soaking wet, her arms wrapping around him immediately, and his around her, as he sunk into her embrace, resting his head on top of hers.

"What happened?" Claire whispered, after a couple of moments had passed. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her, the adrenaline still clearly coursing through him.

"Kid fell out of a boat," Owen said. "I didn't even notice at first, but Maisie–" He cut off, and as one, they both turned back towards the lake, where Maisie was still sitting in the canoe, watching everything, her eyes wide. "Dammit," Owen cursed. "I need to go back out there." He pulled away, already moving back towards the water, Claire following in step beside him.

"I can go," Claire volunteered, stopping him just as he was about to step back in. "You look exhausted, Owen."

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you think you can get back into the canoe without tipping it over?" Owen asked with a raised eyebrow, and Claire scowled, hating that he was probably right. To be honest, she wasn't 100% sure of her ability to actually paddle the canoe back on her own. She was sure she could probably figure it out, but she hadn't thought about the getting back in part.

"I'll be fine," Owen repeated. "But I better go now, before I do crash." Claire nodded mutely, arms crossed over her chest as she watched Owen swim back to the canoe. He was able to get back in without difficulty, and soon enough, they were paddling back towards the shore.

A loud commotion on shore distracted her, and she turned to see some other people running over to the group with the child. Not wanting to add to the chaos, Claire continued to stand where she was, watching as they fawned over the child, clearly the parents, if the kid's hiccuping cries and the frantic hugs and kisses he was receiving were any indication. She could hear one of the parents repeatedly saying that they hadn't seen the kid fall out, that they hadn't realized anything had happened right away. They were thanking the crowd around them, and Claire turned back to watch Owen and Maisie. She knew Owen would be happy to not be around during this, having never appreciated the praise that he would get smothered with, always insisting he was just doing what any normal person would.

When the canoe finally neared the shore, Claire waded into the water, helping to pull it up and holding it steady while Owen and Maisie climbed out. Maisie launched herself at Claire the moment she was in reach, and Claire was thankful for Owen's hand that quickly landed on her back, helping her stay upright.

"Is he okay?" Maisie asked, risking a glance over towards the crowd. "The kid?"

"He'll be fine," Claire reassured her. "Thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything," Maisie said, her voice muffled as she pushed herself closer to Claire.

"You told Owen," Claire replied, squeezing Maisie tighter. "If you hadn't seen it…" She trailed off, not wanting to speak what none of them wanted to think about it. She forced a brighter tone. "But, there's no what if's to be concerned about here. You saw it. And you both acted quickly."

"And you stayed calm the whole time," Owen said, one hand still resting on Claire's back while his other moved to Maisie's shoulder. "That takes a lot of courage. You stayed in the canoe. And you waited for help."

"I didn't know what to do," Maisie admitted.

"Well you did the right thing," Owen said firmly. "And that's what matters. Now," he looked over at the canoe, "why don't we get this loaded up. I don't know about you two, but I think I'm done here for the day."

"Yeah, okay," Maisie agreed. "I don't think I want to be on the water anymore."

The three made quick work of getting the canoe out of the water. Owen and Claire carried it back to the truck, while Maisie followed with the paddles. Once they'd placed it on top, Claire left Owen and Maisie to tie it down, while she want back to where she'd been sitting to pack up the rest of their gear.

After the excitement of earlier, the beach was already calming back down. The parents had already left with the kid, and everyone else was going back to what they had been doing before (or leaving — Claire did notice they weren't the only ones making that choice).

"You're a really lucky woman."

Claire looked up, startled from where she'd been repacking her beach bag, to see a woman standing beside her umbrella, looking down at her. "What?"

"You're a really lucky woman," the woman repeated. "That was really quick thinking by your husband. Not everyone would've acted so fast. And not only that, he seemed to know just what to do. CPR and everything. Things could've been so much worse."

Claire wasn't sure how to respond. "I know," she finally said, when it was clear the woman was waiting for her to say something. "He's… Owen's… I really am lucky." She smiled up at the woman, before turning back to her packing.

"I'm always nervous down here," the woman continued. "No lifeguards and all that. It's good to know there's people around here who will jump in, if needed. Makes me feel a bit safer."

"Owen's good at that," Claire said, putting the bag aside as she stood to collapse the umbrella. "Making people feel safe," she clarified, when she saw the woman's confused look. "I know he does that for me."

"Well, tell him thanks," the woman said, finally turning to walk away.

Claire bent down and picked up the bag, and the umbrella, and then looked over at the cooler and lounger. She'd have to come back for them, she decided. She had just taken a couple of steps towards the car when she saw Owen, and so she paused, waiting for him to reach her so he could help her carry the stuff.

"I would've just done a second trip," she told him, as they walked to the truck together.

"I know," Owen shrugged. "But it's faster this way."

x x x

Pulling the truck to a stop by their cabin, Owen tried to stifle the yawn that wanted to escape. He was annoyed that he was so tired. It wasn't like he'd swam all that far, or that the kid had been all that heavy. He knew it was the after effects of the adrenaline surge from the whole event, but it still annoyed him.

When Maisie had first said that she'd seen a kid fall into the water, he hadn't initially believed her. But, a moment later, he briefly saw a head break through the surface, arms flailing, before the kid sunk out of sight. He had acted on instinct, diving straight into the water, barely managing to tell Maisie to stay put. He'd forgotten about the lifejacket until he immediately bobbed back to the surface, and then had had to rip it off, as it was making it difficult for him to dive after the kid. Just thinking about it and he could feel his heart rate accelerating again.

As they got out of the truck, he saw Claire going to the back to help with taking down the canoe and he waved her off. "Let's do that later," Owen told her and she looked at him in surprise. He was usually insistent that they took it off right away, knowing that he'd be annoyed with himself later when he wanted to use his truck and it was still there. But, he just didn't feel like he had the energy to do so, not right now. Before she could start a discussion, he grabbed the cooler from the back of the truck and headed towards the cabin.

He left the cooler on the kitchen table as he headed into the master bedroom. He wanted to change. He had been wearing a t-shirt out on the canoe, and while his boardshorts were pretty much dry, his shirt definitely wasn't and was getting more and more uncomfortable. Actually, what he really wanted, he decided as he was searching his drawers for something to change into, was a shower.

Owen could hear Claire and Maisie in the main area, unpacking the cooler and beach bag. With only one bathroom in the cabin, they always had to be careful with when people showered. Deciding they were occupied and he could be fast, he found his towel and quickly claimed the bathroom.

The warm water felt great, but what it was really doing, he quickly realized, was actually just making him more tired. He felt like he could fall asleep standing up. After he was dressed, Owen looked at the bed. It looked so inviting, and he almost lay right down. But, there was a part of him that felt like he needed to keep moving, to beat back his exhaustion. He had never been one for naps, preferring to just power through as much as possible, and maybe go to bed a bit earlier.

Wandering back out into the main area of the cabin, he was surprised to find only Claire was still there, in the kitchen looking through the cupboards.

"Hey, where's Maisie?" Owen asked.

"She went out to the treehouse," Claire told him.

"Is she doing okay? Not too freaked out by everything?" Owen asked, realizing he hadn't really confirmed that earlier.

"Yeah, she's fine," Claire nodded, coming over to stand by him. "A little shaken up, but happy that everything worked out."

"Me, too," Owen agreed.

"I told her that's why you wear life jackets," Claire said with a grin. "In case something unexpected happens."

The life jackets had continued to be a bit of a sore point for him and Claire. It wasn't that he thought they were a bad idea, it was more that he never liked how it felt like they were restricting his movement. But, he also saw Claire's point, and if he hadn't, today would've definitely hammered it home. "I know I've argued against them, but I wouldn't have if Maisie was that little. I don't get why you'd ever take a young kid out on a boat without one." Owen shook his head, still shocked that the kid hadn't been wearing one. He was about to add something else, but instead let out a giant yawn.

"Maybe you should go lie down," Claire told him. "Have a nap."

"I don't nap," Owen said. "I just need to do something. I'll be fine."

"Tell you what," she grabbed his hand, pulling him after her. She picked up her book off the table as they passed by, heading for the back door. "I was just about to go read my book. Why don't you join me."

"And read your book?" Owen was confused, but followed after her, letting her pull him along.

"Keep me company," Claire corrected, leading him over to the hammock.

"No, I'll fall asleep," he protested, immediately understanding her idea.

"So?" She gave him small pushes towards the hammock until he finally caved and climbed in and she followed after him. It took them a minute to sort out positioning, Owen lying on his back, Claire on her side, tucked up against him. She propped her book up on his chest, her other hand running her fingers through his hair.

"That's not fair," Owen mumbled, he could feel himself starting to drift away, soothed by her touch.

"I won't let you sleep long, promise," she told him.

"I hate naps," he said, although he could tell his voice was slurring.

"Then don't call it a nap," Claire chuckled lightly. There were a few moments of silence, and he had almost drifted off when she spoke up again. "You know, a woman came by to tell me how lucky I am to have you. That you knew just want to do and just did it."

"You'd do the same," Owen said simply.

"I wish," Claire scoffed. "I'd want to," she conceded, as if she could tell he was about to protest, "but I don't know CPR. And I'm not sure I'd have the strength to pull the kid out of the water." She fell silent, but he waited her out, knowing instinctively that she wasn't done. "That woman is right, I am lucky," she continued. "I always know that Maisie's safe with you. That I'm safe with you." There was another long stretch of silence, before he felt her shift, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks."

"Never want to lose you." The words escaped without a thought, but he knew it was the truth. He didn't want to lose Claire or Maisie. They were his family.

"You won't," she said. He felt her fingers starting to comb through his hair again. "Sleep. I'll wake you in a bit."

He could feel the hammock swaying lightly, the sound of birds chirping and the pages of her book rustling as she searched for her spot. He felt her shifting to settle more firmly against his side. He moved slightly, turning his head so he could rest it against the top of her head. Maybe she was right, maybe closing his eyes for a bit wouldn't be so bad.

Notes:

Thanks for reading. What did you think? Who else wants to be in a hammock out by a cabin in the middle of almost nowhere? 🙋♀️ I've already got a couple more being worked on (turns out writing is an excellent procrastination technique from editing and we all win).

In the meantime, if you haven't yet, check out the final chapter (epilogue) of Fifty Shades of Grady by EliseCollier. She's been invaluable to me as a beta reader, editor, snapshot title-er and all around story idea collaborator. :)

Nadin (my other beta reader, editor, story idea collaborator) has started posting a new fic called The Colours of the World.

On top of that, a bunch of other writers have been popping back onto the scene recently, so take a moment to check out the main feed and give them a read.