Trust Me

BOBS POV.

This water is way too cold. My face broke the surface and I scrambled out of the water, coughing and spluttering and then taking a deep breath before screaming bloody murder for anybody and everybody to help me get Ray out of here. I took another, deeper breath, filling my lungs as far as they would go and then plunged back into the bitterly cold water.

I reached Ray quicker this time, driven by the thought of what would happen if I didn't reach him. He reached up his hand and I took it, placing my other hand on the back of his head and my lips to his own, forcing the air from my lungs into his to keep him breathing.

I let go of him once he had all the air I had to give and I slammed my fist into the ice, a few times, pain shooting through my numb hands but it didn't bother me, Ray had to get out of this.

He had his head and one arm through the ice but the gap was too narrow for anything else to pass through. He looked at me helplessly and I shook my head before heading back up to the surface for more air for myself, and to give to Ray.

"Bob? whats going on down there?" asked Gee as I surfaced again. They were all stood out on the ice, waiting for me to re-surface.

"Ray...ice... closed... gap... need... breathe," I gasped out, taking a big breath and diving back down to Ray.

I pulled his head upwards and pushed my lips to his again but he didn't respond at all. He didn't take my hand or acknowledge I was there. Shit he's passed out.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit! I forced the air into his mouth and swam for my life, and Rays, back to the surface.

"Joe! Need air!" I gasped as Frank and Mikey tried to pull me out of the water.

"The divers are in the water, aren't they? where the fuck are they?"

"I don't know and they're doing fuck all to help!" all of them were completely oblivious to what was going on down there, they had no idea Ray was stuck so badly, unable to breathe.

"Ray is completely stuck, the ice closed up in the bottom layer, we have to get him out!" I yelled, taking another breath and forcing myself back into the depths of the frigid water.

I found his limp form again in the inky blackness and knew that this was the last time I would find him. I was too weak to keep doing this, exhausted and freezing, I knew this was my last dive down here. I took his hand and squeezed it, to my astonishment I felt him squeeze back and I almost let out all the air I had.

I pressed my lips to his one last time and gave him his last breath. There was no way he was getting out of this. He turned it into a kiss, knowing full well this was the last time, he could sense my inability to save him.

I pounded on the ice with my hands, completely useless. I found an edge and tried to snap bits off it but it was thickening rapidly. I took his hand and put my feet on the ice, using him as a kind of lever to snap the ice where his shoulder was caught under it. He tried to pull his hand away, it was obviously hurting him as his shoulder was bent the wrong way but I could see this working.

I squeezed his hand as an apology and he squeezed back, understanding fully, and I continued to pull until I felt something give. I had either dislocated his shoulder or broken a big piece of the ice off.

I saw a stream of bubbles pass me and with growing despair realized that Ray had passed out again, his air had run out but the ice was broken. My own lungs ached for air and my head was spinning, I had to get out of here. I grabbed Rays hand and pushed off the ice with my feet, his limp form just fitting through the newly broken hole in the ice. I kicked for the surface of the water, pulling Ray along with me.

Air was just twenty feet above me, eighteen feet, fifteen feet, so close yet so far, I felt my lungs flood with water as I unintentionally took a breath. Twelve feet. I pulled Rays hand and pulled his body up so it was level with me, continuing to kick my legs for the surface but it was so out of reach. Ten feet, seven feet, five feet, three feet, almost there, almost....

I reached up my other hand and my fingertips broke the surface. I pushed Ray upwards before giving one final kick of my legs and breaking the surface with my own head, taking a huge breath and immediately spluttering due to all the water I had taken in. I felt two pairs of hands wrench Rays limp form from my hands.

"No," I tried to say but it was no use, I felt a pair of hands pull me out of the water and lay me down on the ice. I coughed and coughed until I could taste blood and then was rolled onto my side, I could see Ray, see the paramedics pounding on his chest and shaking their heads.

He wasn't going to make it. After all that it wasn't enough. Then I saw Lauren, push them aside to get to Ray, tears streaming down her pretty face, she pounded on his chest and brought her mouth down to his, pinching his nose with her hand to stop the air escaping.

I had somehow risen onto my knees, trying to get to Ray but someone was holding me back. I could hear nothing, the world was a blur and the only thing I could focus on was Rays lifeless form with Lauren and the paramedics trying their best, doing everything they could to get him breathing again.

Then I saw Frank and Mikey, stood watching, their eyes wide in horror as they watched their friend slip away. The person holding onto me held tighter and I struggled more, crawling across the ice to get to Ray, they let go, admitting defeat and allowing me to be with him.

"Ray!! GOD DAMMIT!!" I could hear someone crying, Lauren as she screamed for him to respond.

"Please, please, Ray, I need you, please," I managed out as Frank and Mikey pulled me to my feet and tried to walk me away from Rays body.

"NO!! RAY!!! RAAYY!!" I screamed, spitting out another mouthful of blood. I don't where it's coming from but quite frankly I don't give a shit.

"Bob, come on," said Frank, tears streaming down his face.

"NO!" I broke their grip and sprinted to Rays side where I threw myself down onto my knees next to him.

"One last try," said one of the paramedics and I was then pushed aside.

"Ray, please wake up, please be OK, please," my voice was hardly there but I knew what I was saying, he knew what I was saying, he must do.

"Bob, you have to come away, look at the state of you, you're bleeding really badly and you need to get to the hospital," said Mikey, also crying but trying his best to reason with me and get me to come away.

I watched as she pumped Rays chest with her hands, then bringing down her mouth to force air into his lungs. The other paramedic was shaking his head but the woman was carrying on with the CPR, hoping there was some chance there was a spark of life in there somewhere.

I brought one hand up to my mouth and then moved it away, it was covered in blood and I was coughing again, trying to keep my airways clear. Two pairs of hand grabbed me from behind and I wrenched myself away from their grip, staring intently at the lifeless body of the love of my life.

My everything, the air I breathe, the best thing that ever happened to me, the person I was meant to be sharing the rest of my life with, the person I couldn't save fast enough.

"Ray please I love you, please Ray, come on you have to be there," I sobbed, I didn't even recall starting to cry but I was sobbing now, full on crying my eyes out. I felt somebody sit down beside me and their arm wrap comfortingly around my shoulders but I didn't remove my eyes from Ray, he had to be OK he just had to be.

"There's no pulse, I think we should call it," said the male paramedic softly to the woman and she nodded, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she got up from beside Ray, giving up on him, he was gone.

Gone.

Forever.

Never again. All the little things I take for granted like waking up in his arms and his beautiful smile and his amazing personality and just him. Ray. Thats what I would miss the most, everything in all. I would never be able to hold his hand again, or hug him, or hear him laugh, or kiss his soft lips, or talk with him or make love to him. Never again. My whole life, gone.

"Your not giving up, because I wont give up," said Lauren with a new found determination in her voice. I crawled to Rays side, my head swimming and my vision blurred, I could feel myself losing consciousness but I fought it, I had to see if Ray was going to be alright.

"Bob, go to the hospital OK?" said Lauren slowly and clearly as she pounded on Rays chest once again. She seemed to get a brainwave after a few seconds and pulled a penknife from her pocket, cutting him out of the tight wet suit from the waist up.

"Bob, hold his hand, talk to him if you can," I took Rays freezing hand in my own.

"Ray, hold on, please, come on Ray. Think about what we said on New Years, all the things we're going to do in the future, get married, get a house together somewhere quiet, have some kids together, Ray please, please," I started to sob again and I swayed where I was knelt, almost falling onto my side. Somebodies hands behind my held me up, held me right where I needed to be right then.

Lauren carried on with her CPR for what felt like a lifetime to me, with still no response at all from Rays unmoving form.

"Ray please," I mumbled as everything started to go black, with nothing I could do to stop it this time. I spat out more blood onto the ice beside me as Lauren forced air into Rays lungs once again.

"I love you so much Ray," I leaned in and tenderly kissed his soft lips, taking my time to slide my tongue into his waiting mouth.

We kissed more passionately until I was laying on top of him, straddling him with my legs and my hands slipped up his shirt.

"Bob, I love you more then anything," he said once the kiss had broken.

"I'd die for you, you know that right?" I said, looking deeply into his indescribably incredible brown eyes.

"And I would die for you, you're my life Bob, I'd be lost without you," he started to gently kiss my neck.

"Ray, where are we?" I noticed, taking in the unfamiliar setting.

"You don't know where we are?" he asked, moving away from my neck to look me in the eye.

"No, I don't."

"We're all here in the imagination Bob, right where we can always be together."

"But I don't want you to go," I whispered, my lips hardly an inch from his.

"I'm not going anywhere, you are."

"RAY!" I cried, then slumped backwards onto the ice, finally passing out.

Thats when I heard it, the words, this time from Lauren.

"Theres no pulse, I think.. I think he's gone."