A Dangerous Leap by Sharon Calvin

now and traveling at twenty-eight knots over the light chop on the bay. Once clear of the sandy shoals he immediately swung the wheel to port, lining their boat up with the intermittent LED signal that picked up the girl’s transmission, guiding them like a beacon to her location.
    Kelly returned. “I’ll take the wheel, if you’ll put out the fenders and get lines on the mid and aft cleats.”
    Thankful she kept her boat in the same kind of straightforward order she did everything else, Ian located the mooring lines and flipped the already secured fenders over the side of the boat. Kelly was talking directly to the girl now, taking charge in her usual fashion. Damn, he liked working with that woman.
    The yellow and white Whaler was anchored just north of the channel that paralleled the bridge. Kelly slowed her larger cruiser to minimize their wake and expertly maneuvered it so they would come alongside the smaller boat from the stern.
    “Ian, take the oxygen and first-aid over and get his vital signs while I raft the boats together.”
    When they got closer, the girl, no more than nine or ten, ran to the railing waving her arms over her head. “Stand back, honey,” Ian instructed her, “I’ll be jumping onto your deck.” He stood on the teak rail waiting for Kelly to get into position and assessed the man crumpled on the Whaler’s cockpit deck.
    Dressed in swim trunks and a T-shirt he looked to be in his mid-forties, average weight, his face bright red as if sunburned. Ian hefted the strap of the red nylon first-aid bag onto his shoulder and leaped onto the other boat.
    “Sweetie, what’s your daddy’s name?” Ian asked as he checked for a pulse. Too fast, as was the man’s shallow breathing.
    “J-Jimmy, Jimmy Carson. Is he going to b-be okay?”
    Ian glanced up at the girl and gave her a quick smile. Poor baby, she was scared to death. He reassured her while he unzipped the bag then asked, “What’s your name?”
    “Chelsea Carson.”
    “Chelsea, that’s a pretty name. My name’s Ian. Did your dad fall?” As he talked he pulled on a pair of latex gloves.
    “No, not really. He said he felt funny and kinda stumbled to the floor. Then he wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”
    The boat shifted as Kelly dropped onto the deck and knelt on the other side of the man.
    “Chelsea this is Kelly. We’re going to move your dad so he can breathe easier. I might need you to help me here. Think you can do that?” Giving the child something to do would help ease her panic.
    “Kelly, you take his head, Chelsea and I will move his feet up onto the transom.”
    Ian took one leg and Chelsea struggled with her father’s foot, but she got it into place next to the other one.
    “I’m going to tube him,” Kelly said.
    Great, that would freak the kid out. Before he could say anything to distract Chelsea, Kelly called the girl over to her side.
    “I’m going to put this tube in your daddy’s mouth to help him breathe. It will look a little scary but it will make him feel lots better,” Kelly told the girl.
    By the time she’d finished her explanation, she’d inserted the endotracheal tube. She then began describing what she was doing with the oxygen and Ian went back to assessing Jimmy.
    His skin was cold and clammy to the touch, his pulse and respiration still indicating shock.
    “Anaphylaxis.”
    Ian jerked his head up. Kelly held a small medical alert tag in her hand. She turned to Chelsea. “Does your daddy keep any medicine in case he has a reaction to a bee sting? A shot of some kind maybe?”
    Dammit, if they had their drug kit, they’d have the necessary epinephrine. “I’m confirming the need for a medevac,” Ian said and made his way to the helm. While he radioed the air station, he saw Chelsea scramble to the bow of the boat.
    Even if the man had the requisite medication, he’d still need multiple injections and have to be monitored until his body recovered. That meant a trip to a hospital no matter