Gamba’s voice was so close, and yet so distant. It felt as though he was screaming in my ear, but also like he was on the other side of the ocean.
Cold water plunged over my face, and I choked on it as it flew into my open mouth. I was lying, no, floating, on the ocean waves. I was so cold.
“Is he okay?” Shasa screamed.
“I don’t know!” Gamba replied.
I tried to tell them that I was freezing, but my mouth wouldn’t open. I felt Gamba’s hands digging painfully into my armpits. I tried to squirm against his grasp but I couldn’t. My head dropped backwards, as I no longer had any control of my neck, and my face went underwater. Liquid shot up my nose and down my gullet, and I spluttered.
A hand grabbed onto the back of my neck and wrenched my head back into the morning air.
“Can’t he heal himself?” Shasa bellowed desperately.
“I don’t know, I don’t know!” Gamba was frantic, and I could feel his powerful legs kicking as hard as they could to keep us both afloat. The waves rolled unsteadily around us as more water smashed against my face. It was then that I realised that Gamba must have jumped out of the helicopter to save me. I wanted to smile, but couldn’t.
“I can’t do anything!” Shasa shouted, “My powers aren’t working! Do you think…?”
“He’ll be fine,” Gamba assured her, “once he’s got his energy back…”
I tried my hardest to concentrate, to find the molecules in my body that were damaged and to fix them, but I just couldn’t do it. I was too tired. My head was still spinning and I felt like I was going to vomit.
“Here’s the stretcher!”
I heard something large hit the water next to us, and then Gamba dragged me over to it. Shasa grasped onto my legs, and then they both pushed my helpless body on top of something hard and firm. They pulled straps across my chest and ankles, and began securing me down, onto the board.
The helicopter…
I wanted to smile, but I was more worried about what would happen to me if I couldn’t heal myself. Or what would happen if I never woke up…
The world continued to swirl around me, and the very close but incredibly distant noises began to fade away. As I was lifted out of the water, floating through the air, everything began to drift further and further from me…