Chapter Text
Stroke, stroke, stroke. It was a simple mantra, the imperative of keeping afloat, compelled her struggling progress down the rushing waters of the river. It harkened back to her time in FLETC training, although this time it was real life and she had the added encumbrance of her unconscious partner. Keeping Nick’s head clear of the churning water was her priority, her dogged sidestroke kept them both buoyant (in a fashion), as the icy current buffeted them both inexorably downstream.
Ellie braced herself against the continued coldness of the water where every movement brought an icy stab to her sore core, it worried her that the frigid waters hadn’t roused Nick, he was still insensate to their current peril. She knew better than to fight against the choppy water. While her main concern was for her injured team-mate, the way the freezing water was sapping her of vital energy, it was making a bad situation worse. She could feel a cool lethargy seep into her swimming, pain and concern for Nick were the vapours of fuel that kept her going.
She knew she’d need to berth themselves soon, before tiredness or the water would overtake her. Her focus along the riverbank was centred on finding a suitable way to get ashore. She could sense that her strokes were increasingly feeble, a clear indication of dwindling stamina in the baltic conditions. Rationally she knew the dangers of hypothermia weren’t helping her cause. From books she had understood its ability to sap a swimmer’s strength and lull tired limbs to the siren song of sleep, now that she was living through this harsh reality the worry gnawed at the back of her mind.
She knew despite the ongoing struggle her continued movements were at least generating some heat for herself, she mostly worried about Nick, her overactive mind thinking about the complications of frostbite and exposure she had read about, that could wreck havoc on Nick's already unconscious body. Gambling on the fact that she could ill afford to leave her charge in the water anytime longer. She increased her efforts to reach the banks of the river, kicking hard finding her booted feet were like dead weight against the unyielding force of fast flowing water. Finally having heaved Nick out of the water, in spite of the burning pain in her own midriff, she managed to leverage herself out of the churning depths of the water back onto terra ferma. Despite her valiant efforts to the contrary, the temptation to close her eyes briefly was irresistible, her energy fully spent from fighting the water's natural flow; her body sore, her last conscious sight was Nick. She promised herself, that she’d move him shortly just as soon as she could fight through her current stupor, if she could rest she would feel better equipped to handle their fraught situation.