Petals In The Water

By Rachel

 

 

They covered her mouth and nose with an air bag and tried compressions. When that didn’t work, they charged up the paddles and pressed them against the bare skin above her bra.

“Clear!” The first medic yelled as they shocked her. Her body jumped.

Nothing.

“Again.” The second one instructed.

“Charging…” The first said until the machine started to beep. “Clear!” he yelled again.

Her body convulsed as the electricity flowed through her.

This time Joey coughed.

 

The medics rolled her onto her side as she vomited out a flood of water.

“Oh thank god!” Jen said still clutching Jack.

“She’ll be okay,” Jack said, kissing her forehead. “She’ll be okay.”

Dawson and Mitch stood over them, watching as her eyes fluttered opened. Pacey started to cry.

“You’re a lucky girl,” The first medic said as she came to. Joey looked confused and tried to sit up, but couldn’t. She started to speak, and then more water came up, and she coughed it out.

“Just lay back and relax,” The second medic instructed her. “You’re going to be fine…”

 

 

Pacey sat completely still, engulfed in a blanket, his hair still wet, staring at Dawson. Dawson stared back from the other side of the couch.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” Pacey suddenly screamed.

“MY FAULT!” Dawson roared, getting to his feet. The two boys went at each other.

“BOYS!” Gale screamed, getting between them. “Knock it off! KNOCK-IT-OFF!”

She shoved them apart with amazing strength and both collapsed into their corners. Mitch came from the kitchen and stood next to her as both boys started to break down.

Her arms had been crossed angrily, but now they were at her sides. “Oh, boys…” She said sadly, slipping down onto the couch next to Dawson. He turned to her and started to cry. She pulled him to her and started rocking him. “It’s gonna be okay honey…it’s gonna be okay.”

Pacey looked down at his lap as a tear slid off his nose.

“Pace…come in the kitchen with me, son.” Mitch said patting his shoulder. “Let’s get you something warm to drink…”

Pacey nodded and reluctantly got up, following him to the kitchen on bare feet. Dawson watched them go.

 

Mitch had brought the kids home after the ambulance had departed. Jack went next door with Jen, and since Pacey’s father was still at work, and no one else was home, Mitch thought it best Pacey not be alone in a time like this so he brought him back here.

Gale had already been waiting here (news travels fast in Capeside). She had dropped everything at the restaurant and come here to check on Dawson. When she saw how soaked Pacey was she marched him into the laundry room, ordered him to strip down to his skivvies, and his wet clothes went in the dryer. Then she wrapped him in a blanket and sat him down in the living room next to Dawson to talk things out.

She hadn’t known it could turn into a fistfight all over again.

“Dawson, honey…” She said as Dawson wiped the tears from his eyes. “Joey is going to be okay…you and Pacey saved her.”

“I know Mom…It’s just that I was so scared!” He said as she held him.

“I know you were scared honey, but you did everything right! And Joey is going to be fine.”

“I’m so mad at Pacey right now!” He said pulling back. Gale looked surprised. There was something else going on.

“Dawson… What happened?”

 

 

“You okay, Pace?” Mitch asked as he set the coffee cup down in front of Pacey. Pacey watched as the steam rose out of it and wafted into the air. He put his hand around the cup, but didn’t drink.

“Not really…”

“You wanna talk about it?”

Pacey sat there silently, staring into his coffee. He pushed it aside, then lay his head out on the cool hard surface of the table.

“I feel terrible,” He whispered.

“I know, son,” Mitch frowned. “I know. But she’ll be okay, and that feeling will go away,”

“I hope so, because it really hurts.”

“What’s been going on with her Pacey?” Mitch leaned forward; his voice was soft but his gaze stern. “Why was she drinking?” They had found the flask in the bottom of the pool.

“I don’t know…”

“You know something,” Mitch said, narrowing his eyes on him. “Tell me.”

 

 

“Honey, I’m sorry that you’ve been so upset over Joey and Pacey, but you can’t hate them forever…”

“I don’t hate Jo,” Dawson mumbled.

“You can’t hate Pacey either…he’s your best friend.”

“But he betrayed me!”

“Oh! Dawson, really!” Gale sighed, starting to tire of her son’s attitude. “Pacey and Joey are your best friends and you’ll all get through this!”

“But Joey is the love of my life…” Dawson said stubbornly.

“Joey is her own person, Dawson. You need to look at it this way: You and Joey have been broken up for months, and if she wants to go out with other boys, then that’s her business. You weren’t this upset when she was going out with that college boy—what was his name?”

“AJ…” Dawson mumbled.

“AJ! That’s right. You weren’t this upset over this AJ, so why Pacey Witter?” Dawson didn’t answer her. She lifted his chin to meet her eyes. “Pacey and Joey might really like each other, and just because you don’t like it, that doesn’t give you the right to punch somebody out. You had the nerve to give her an ultimatum, and it wasn’t your place…”

“You’re taking their side!”

“I’m not taking sides, Dawson…I’m just trying to make you look at if from a different perspective.” Dawson lowered his eyes in shame. “Now I’m very disappointed in the way you’re acting… You and Pacey need to work this out so that you can both help Joey.”

“But—”

“No butts!” Now I want you to march into that kitchen and apologize…FOR EVERYTHING, and I want you to make Pacey feel welcome in this house again. He did help save Joey’s life after all…you can’t deny that…. Remember that people’s intentions aren’t necessarily aimed at you,”

“Okay,” Dawson mumbled.

 

“Well…” Pacey said tiredly. “I guess that’s it…that’s everything.”

“Oh,” Mitch said lowering his eyes.

Pacey finally took a sip of his coffee. Mitch watched him from across the kitchen table.

“I know that we should’ve told Dawson…we hid it from him and that was wrong. I—I don’t know. Things just got carried away, and before we knew it, months had passed and everything had become so complicated…we just didn’t know how to tell Dawson.”

“Well, Pace…” Mitch started. “In my experience, if you want to be treated like a man, then you have to stand up for your actions. Now, Dawson’s upset, and he’s got every reason to be…but the only way you’re going to work things out is if you confront him with everything and lay it all flat out on the table. You have to understand him if you want him to be able to accept it…”

“I don’t know…” Pacey said wearily. “I don’t know if there’s even a point to it anymore…Joey hates me for the way I’ve treated her. And now…” Pacey’s eyes welled with more tears as he recalled how lifeless she had felt in his arms as he pulled her from the water…how cold her lips were, how pale her skin was… He shuddered.

“Pacey…I know it’s tough but you have to make things right. If you want to help Joey, you have to make things right.” Mitch rested his elbows on the table and a moment passed as Pacey stared at his hands. “Pacey, you know Joey is going to be in all kinds of trouble over this…the academic board is not going to be taking her accident lightly.”

“What’s going to happen to her?”

“I don’t know…suspension, possible expulsion maybe… All I’m sure of is that Joey is going to need you. She’s going to need you and Dawson, Jack, Andie, and Jen to be there for her and help her get through it.”

“But it’s not fair,” Pacey mumbled. “People make mistakes…she made a mistake…”

“I know that, son…and I’m going to do whatever I can to help, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

“What about Chris Wolfe?” Pacey asked angrily, raising his eyes to Mitch’s. Mitch took a deep breath.

“I’m sure he’ll get what’s coming to him…”

“He’d better,”

“I’m sure I’ll be meeting with the administration this week…I’ll tell them what you saw. The police have the flask…I’m sure the DA will be able press some sort of charges…”

 

“Hey guys,” Gale interrupted. She and Dawson stood in the doorway. Dawson stared at the floor and Pacey looked away.

“Hey…” Mitch said, sitting back in his chair.

“Mitch…can I talk to you?” Gale gestured back over her shoulder. “There’s—a, something I want you to look at—in the den…could you…come with me?”

“Sure,” Mitch smiled one last time at Pacey as he rose from his chair, and patted his son’s shoulder on his way out.

The boys were alone in the kitchen.

 

Pacey sat at the table, staring straight ahead. Dawson stood in the doorway still, his arms crossed sourly across his chest, his eyes narrowed to the floor, scowling.

After a moment, Pacey cleared his throat.

“You wanna sit down?” He asked in a low, husky voice.

Dawson, still scowling, hesitated. Finally he took two steps forward and pulled out a chair, it’s leg scraping across the tiled floor. He sat down, and stared intently into the grain of the table.

“Well,” Pacey said breaking the silence. “Looks like we’ve got some things to sort out…”

“Yeah,” Dawson snipped.

“I’m still angry at you for the way you’ve been acting…”

“I’m still pissed at you, too!”

“BUT…” Pacey continued, ignoring Dawson’s defensiveness. “I understand why…and I agree that you have good reason to be upset.” They were both quiet again.

“Look,” Dawson finally sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry about what happened at the dance. I never…” He looked up at the ceiling as his eyes started to sting again. He blinked trying to keep back his tears. “I never thought things would go this far.”

Pacey watched him, his eyes growing red and a knot in his throat as he tried not to cry. He swallowed hard, stifling the urge, and the knot in his throat loosened considerably.

“…God! Just to see her there!” Dawson continued. “Like that, cold and limp…I can’t…I can’t help…I feel responsible!” A tear broke free and fell down his cheek as he covered his face with his hands.

“It’s not your fault,” Pacey said sadly. Dawson looked up at him. Pacey sniffed as a tear fell down his cheek too. “It’s not your fault, man…I’m sorry I said it was. It’s not anybody’s fault…really…if anything, we should blame Chris Wolfe, the bastard.”

 

 

End Part 3