Rescue me from everything. I just want to live. I wish I could breathe.

Rescue Me by Hawthorne Heights

Prologue

"Máire, don't you dare go in that water," my mother's voice yelled sternly from somewhere farther up the beach. "It's the dead of winter, and you'll be sure to catch pneumonia!"

First Beach was quiet this time of year. Not many people from La Push or even the neighboring town of Forks wanted to brave the miserable Washington weather mixed with winter's harsh elements. I didn't care because I thought the silence was peaceful, relaxing even.

I edged closer to the waves lapping at my feet, completely disregarding my mom's warning. I jumped back with a soft shriek as the ice cold water touched my bare feet. I laughed softly dipping my toes back into the freezing water.

Glove-clad hands wrapped around my upper arms and yanked me away from the ocean.

"I told you not to go in the water, sweetheart. You'll get sick," my mom scolded softly. "And what did I tell you about keeping your boots and socks on?" She let out an exasperated sigh. "You're only twelve, yet you have hearing worse than your grandfather."

"Sorry, Mom," I apologized quietly. "I just wanted to put my feet in."

"It's okay, but just be careful...and you're getting a scalding hot bath as soon as we get home." Her face was resolute, and I knew there was no arguing with her.

I just nodded my head and turned back to stare at the water.

"Oh, there your brother and father go scaring the birds again. I swear...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, you know." Her voice decreased in volume as she moved away from me and quickly towards my dad and older brother who seemed to be tossing rocks at the loitering seagulls.

As soon as I was sure her attention was elsewhere, I waded more into the moving waves. The water tickled the back of my knees and even though I could feel my legs numbing from the cold, I wasn't concerned. I loved the water with its soothing sound and beautiful sparkle; they made it seem harmless and friendly.

My confidence grew as the waves softly brushed at my legs, and I stepped farther out into the ocean of First Beach. The water inched up my waist and to my chest as I went in deeper.

"Máire!" I heard both my parents scream at the same time.

I whirled around quickly with a sheepish look on my face. I hung my head as I saw their angry and concerned looks.

"Why don't you ever listen to me, Máire?" My mom looked frustrated as she rolled her eyes and hurried over to me.

"Come on, pumpkin," my dad called from the shore, "let's go home and get you a nice warm bath...maybe some hot tea?"

I smiled. He always knew my favorites. "Okay, okay. And I'm sorry, Mom"

"What am I going to do with you? Just come on out of there, and we'll talk about it at home."

I began making my way toward the beach, which looked a lot farther away than it had before. Suddenly, my footing on the uneven ocean floor faltered, submerging me in the glacial water. When I resurfaced I could hear my parents and my brother calling my name frantically, but I didn't even get the chance to take a breath before a large wave came crashing down on my head.

My body was tossed around under water, my head spinning along with it. I could feel my lungs burning from a lack of oxygen but no matter how hard I kicked and flailed I couldn't find my way above the unrelenting waves. My body was going numb and as I tried to wiggle my fingers and toes I was panicked to realize that I couldn't feel them.

Oh my god...I'm going to die, I thought to myself, my body shaking violently. I'm going to drown. Tears leaked out of my eyes, dissolving into the water surrounding me.

As my own thoughts really sunk in, I began to thrash even harder with my arms and legs to get to the surface. I managed to get my head above water long enough to take a much needed breath and hear the cries of my family on the beach that seemed miles away.

I screamed as loud as possible but ended up with a mouthful of water as yet another wave engulfed me and dragged me under again. I was hurled around like a rag doll before I felt my head crack against something hard and everything blurred and faded.

Everything was eerily quiet. I turned my head to the side and felt something scratchy underneath my cheek. Prying open my heavy eyelids, I spotted my brother asleep in a chair seated in the far right corner of the room I was in.

I smiled as I saw his mouth hanging open and a bit of drool slipping out of his mouth. Although, I was confused as to why I didn't hear his usual snoring. Perhaps he had finally kicked himself of the habit.

I tried to sit up and felt a stiff material crinkle against my skin, but I didn't hear the crackle of the papery gown as I had expected. My brows furrowed in confusion. I brushed my hands against the gown more firmly, even bringing the hem up to my ear as I rubbed it between my fingers.

Something rough and unyielding touched the back of my hand as I grazed my ear. I panicked and reached up to both of my ears only to feel a patch of gauze over each one.

My breathing became shallow and fast as I pulled my hands away from my head. I lifted my shaking hands back up to my ears, willing myself to hear the snapping sound I was making with my fingers. Tears ran down my cheeks as I looked around wildly for my parents. Where were they? What was going on?

The far side of the room contained large windows that took up half of the wall. My eyes zeroed in on a small group right outside that included my mom, dad, and a tall man in a white overcoat and stethoscope hanging around his neck. I could see my mom yelling at the doctor as my dad tried to calm her down, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from physically lashing out at the terrified looking man.

Tears streaked down my cheeks endlessly and anxiety grabbed a hold of me as I turned to see that the door to my room was open. I should be able to hear the chaos going on in the hallways of the hospital. I should be able to hear them arguing. I should be able to hear my mother's raised voice. But I couldn't hear them...I couldn't hear anything.

A/N: Hey, I know it's been awhile, and I apologize. Life has been busy. I had originally decided not to post my Paul/OC fanfic right away...I was going to wait until the whole thing was finished but I chose to just go ahead and post it anyway (: Well, I will try to keep up with this but my updates will probably take a bit. I'm imagining like once a week or a little more frequently. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and keep reading! And as always...please review!

P.S. Main character's name (Máire) is pronounced MY-ruh

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight (characters, setting, plot, ect.) because it belongs to Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own the song Rescue Me because it belongs to Hawthorne Heights.