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Her hands barely allowed her to key in the three digits she needed before she pressed the phone to her ear.
A calm dispatcher’s voice spoke a second later. “Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”
Her words came out with a frantic urgency despite her trying to calmly describe the situation as she’d been taught by her cop sister. “My stepdaughter and I were in a car accident. We’re in the river, just south of the city. She’s unconscious.”
“I am dispatching police and ambulance to your approximate location. I want you to stay on the line while I triangulate your exact location.”
Julia bobbed her head up and down as she ran a hand through her hair. “Okay.”
“Are you injured?”
“No, uh, not that I know of. I’m able to move. But my stepdaughter is unconscious.”
“Is she breathing?”
“Yes,” Julia said with another nod. “Yes. She has a pulse. But we’re sinking. Fast. The water’s already up to my shins.”
“Okay, I need you listen to closely. Are you able to free her and make it to the bank?”
“Yes, yes, I’m a good swimmer. I just need to get us out.”
Julia breathed hard as she reached over to unbuckle Sierra’s seat belt. A terrified groan escaped her as it refused to budge. “I can’t get her seat belt off. I’m going to have to put the phone down.”
“We’ve got your location, ma’am. You do what you need to do to get safe.”
Julia nodded as she tossed the phone into the backseat and struggled with the seat belt buckle.
“Come on,” she groaned between gritted teeth as it refused to budge.
Tears fell to her cheeks as she tugged with all her might to free her stepdaughter. “No,” she cried as it refused to budge.
The water lapped at the seat as she sank back into it, sitting on her heels. She sucked in a deep breath before she leaned closer to Sierra and fought to tug the chest strap away from her, sliding it under Sierra’s arm. She fed it through to loosen the lap band before she climbed into the back seat and tugged Sierra backward.
She braced her feet against the car’s tiny console as she struggled to free the woman from the front seat.
“Come on, Sierra, work with me here.” She adjusted her grip around the woman’s chest and leaned back, pulling as hard as she could.
Sierra’s hips broke free of the belt, and they both tumbled backward as the car pitched forward, groaning as the water continued to press against the car.
Julia landed against the leather seat with a smack, gasping for breath. She clutched Sierra to her chest, stroking her hair. “Okay, Sierra. Let’s get out of here.”
The water had already risen to the back windows. She’d never be able to get the door open at this point. She shifted Sierra off of her before she leaned forward and tugged at the headrest of the passenger seat.
She wrangled it upward enough to press the release button and yank it from the seat. With the metal ends poking toward the window, she slammed it into the glass, breaking it. She used the metal to clear away any jagged edges, running it around the edge of the window.
Water spilled in over the window’s edge, filling the car faster.
“Time to go, Sierra,” Julia said as she tossed the headrest away and gathered a limp Sierra into her arms. She maneuvered her closer to the window as the car dipped below the surface.
Water rushed in around her, and she gulped in a big breath as she exited through the window before she returned to grab Sierra and tug her through the window.
With her stepdaughter wrapped in her arms, she kicked to find the surface. Cold air hit her face as she shot out of the water with a gasp.
As the cold water surrounded her again, she lay back, tugging Sierra on top of her to keep her face out of the water.
Her eyes darted around, desperately seeking the best way to get to land. Sirens rang out in the night air and flashing lights caught her attention. She kicked her feet to propel herself toward the rescuers, using her free arm to assist with the battle.
Emergency workers splashed into the water as she reached the bank. They lifted Sierra from her grasp before they pulled her out of the water.
