She couldn’t tread water and cough, so she kept trying to balance herself on him. “Shore, please, Isaac.”
He reached for her and scooped her up into her arms before wading quickly back to the shore and then gently lowering her to the sand. Turning her onto her side in case she should cough up some water, he dropped to a crouch beside her and rubbed the back of his neck in concern.
Now that she wasn’t having to split her attention between two different potentially life-threatening things, she could clear her lungs and sinuses and /breathe/. She lay on the sand, panting, feeling the waves ripple over her toes. Rolling over onto one shoulder, she smiled at Isaac. “I’m okay now. Relax.” She put her hand up to his mouth.