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  “We knew we were going to make it,” his mom said.

  “What made you so sure?”

  “Because we knew you were going to make it,” his dad said.

  Cade’s mom leaned forward in her bed. “The paramedics brought us here in the ambulance…”

  “But you were the one that saved us,” his dad said, holding his arm in a sling. “They never would have found us without you.”

  There was a knock on the hospital door. A doctor with a black stethoscope around her neck walked briskly into the room. “Everyone looks like they’re doing a lot better this morning,” she said, checking her clipboard. “We wanted to monitor you overnight to make sure you were all recovering. That your arm was healing,” she said to his dad, “and that you had warmed up from the cold river,” she said, giving a nod to Trent and his mom. “You were all close to getting hypothermia.”

  “So they can go home now?” Grandpa asked from the chair.

  “Yes,” the doctor said, stopping at the door on her way out. “Everyone is free to go.”

  “So what are you waiting for?” Grandpa asked.

  “What’s the rush?” Cade’s dad asked.

  “I’ll tell you what the rush is,” his grandpa said, walking over to Trent’s bed. “If we hurry, we can still make it to the big game. We can still watch Trent play.”

  Cade wished he could close his ears. Here they go, talking about Trent’s football again. And Dad will probably agree with Grandpa. Probably tell Trent he should still play, even after everything that’s happened.

  Cade’s dad got out of his bed and looked his own father in the eye. “You have got to be kidding.”

  “No, I never kid about football,” Cade’s grandpa said. “There’s still time for Trent to put on his uniform. Still time for him to make me proud. The pride you never gave me.”

  “Trent doesn’t have to play football to make you or anyone else proud,” Cade’s dad said. “After last night, we all learned that football’s not the most important thing.”

  Cade glanced at his mom. She was staring at his dad. Her eyes were glistening. She looked proud that he was finally standing up to his father. Cade caught her eye. She gave him a nod.

  But what he said next completely shocked Cade.

  “And Cade doesn’t have to win a triathlon to make us proud either,” his dad said, still standing face-to-face with his grandpa. “I don’t care if he ever gets on the podium. Just competing is enough. And from now on we’re going to watch every triathlon he competes in, believe me.”

  “Who cares about triathlon?” his grandpa sneered. “It’s not a real sport like football.”

  “No, you’re right. It’s not like football,” Cade’s dad said, standing up a bit straighter. “It’s a lot tougher.”

  “Do you seriously believe that?” Grandpa said, throwing up his hands.

  “Does football help you escape from a car on the bottom of a river?” his dad asked. “Does football teach you how to rescue your injured parents and get them safely to shore? To swim downstream and find your brother hanging on to a tree for dear life? Does football train you to bike and run twenty kilometers with blood streaming down your arms and legs to get help from a hospital?”

  His grandpa’s shoulders slumped, and he shook his head in disbelief. “I had no idea. I thought it was just a little fender bender. And no. No, football doesn’t do any of that.”

  Cade looked over at his dad, and they shared a smile. For the first time, his dad was standing where Cade had always wanted him to be. On his side.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Cade sliced through the water. The chlorine burned the cuts on his arms with each stroke. The scabs on his knees stung with every kick. But he was glad to be back in the pool swimming with Mr. Grimsby again. The doctor had said to take a few days off to recover. That his body had been through a lot of stress. He was tired of staying at home though. Tired of sitting on the couch, watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory. Of being bored.

  Neither he nor Mr. Grimsby had been able to compete in the Alberta Triathlon the week before. They’d had bigger things to worry about that day. Cade had told him about the car crash and rescue. And Mr. Grimsby had described his painful day at his wife’s funeral. They both wanted to put those memories behind them. Move on. Entering another race was just the way to do it. The Edmonton Triathlon was coming up the following month. Cade’s mom and dad had said he could go. And they’d promised to drive him. In the new car bought to replace the old one, still sitting on the bottom of the Blindman River.

  There was a lot of hard work to do before the race. He and Mr. Grimsby had to keep training. Swimming in the pool was a lot easier than swimming in a lake like he’d have to do in Edmonton. He didn’t have to worry about waves hitting him smack in the face. Or watch out for the big yellow buoy floating out in the middle of the lake. It was a lot easier than rescuing someone from a cold river too. He only had to worry about the laps he and Mr. Grimsby were swimming. One hundred lengths of the pool before they went to Subway to wolf down a couple of foot-long subs. It had become their tradition after a tough workout.

  Cade’s arms windmilled. His legs kicked easily behind him. Despite his bumps, bruises and scrapes, he seemed faster than ever. All the swimming, biking and running during the rescue must have made me stronger. It was as if he’d actually done the Sylvan Lake triathlon—but at top speed. Quicker than he ever could have done the real race. He was in a lot better shape now than when he had been just a swimmer. He wondered how he would do if he was still on the swim team.

  One last stroke, and Cade glided to the wall.

  “Well, look who it is!”

  He lifted his head out of the water and saw Gavin staring down at him.

  “It’s Cade the Blade—skinny as a blade of grass.”

  Gavin was still in his suit though the Blue Sharks had already finished their early-morning training.

  “Aren’t you the guy who wasn’t good enough for our swim team?” Gavin said in a mocking voice.

  “Yeah, that’s me,” Cade said, in as friendly a way as he could. He didn’t want to start an argument.

  “The guy who comes here twice a week with that old man?”

  “Mr. Grimsby is a friend of mine.”

  “Well, neither one of you looks very good. I can see why Coach kicked you off the team.”

  Cade gritted his teeth. “You know he didn’t kick me off the team. I left to do something else.”

  “Maybe you did,” Gavin scoffed, “but it sure wasn’t to become a better swimmer.”

  Cade pulled himself out of the water and stood squarely in front of the Blue Shark, who stood tall and puffed out his chest. “You think you’re so good, Gavin?”

  “Yeah, I do. Best freestyler on the team. Got a bronze at the Summer Games.”

  “Then prove it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You heard me,” Cade said, putting his hands on his hips. “Let’s go, right now. Two laps. The winner gets to say they’re the best swimmer.”

  “And I’ll be the judge,” a girl said.

  Cade and Gavin both turned to see Jazz marching up to them. “If you guys want to race, go ahead. I’ll stand at the wall and see who touches first.”

  “You mean, me touching the wall first,” Gavin said.

  “We’ll just have to wait and see,” Jazz said, giving Cade a sly smile.

  Jazz and Mr. Grimsby stood at the edge of the pool. Cade and Gavin crouched beside them, ready to start. Jazz raised her arm. Then dropped it fast.

  “Go!”

  The two boys launched themselves into the pool. They dove deep like dolphins, then surfaced farther down their lanes. Their arms thrashed the water as they matched each other stroke for stroke. Their feet kicked up wakes of white froth. There was no difference between them. They were tied at the first turn.

  Cade flip-turned and pushed off the wall. Just one length to go. He turned his head to take a breath a
nd could see Gavin inching ahead. But he didn’t panic. He relaxed his breathing just like Mr. Grimsby had taught him to do. Then he found a higher gear. A speed that came from all the training he and Mr. Grimsby had done. From all the extra biking and running. The biking and running he knew Gavin had never done.

  He exploded forward. He knew the finish was coming. He could see the wall dead ahead. He put his head down. He wouldn’t breathe for the last four strokes. He pulled his arms and kicked his legs with everything he had left.

  Then he touched.

  He wondered if it had been enough. If he had been strong enough, fast enough, focused enough right to the finish line. Win or lose, he knew he had done his best. And that was all that mattered.

  “Cade is the winner!” Jazz shouted above him.

  He held on to the side of the pool. His chest heaved. His mouth gasped for air. He almost couldn’t believe it. He had beaten the fastest swimmer on the Blue Sharks.

  “I knew you could do it!” Mr. Grimsby cheered, punching the air with his fist.

  “Me too,” Jazz said, bending down to give him a high five.

  Cade reached across the floating lane divider to shake Gavin’s hand. But Gavin was having none of it. He pulled himself out of the water. Then he grabbed a towel and slinked off to the change room.

  “Gavin doesn’t look very happy,” Cade said, still breathing hard.

  Jazz nodded. “Not right now, but he’ll be back. A little competition will just make him work harder.”

  Mr. Grimsby and Jazz weren’t the only ones who had watched the race. Coach Pedersen had been keeping an eye on the grudge match. He walked over from his small office. “Congratulations, Cade, that was quite a finish.”

  “Thanks, Coach.”

  “You’re better than I remember. How would you like to swim with the Blue Sharks again?”

  “Thanks,” Cade said. “But I think I’ll stick with triathlon for now.”

  Coach frowned at first, then smiled and raised an eyebrow. “With a little more work, I think you could be on the podium.”

  “Some things are more important than standing on the podium.”

  “What could be more important than getting a medal?” Coach asked.

  Cade shot a smile at Mr. Grimsby and Jazz.

  “Friends.”

  Eric Howling is the author of six other sports novels: Gang Tackle, Head Hunter, Red Zone Rivals, Hoop Magic, Kayak Combat and Drive. His books have been shortlisted for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, included on Resource Links’ Year’s Best list and picked as CCBC Best Books selections. Eric lives and plays sports in Calgary, Alberta. Learn more at www.erichowling.wordpress.com.

  Titles in the Series

  Above All Else

  Jeff Ross

  Absolute Pressure

  Sigmund Brouwer

  All-Star Pride

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Betting Game

  Heather M. O’Connor

  Blazer Drive

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Boarder Patrol

  Erin Thomas

  Break Point

  Kate Jaimet

  Centerville

  Jeff Rud

  Chief Honor

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Cobra Strike

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Crossover

  Jeff Rud

  Dawn Patrol

  Jeff Ross

  Dead in the Water

  Robin Stevenson

  Deadpoint

  Nikki Tate

  The Drop

  Jeff Ross

  Edge of Flight

  Kate Jaimet

  Fly Away

  Nora Rock

  Flying Feet

  James McCann

  Gang Tackle

  Eric Howling

  Gravity Check

  Alex Van Tol

  Hardball

  Steven Barwin

  Haze

  Erin Thomas

  Hitmen Triumph

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Hurricane Heat

  Steven Barwin

  Hurricane Power

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Jumper

  Michele Martin Bossley

  Kicker

  Michele Martin Bossley

  Maverick Mania

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Off the Rim

  Sonya Spreen Bates

  Oil King Courage

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Paralyzed

  Jeff Rud

  Plunge

  Eric Howling

  Powerslide

  Jeff Ross

  Razor’s Edge

  Nikki Tate

  Rebel Glory

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Scarlet Thunder

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Sidetracked

  Deb Loughead

  Slam Dunk

  Kate Jaimet

  Squeeze

  Rachel Dunstan Muller

  Thunderbird Spirit

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Tiger Threat

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Titan Clash

  Sigmund Brouwer

  Topspin

  Sonya Spreen Bates

  Two Foot Punch

  Anita Daher

  Underhand

  M.J. McIsaac

  Venom

  Nikki Tate

  Winter Hawk Star

  Sigmund Brouwer

  For more information on all the books in the Orca Sports series, please visit

  www.orcabook.com.

 

 

  Eric Howling, Plunge

 

 

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