Chapter 33: The Resurrection

Camden clung to Clayton, her body shaking with deep sobs. Her tears mingled with the water that still clung to her skin, creating a bittersweet mixture of relief and lingering fear. "It's okay. You're okay," she murmured, her voice laced with tenderness and a hint of lingering worry. "I thought I'd lost you," she confessed, her voice thick with tears that streamed down her face. She rubbed his shoulder reassuringly as he lay on his side, still sputtering and spitting up water. "I did lose you, but you came back. You came back to me." Camden continued to cry, her body trembling with the weight of her emotions. Clayton, still in a state of shock, lay on his side, heaving for breath as Camden gently adjusted him to rest his head on her lap. His eyes looked dazed and far off, as if he had been somewhere else and was now inexplicably here. As his eyes shifted in and out of focus, Camden whispered, "It's okay, baby," her voice filled with love and desperation. "You're okay now." Gradually, t