Free Kidnapped the Wrong Sister by Marie Kelly

the island, which she was unable to reach the previous day, before returning to the house for lunch. 
    As i t became clear that Nikias was still not back, Diona once more left the house to move back down to the beach.  She enjoyed swimming in the warm clear aqua waters, finding herself completely relaxing in the warmth of the sun, with the sound of the waves lapping the sand, relaxing her whole body as she sighed with contentment.  Lying there she even found herself forgetting about her sister as the hours slipped quickly by, thinking with a small content twist of her lips that she might as well go home with a tan for her troubles, her hand making lazy circles in the sand as it slipped sensually through her fingers.
    Suddenly , the peace was broken with the sound of screaming which had her eyes flying wide open.  As she leapt to her feet, her eyes scanned the shoreline for the source of the terrified cries; she saw a woman running up the beach holding a small child in her arms and Diona ran towards her, reaching her in seconds.  Grabbing the woman, who she recognised from two days earlier, she pulled the small wet child from her panicking arms, laying her down on the sand, as the woman continued to scream in terror, her wailing now causing others to come running towards them. Diona looked over the little girl who was no more than six years old, quickly realising the child was not breathing.  Lifting her into a sitting position, she raised her giving her the Heimlich manoeuvre, as the woman screamed trying to pull the child from her, sobbing at her something in Greek, which Diona could only assume related to the fact that she had been in the water and not choked.  As her professional persona kicked in, she calmly pushed the woman aside, with instructions to step back, the mother finding herself obeying the younger woman before her, as she stopped crying for a second, seeing the determination in Diona's eyes, as the little girl coughed up water which had been sitting in her lungs.
    Seeing this, and with a sense of relief , Diona laid the small child on her back and raising her head, began to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation covering the child’s mouth and nose, careful not to overfill her small lungs.  She was totally unaware of the three other people who stood silently around her, all holding their breath as she worked on the little girl who lay so small and silent on the sand.  After several taut seconds she smiled with relief seeing the little girl’s chest rising as she started to breathe on her own, moving her head as her eyes began to flutter open.  Relief flooded her body seeing Nikias standing so quiet and pale watching her every move, as she began to bark out commands to him, telling him to translate to the people standing around, all smiling with relief.
    “I need a blanket and you need to get a paramedic team here now”, she demanded of him, her tone and expression calm but tinged with unwavering authority.  “She needs to go to the hospital right now Nikias”, she instructed before turning her attention once more back to the little girl. 
    From the corner of her eye she saw him pull the mobile phone from his pocket quickly dialling a number while translating her instructions to others standing around, seeing a flurry of activity as people ran in different directions.  Soon she felt a blanket being thrust into her hands, as she wrapped the small girl warmly against the shock, which was even now showing on her small face.  The woman who had been carrying the child was looking at her with wonder, the gratitude shining from her whole face, as she spoke with such warmth in her voice.  Diona was not able to understand what she was saying, but smiled gently back. 
    At her side a deep voice spoke.  “She wants to thank you for saving her daughter”  Diona looked up, meeting Nikias’ eyes as he looked down on her.  In them she saw such confusion, along with what looked like great respect.