Chapter 116

John sat motionless looking at the rolling waves crashing against the dock as if they were ready to rip it apart plank by plank. He could feel his heart beating so fast that he thought it was about to jump out of his chest as he looked down at his daughter's necklace that was laying in his hand. He shook his head as he was overwhelmed with a feeling of deep despair and fear about what might've happened to his little girl.

"No." he cried out rolling over to look over the edge of the dock to see if he could see anything, but it was no use because the storm clouds had taken away any visibility that he had.

"Belle!" he shouted not wanting to think the worst. "Belle, daddy's here! Where are you?"

John waited to hear her response, but he was greeted by the sound of the tide crashing against the wooden planks once more as the thunder crashed above him. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to God when he heard a noise coming from below the dock.

"Daddy!" Belle cried out as she choked on the water. "Help me!"

"Baby, where are you?" John asked turning to try to locate the direction of her voice.

"I'm here." she coughed as the water beat against her tiny body.

"Belle," John shouted realizing that she was hanging on to one of the wooden planks on the other side of the dock. He wheeled over to her and looked down at her tiny body shivering in the cold water. "Give me your hand sweetheart."

"Daddy, I can't reach you." Belle cried as she realized that her tiny arm wouldn't be able to stretch to meet him.

"Belle," John called out as a wave spilled over her head causing her to go under as he leaned down to reach for her. "Belle!"

"Daddy," she coughed in tears as her tiny head popped out from underneath the water. "Help me!"

John leaned down in his wheelchair, but he realized that it was no use. He wouldn't be able to reach her as long as he was in his wheelchair, so he tried his hardest to get himself into a position where he could reach her. He managed to slip off of the wheelchair and onto the wet wooden dock. He used the strength in his arms to pull himself over to the edge of the pier.

"Come on sweetheart." he insisted stretching his hand out to her. "Grab on to me."

"I can't daddy." she said clinging on to the wooden plank a foot away from John. "I'm scared."

"You can do it sweety. I promise you that I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." he said hoping that she would move towards him a few inches so that he could grab her. "You can do it."

"I can't." she cried as another wave crashed against her. "Daddy!"

"Belle, listen to me honey. You can do this." he said trying to reach out towards her. "Come on sweety."

"Okay daddy." she said releasing the pole with one hand as she stretched to take John's hand.

"You can do it." he urged her on as she began to extend her tiny arm. "You're doing great."

"I can do it daddy." she repeated with a smile as she reached for him.

"Just a little bit more." he insisted feeling the warmth from her tiny fingers only inches from his.

"I'm almost there." she said as let go of the pole with her other hand and a tide pulled her further away into the lake. She looked at him in horror just as the water crashed over her again "Daddy!"

John watched as the water engulfed his daughter. He realized that this time she wasn't coming up for air. He saw her tiny hands fighting to pull herself above the water level, but it was no use.

"Someone help us!" John shouted looking back towards the cabin and hoping that someone had returned. "I've found Belle. Help!"

John realized that the storm was too loud and he was too far out on the dock for him to be heard. He looked out into the water as Belle's fingers slowly slipped beneath the surface of the water once more. He realized that his daughter was going to drown if he didn't do something fast. He realized what he must do and he took a deep breath and used all of his strength to pull him over the side of the dock.

"Did you find her?" Marlena asked as Mike and Carrie had arrived in front of the cabin.

"No, nothing." Carrie replied sadly as the rain poured down all around them. "We searched, but no one has seen her."

"Oh God. Where can she be?" Marlena questioned turning to Eric. "Where's Brady?"

"Jenny just took him into the house to be with John." Eric informed her as he watched her shake. "Mom, we're going to find Belle."

"My sweet angel is out here alone in this." Marlena cried out unable to fight back tears any longer as the thunder crashed once more. "What are we going to do?"

"Marlena," Jenny called out as she ran out of the house.

"What is it Jenny?" Marlena asked turning to look at her. "Is Belle inside the house with John?"

"Marlena, John's not in there either." Jenny informed her as lightning flashed in the sky. "When I took Brady inside, I noticed that the back door wall was open."

"John." Marlena gasped running towards the back of the cabin.

John felt the icy cold water soaking his body as he tried to keep himself above water. He tired to pull himself along in the water, but his legs felt like dead weights pulling him down. He could hardly see as the tide began to smack into him causing him to go under water for a brief second. He came above the water and heard Belle screaming in the distance as he struggled to move towards her.

"Da........daddy." her weak voice called out to him as lightning crashed once more.

"Please God don't let her die." John pleaded praying that he could help his daughter.

John could feel himself sinking once more as water began to flow up his nostrils. He coughed a bit as he realized that the more he began to fight it, the more he began to get pulled underneath the water. He could feel his limbs growing weak as he managed to barely keep his head above water when something happened.

He began to feel his legs suddenly start moving underneath the water. He began kicking as hard as he could in the water and he started to move. He realized that Belle was no longer calling for him and he realized that she must've been pulled underneath the surface. He took a deep breath and dived underneath for her. Within a matter of seconds he was above the surface again, but he hadn't managed to find her. He could still feel the pull of the water against him as his legs began to feel weak against the tide, but he took a deep breath and dived down to look for Belle once again.

Marlena reached the dock and saw John's wheelchair turned over near the edge.

"No!" she cried out rushing over to it as she noticed Belle's tiny locket stuck in one of the spokes of the wheel. "Oh God no!"

Mike and Eric both looked into the raging water and realized what must be going on. They looked out and saw nothing but the tides beating against the dock as Marlena began to cry.

"They're in the water somewhere." she said looking for any sign of life. "John! Belle!"

"Let's go." Mike said pulling off his shoes and diving into the raging water as Eric followed shortly after.

Marlena and Carrie watched at the two men began to swim around in the lake looking for any sign of Belle or John. Marlena could feel her heart racing and fear taking over her body as she watched Eric and Mike take turns coming above the surface of the water without Belle or John.

"I can't find them!" Eric shouted to Mike when they both had reached the surface.

"We have to keep looking!" Mike insisted swimming out a ways as the rain continued to pour into the water.

"Help!" John's voice shouted out from the other side of the dock.

"John!" Marlena called out turning in the direction of his voice as she saw him struggling to stay above the water. "Mike! Eric! He's over here."

The two men swam over to John's side as Mike grabbed a hold of John and realized that he was holding an unconscious Belle.

"Come on John." Mike insisted pulling him towards the dock.

"Don't worry about me." John said handing Belle over to Mike.

"Alight." Mike reluctantly agreed as Eric swam over towards John.

"Belle!" Marlena cried out as Mike lifted Belle's small body onto the dock. "Oh God no!"

Mike began to work on Belle as Eric helped pull John back up onto the dock. John managed to bring himself up to his feet as Eric helped him along over to Marlena's side.

"Doc?" John questioned touching her shoulder as she turned to find him standing next to her.

"John." she cried falling into his arms as she heard Belle coughing out the water that she had swallowed.

"She's going to be alright." Mike announced looking up at John and Marlena as Belle continued to cough out water.

"Oh John." Marlena cried as Mike lifted Belle up and placed her in John's arms.

"Daddy?" Belle questioned looking up at her father as her eyelids fluttered.

"Yes sweetheart?" he asked as tears of joy filled up in his eyes.

"You saved me." she whispered looking up at him as he held her tighter against him. "You didn't let the water eat me up."

"I'm never going to let anything happen to you ever again." he replied kissing her forehead and turning towards Marlena as the storm continued to rumble above them. "What do you say we go inside before we all catch a cold?"

"Are you sure that you're up to..........?" Marlena began realizing for the first time that he was standing on his own two feet.

"I'm fine. Let's just get you both inside before anything else happens." he replied tightening his grip on Belle as he began to walk back towards the cabin with Marlena at his side as the thunder rolled.