If panic had taken his heart before, now it froze Jim in his spot. At first swept up by the wave and the sudden swerve of the ship, he managed to stay on the deck thanks to his firm hold on that rope, but it was with horror that he both saw and heard Mary get swept over the edge, falling into the dark, cold waters.

Jim couldn't think, he couldn't do anything but stand in his spot, completely frozen. Then, without thinking or even being aware of it, he let go of the rope in his hand and ran towards the edge, grabbing a smaller rope tied to the mast before he was jumping into the water himself. It was his luck that another crew member was close enough to grab the sail where he'd let go, but Jim didn't even have enough presence of mind to notice.

All he could think about was Mary, struggling and failing to stay afloat on the wild sea. Getting thrown against the side of the ship and being crushed to death. Sinking deeper into the cold darkness where Jim could never reach her, could never find her again.

He'd waited too long, it felt like it. As he dove into the water, he could only think that he'd taken too long. In reality not even a second had passed before he'd jumped into the water after Mary, but to him it had been an eternity, and now he couldn't see her, didn't know where to even turn to find her.