Do you know which word should be used to fill in the blank?

There are three blanks in the passage. Can you find the most proper word?

"Take My Hand"

In 1990 my husband, Donald, and I were vacationing in . Oahu is famous for its beaches, and one of our favorites is , south of on the eastern side of the island. Donald and I had been there many times over the years.

The weather was perfect that day and we practically had the beach to ourselves. The waves crested close to shore, and I waded eagerly into the surf, waiting for a breaker. Within seconds the roiling water knocked me off my feet. My legs suddenly felt powerless. An undertow! I thrust my arms up. “Help! Help!”

My husband was on the beach with his camera, ready to snap a picture of me riding in on a breaker. “Donald!” I shouted, struggling to signal with my hands. He didn’t___( react, understand). He couldn’t hear my cries. The few others on the beach were too far away.

Even though I knew that if I swam with the current I’d stay along the shore, I panicked and fought to get back on the beach. My strength waning, I tried desperately to keep my head above water. But I couldn’t get back to shore, no matter how hard I tried.

Exhausted and out of breath, I looked up. A nice-looking young man was beside me, his dark hair tousled. He stood solidly, as if his feet were planted in the ocean floor. How strong he must be, I thought. “Take my hand,” he said, “and relax.” I reached for him and the next thing I knew I was ____( walking, rushing, running)toward my husband. Donald held me tight, understanding at last that I had been in danger. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he____( whispered, screamed).

“Thanks to this young man,” I said, turning to introduce my rescuer.

“He was here a second ago,” Donald said. We looked around. The same few people were scattered along the beach. No one was anywhere near us. Not a soul was in the ocean.