[How soft this light of grace
Shines through my sorrow
From some amazing place
You reach for me]
--- Lyrics to 'Godspeed' performed by Beth Nielsen Chapman
Ray of Hope Part 37
One of the large double doors of the marina slammed open just as Heero, Dorothy and Sally ran inside. Drenched after their dart from the car to the building, the trio worked together to push the door closed against the wind. The braided doctor cradled her medical bag close and sighed deeply in relief along with her friends when they heard the latch click into place.
Throwing off the hood to his windbreaker, Heero looked around the large facility and called, "Howard!" Much to his relief, the sound of an engine starting filled the air. Silently thankful that they had not missed the old man, the sailor charged off down the last pier towards the sound. Dorothy and Sally both remained close behind all the while.
When they reached the end of the dock, they looked up to the large, metal, boat meant for crabbing that was just beginning to pull back from port. Looking over the edge of the craft, Howard's eyes widened. "Better hurry onboard!" he shouted over the whoosh of the propellers while pulling the boat close once more.
Quickly, the three boarded the craft. Panting heavily, they climbed into the enclosed captain quarters. As the two young women took a seat at one of the two benches at either side of the room, Heero moved headed towards the white-haired man at the wheel and asked, "Have you been able to get a hold of Duo?"
With a somber look, Howard remained focused on pulling out of the marina but shook his head, "Just briefly after I found that the Atlantis was gone. He was sending out a distress call at the time. I managed to get very little from him before his radio lost signal." He swallowed hard to himself, unable to mention that the last thing the lighthouse keeper tried to get a message across to the young sailor.
His eyes still focused ahead, the old man lightly tapped on the scanner just to his right as he commented, "The signal that his boat is giving off is the only one that I'm concerned about. He'll be impossible to find if this baby's radar loses him. So far, he hasn't moved since I started tracking him. Whatever the reason, he's not attempting to come back in."
Swallowing hard, Heero watched the green, blinking screen and the small dot that represented his lover's ship. Now that a good portion of his memory was back, he recognized the equipment used to track the lost craft. Judging by the reading, Duo was almost three miles from the island. The fact that he wasn't trying to sail back home was a concern, considering it would have been a better risk that riding out the storm and he would have to know that.
Dorothy rose from her seat and inquired, "Do you have storage of blankets and a stove anywhere on this boat? Medical kits only have so many syringes in them and so sterilization may be needed. As cold as it is, even if Duo manages to stay afloat, hypothermia would be a concern."
Beside the teenager, Sally blinked in shock. "You know emergency sterilization procedures?" she questioned. Along with the surprise of that discovery, she was caught off guard in finding that her worry over Duo was affecting her own thinking. Any other time, she would have asked about those supplies right away.
With a slight blush, Dorothy looked back at her and shrugged sheepishly, "I never did get to mention that I am studying to be a doctor, since I never planned to live off of my political parents' wealth." A relieved smile tugged the braided doctor's lips and she gave a small nod of appreciation at the understanding in the girl's blue eyes that watched her.
"In the lower deck," Howard answered with a nod of his own head. Gesturing to the door behind him, he suggested, "If you want to head down there to start setting up, you best hurry and get down there if you don't want to get wet." Carefully, he steered the boat around the last fishing boat in the way of the bay doors that were opened to the violent storm. "We're just about to pull out of the marina now," he announced.
At that, Sally gripped her medical kit and rose from the bench. Together, she and Dorothy quickly left the room and closed the door after them. Numbly, Heero moved over to the bench just beside the steering wheel. His cobalt eyes looking out to the rising waves and bright lightning, Heero gripped the arm rest tightly.
Slowly looking up to the white-haired man at the wheel, the Japanese teenager commented softly, "You've cared for the Atlantis for years." When Howard turned his head to meet his gaze, Heero swallowed roughly before asking, "Do you think that it'll ride out the storm in one piece long enough for us to get there?"
Taking a deep breath, Howard glanced at the radar monitor between them. "I'll be honest with you, kid," he started softly with a deep frown, "That boat was not made to be out in the middle of weather like this. The Dobson, here, is the quickest ship that I own and it'll get us out before long, but it's too close of a call to make right now."
While he wished to have a more reassuring answer, Heero was appreciative to be given the truth. Unable to look into his old friend's eyes, he lowered his head and nodded slightly. Wrapping his arms around his torso, he turned to gaze ahead once more. Finally, the large boat pulled from the shelter of the marina and out into the strong wind and wrestling waves.
* * * * * *
Huddled in the corner of the Atlantis's lower deck, Duo cradled his broken right arm to him as he shivered from the dampness setting in. Sitting atop the raised cot with the water ankle-deep on the floor, he rocked himself to try and keep warm. All around, the wooden room creaked and moaned with every sway.
Looking up, the braided lighthouse keeper bit his lip and silently wondered how he had been so careless as to put himself into such a predicament. All that he wanted was some time away from everything to cope with the loss of the only person that he had given his heart to. Now, he could not recall a time when he felt more alone or frightened and would have given anything to take back his actions.
The boat took a deep tilt forward, nearly knocking Duo from the cot at how sudden the lunge came on. Gripping the edge of the bed with his good hand, he managed to keep from rolling into the water gathering beneath him. When the boat rolled back to level out more, the American breathed a deep sigh of relief.
A couple times, he had feared that the boat would tip over. He'd been fortunate so far, but Duo was not about to convince himself that the possibility was out of the question. The Atlantis was not structured to handle the beating that the wind and the ocean were giving it. Another round of thunder reverberated through the craft to make it shake nearly as bad as the lighthouse keeper was.
Just as soon as the air stilled, there was another violent gust soon followed by a deafening slam just above Duo's head. Jumping at the terrifying and unexpected crash, his violet eyes widened with a sharp gasp. Hesitantly, the braided teenager edged off of the bed and into the water that was now past his ankles. Hissing at the intense chill that was seeping into his shoes and black pants, he quickly made his way to the stairs.
His broken arm cradled by his good one against his chest, Duo very carefully made his way upward. When he managed to peer over the hatch, his eyes widened anew at the sight of the sail masts lying against the deck. The splintered posts that remained jutted like spears as the tattered ribbons left of the sails blew all around.
Paling at the sight, the lighthouse keeper slowly backed down into the lower deck again. Unable to feel the cold water at his feet, he moved across the room and back onto the cot. Pulling his legs against his chest and folded arms, Duo let out a small sob as tears filled his eyes as chilling reality sank in.
It was no longer a matter of 'if' the Atlantis would break apart on him, but 'when.' The collapsing of the masts only proved how unfit the ship was to hold out in the storm. If he hadn't been injured, sailing back might have been a risk, but it might have worked. Instead, the young man was left to sit and wait for his haven to collapse around him.
Over the roar of the ocean, the creaking of the planks and the whistle of the wind, Duo could have almost sworn that he heard a motor approaching. Shaking his head, he wiped the tears from his eyes and convinced himself that he must have been only hearing what he wanted to hear. He knew that he had to be realistic and come to grips that he was not going to come out of this night in one piece.
Another moment passed and the sound of the motor only grew a bit. His breath hitched in his throat, Duo moved from the bed towards the stairs once again. Just as he reached the handrail, however, the boat took another hard plummet forward. Crying out when he was thrown against the steps, the young man looked up in horror as the ocean rushed up towards him, spilling through the opening and thrusting him into cold darkness.
* * * * * *
The beeping on the monitor stopped. Cobalt eye widened in terror as Heero quickly rose from his seat. Howard bent at the waist with a wide-eyed gaze of his own focused on the same screen that the young sailor had been watching during their entire sail.
For the whole ten minutes that they had been traveling, the monitor beeped in confirmation that the other craft was still out there. The dot that represented the craft that they were getting so close to was suddenly gone from the screen. "Oh God," Heero breathed. Looking up to his old friend, he shouted frantically, "How much further?"
Shaking his head, Howard gripped the wheel in his hands as he tried to calm his own rising panic. Finally, he answered, "Ten, fifteen minutes out yet I'd say." Tapping the notepad at his control panel, he reassured the young man, "I have the coordinates down, here."
Those minutes drug on for what seemed like hours. All the while, Heero paced anxiously behind the white-haired captain. At last, Howard straightened. With the control panel, he operated the two large searchlights to turn ahead, shining down on the rough water before the boat. Stretched and scattered about the high waves was a variety of floating debris.
With a small cry, Heero threw open the door to the room and ran down the short stairway. Ignoring the rain that pelted him, he made his way to the edge of the boat. Not far behind, Howard quickly reached the other side as they searched the ocean for any sign of life. The searchlights slowly moved to skim the waves.
Shielding the eyes from the sharp raindrops, Heero straightened with disbelief in his widening eyes. A few feet out, Duo floated in his lifejacket lifelessly. "Howard!" the Japanese teenager yelled back to his friend just as he climbed the edge of the ship. Once he made eye contact with the old man, he jumped into the freezing water and swam out to his lover.
After a battle with the rising waves and floating debris, Heero managed to reach his pale, blue-lipped partner. Gripping the unconscious boy's shoulders, he cried, "Duo! Can you hear me!?" He rested a hand against a white cheek and hissed as the chill of it. "Hang on, love," he whispered desperately before pulling his lover towards the ship with him.
Pushing the debris out of their way, Heero finally reached the side of the ship once more. From the captain's room, Howard watched and waited until his friend gripped the cargo net that he had dropped with his free hand before using the controls to pull them in. Gripping the net with one hand and carefully holding onto his lover with the other, the young man was hauled back over the edge of the boat.
Dorothy and Sally were already on the deck to carefully assist Heero and his charge onto the floor. Sensing the panic in the braided doctor, Dorothy took charge. Her voice commanding as to break through the shock that had taken hold of her friends, she ordered, "Let's get him downstairs so we can start getting him warm."
Together, the three of them gingerly lifted the lighthouse keeper up and fought the elements to take him down to safety.
TBC...
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