Disclaimer: I do not own the storyline or characters from The Cay.
Summary: Did Grace (Phillip's mother) ever get home again? What happened to her when the ship was attacked? No spoilers.
This was another work that I did for school. I got a pretty high mark on it. Please R&R because it took me a long time to write it.
Grace's Escape
Grace and Phillip ran down the corridor. It seemed as if the hall went on forever. People were running everywhere, picking up young children and putting on life jackets. When they got to their cabin, Grace unlocked the door and pulled Phillip inside.
She went to the closet and pulled out two of the four life jackets. She put one on Phillip and the other on herself. She had to take hers off because it was too small. She put on a different life jacket and grabbed Phillip's arm. They ran out of the room and down the hall. Phillip tripped on the stairs leading to the deck. Grace helped him up, and they ran up on deck.
On the deck were many people and the cook's cat, Stew Cat. Grace began to panic. How were they supposed to get on a lifeboat with all the people? Grace and Phillip ran to one of the almost empty boats. Grace was picked up and put in the boat. When Phillip was about to get in the boat, part of the freighter broke, and the lifeboat fell. Phillip fell off the S. S. Hato and into the water.
The water wasn't cold, but it wasn't hot either. Grace was floating in the water. She was being held up by a piece of lumber. What happened? Why am I here? Grace asked herself. She had an image of being lifted into a boat that dropped moments later. Something had fallen into the water with the rescue boat. What fell into the water when the boat fell? She remembered being sad, and crying out when she had seen this thing fall. Why had she felt such anguish? What was so important? What was she forgetting? Grace was beginning to get angry with herself. She couldn't think of what she was forgetting.
Grace soon forgot the she had forgotten something. She just drifted in the water, numb to anything. It wasn't just her body that was numb; it was her mind. She had decided in the back of her mind that she would not think about anything because nothing was important anymore. The only thing that mattered was that she was to stay alive. Keep her eyes open for land, and don't close her eyes or she may never open them again.
Grace was beginning to get tired. Her eyes drooped down, tempting her to close them all the way. But she fought herself. She would not fall asleep. Just as she was about to give in to herself, she saw an object lingering on the horizon. Half of her mind was telling her that she was just seeing things to give her hope. The other half was telling her not to give up hope, that there was really something there. She went with the more positive side of herself, and began trying to kick her legs to get there faster. Her legs soon were not able to move anymore, and she was just drifting again.
Even though she could not make herself go faster, she always kept her eyes on the object that was slowly getting larger. Soon she could see that the unknown object was going to be huge when she got upclose. After a very long time, she could tell that it was an island. She was going to be saved! She could see the trees, and some people sitting out on the beach!
Grace woke to sunlight shining onto her face. She was in the hospital, lying on a white bed that was in a white room. The only colour in the room was the flowers on the bedside table beside her. She took a deep breath. Clean air, finally! The curtains were drawn back from the window. Outside were a couple trees with birds flying around. She wished she were outside walking through the malls buying new clothes.
She heard a click, and she turned her head to where the door was. A head looked in, and the worried look turned to a smile on the nurse's face.
"Well, look who's awake!" the nurse said. She took Grace's temperature, and walked over to the nurse that just walked in. The other nurse nodded and left the room. The first nurse walked back to Grace and asked her a couple questions.
"Do you know where you are?" the nurse asked. Grace shook her head. "You are in Willemstad. You know where that is right?" Grace nodded her head. Why wouldn't she know the place where she lived? "Do you remember what happened?" Grace thought.
"A bit. I remember being on a rescue boat that fell into the water. I remember that something fell off the freighter with the boat. Then when the rescue boat was drifting away, the freighter exploded, and our rescue boat was blown up with it," Grace said. She was still wondering what had fallen off the freighter. "Do you have any ideas what could have fallen off the freighter? I remember that it was important to me, that's all."
The nurse looked down and said, "I have an idea of what it could be. While you were sleeping you screamed and cried for someone named Phillip. Could that be what fell? Who is Phillip?"
"Yes, it was Phillip," Grace was shocked. How could she have forgotten Phillip!? "Phillip is my son. Is he okay?"
The nurse looked confused, "I'm sorry, but only you washed up on shore of an island occupied by people on vacation. Though, I'm sure he's fine."
Grace went pale. Where was her son? A tear slid down her cheek as she thought of the different possibilities of what could have happened to him. The nurse seemed to notice that she was in grief, and thought of something to say to cheer her up.
"You have had a visitor that comes in every day. He claims that he is your husband. We will call him to inform him that you are awake and wanting to talk with him. Is that okay with you?" Grace nodded and reached for the magazine that the nurse had brought for her.
After a couple of days, Grace was able to go home. She was still shaken up about the fact that her son was still missing. Her husband took her home where she sat at the table that day and drank tea. Her husband had to work so she spent her day going around the house that she had dearly missed. He had warned her not to go outside because many reporters would be there. After three days of being home, she decided that she should go outside and tend to the garden.
Grace opened the door and her eyes began to sting. There had been a flash from one of the reporter's cameras. She looked around her. About fifty reporters, cameras and video cameras surrounded her. They all began talking to her at once; asking questions about what had happened on the freighter at the time of the accident, what she thought of her son missing and such. Her mind was spinning. There were many more flashes that blinded her for a few moments and then there would be another flash. She couldn't take it! She fell on the ground screaming.
Evil newspaper people... Anyway please R&R and tell me waht you think? Thankies!