Disclaimer: I do not own the Coast Guard, the schools, or any other Deadliest Catch stuff. ENJOY!!!
A/N: Alright, this is a new story. I'm a little nervous for it, but with your support and ideas, I'm going to make this a great DC story.
Prologue – Grad School Applications
Dakota's Point of View
It was that time of year again. I had to fill out applications for my internship to Princeton, Harvard and Yale—all of which were Ivy League. I had just graduated Northwestern University of Chicago Medical School, and I wanted to stretch my legs and work with the greatest doctors that $250,000 a year could pay you.
The applications weren't hard for me, however when the essay portion for every application I would draw a blank. All three of the schools asked the same question, probably to make it easier for admissions to accept and deny students. If I were the admissions counselor, I'd choose the students with the perfect last names. For example, Dr. Randall M.D. sounds perfect; hence I'd get into medical school without filling out these stupid essays.
Who is the most prominent figure in your life? Why is this person so important to you? Describe your favorite memory of this person and why it has changed your life.
I sighed and pushed my long plum hair out of my face. Most people would either write about Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, their mom, FDR, Helen Keller or another figure whom they had zero knowledge of. Nope, not me.
I closed my icy grey eyes and began brainstorming about whom I would write my three essays about. Then, it hit me. My dad. I quickly began writing my essay.
My father is a Rescue Swimmer for the United States Coast Guard up in Kodiak, Alaska. I spent most summers and winters with him. My mom left him when I was only 14, her reason being that he was, "A bigamist. He married me AND the Coast Guard." I lived with my mom during the fall and spring, although that usually meant I only saw her on the occasional weekend due to my schedule at Northwestern.
Born with the name Mary Dakota Jacoby Randall, I was a daddy's girl through and through. He never called me Mary though. He always referred to me as Dakota. He hated the name Mary so he got to pick my middle name of Dakota Jacoby after my great grandfather. When I turned 18, I legally changed my name to Dakota Jacoby Randall, much to my mother's dismay.
My life revolved around the Kodiak Coast Guard Base, and after spending most of my life up there, I was well known. In fact, I was usually found in the aquatic arena or the command center. I learned the craft of being a commander in the booth without any real training. This skill came in handy when my dad needed help from the control center. My favorite part of being up in the Kodiak Base was the fact that all the new A-School gradates would come up every 18 weeks for active duty and try to tame the Bering Sea in the Coast Guard. All those new boys . . . I mean men to stare at and undress with my eyes. It was a game to me, and they were always looking to score with the local talent. Too bad this girl is more of a tease than relationship kind of girl.
But sadly this is not a story about my dad. This is about two very different men. One a fresh Coast Guard recruit named Jake Fischer, the other was Jake Harris, a deckhand on the Fishing Vessel Cornelia Marie. I'll never forget the year I worked on a crab boat while my dad taught at A-School for 18 weeks. It was the most memorable year of my life for it was full of love, adventure and heartbreak.