"Don't do that! I don't like it!" "He said he doesn't like it!" "I guess small tugs like you need bigger ones to fight for you." "Leave my friend alone!" "You're lucky. Next time you won't have George here to help you."... "No one around to protect you, little needlenose!" "LEAVE HIM BE!" "You old witch! I'll teach you!" "BLUENOSE!"
...
*START OF FLASHBACK, 3 WEEKS EARLIER*
It wasn't long after George had told Oliver off the first time but the bigger tugboat had a different job to do and so left Theodore on his own once more. For Oliver, it was the perfect time.
"No one around to protect you now, little needlenose." He sneered as he approached.
"Leave me alone!" Theodore growled, putting on a brave face but inside he was shaking.
"Hmm, me against you." Oliver pretended to think for a moment. "Eh, I don't think so." He said at last and backed up like he was about to ram Theodore again and this time much, much harder.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Shouted a familiar voice and Theodore felt equal parts relief and fear as he saw Bluenose sail up next to him. The usually kind and gentle sailing ship was shaking with anger as she faced Oliver. "George told me about the way you've been treating him and I will not have it! You should go home! You're nothing but a bully!"
Oliver wasn't intimidated. "You old witch." He growled. "I'll teach you!" And he revved his engines, charging towards Bluenose.
Bluenose tried to dodge but it was too late. Oliver struck her amidships and there was a terrible grinding sound. The sailing ship started to move forward under the blow just as she had when she'd shown Theodore the "Secret of Sailing". But Oliver was bigger and far stronger than Theodore. She swung around, striking him in the stern. It wasn't on purpose, Oliver's blow had sent her on that course but he still snarled and rammed her again. And again Bluenose's bow smashed into his stern but this time there was a loud crack as the boom broke. With the forestays gone, Bluenose's forward mast had no support and when Oliver hit her a third time the tall pole creaked, groaned, and then snapped, falling to the deck, striking the mainmast on its way down. It too followed suit, leaving Bluenose completely helpless. Oliver grinned and delivered a final humiliating blow. Circling around, he slammed his bow hard a T-bone angle. Again there was a loud crack but there weren't any masts left to knock down. Theodore realized in horror that the crack he heard was the sound of her hull beams buckling. She lurched to one side, crying out in pain. Theodore rushed forward, helping to support her and keep her from capsizing.
"Theodore?" She rasped, her voice weak and shaky.
He nuzzled her forward deck, being as gentle as he could. "I'm here." He replied in a voice equally as shaky. He was very concerned to see how Bluenose's hull was turning red.
Oliver meanwhile just laughed. "Sorry about the wench." He said. "Hope she wasn't too important to ya."
Theodore was so angry he could've broken Oliver in half right there but he stopped himself. For one thing he wasn't strong enough to make a mark on the larger tug and for another, Bluenose needed him. Bluenose...
"Stay with me!" He begged her. "I-I'll call for help, just hold on a little bit longer."
Bluenose didn't reply and Theodore suddenly felt more worried than ever.
Then a loud pair of horns signaled the arrival of George and Emily. They were bringing Julia in.
"Goodness me!" The container ship cried in shock, seeing the scene.
George unbuttoned from Julia as Emily kept her steady and raced over. He took one look at the broken form of Bluenose, lying next to Theodore, then turned to Oliver. He was angry before, he was was more angry now than words could describe. "Now you've gone too far!" He growled.
"Ha! Think you can take me little Georgie?" Oliver taunted.
"Yeah, I think I can!" George replied and an epic fight ensued.
It was loud enough to attract the whole harbor. It even managed to rouse Bluenose, just a bit. She leaned more into Theodore, hampered by the water now gushing into hull from the wounds on her side. Theodore struggled to keep his girlfriend from sinking.
"Don't quit on me now!" He begged.
"Theodore..." Her voice was even weaker now than before and to make matters worse a wheeze had taken over her breathing. Oliver's blows must have forced her hull inwards, pinching one of her lungs. Her blue eyes rolled around her head but somehow she managed to focus on him, just for a moment. Her gaze was still glassy as though she wasn't all there with him but she knew that he was there next to her. "Give me some sunshine." She asked, a smile in her voice.
Theodore nuzzled her, offering a small smile. "Just for you." He promised, kissing her cheek.
Her eyes closed again. "No, no Bluenose!" He nudged her more harshly this time. This got her attention. "Stay with me." He begged her.
"I'm trying." She croaked. She was getting weaker by the minute and the fight was still going on.
It was a few more minutes before it finally was over and George stood victorious over a defeated Oliver. "Go home!" He snarled, harsh breaths hissing through his teeth.
Oliver said nothing as he obeyed, limping out of the Big Harbor as fast as his engines could take him. "Good riddance!" George huffed.
Just then, Pearl the Pilot Boat arrived. She'd heard the commotion. "What's going on here?!" She demanded, then stopped when she saw Bluenose.
"George, what happened?" She growled, turning to the big tugboat.
"Oliver. He's been picking on Theodore all day. I only arrived after he'd hurt Bluenose but I reckon she'd been trying to defend him." He explained quickly, knowing there wasn't much time left for talking.
"Well we must get her into a drydock, at once!" Pearl growled. "Theodore, get your towline on her. George, take position on the opposite side for support."
Both tugs did as they were told except there was a little problem. George couldn't get in close enough to button on because Bluenose's broken masts were blocking his way.
"Cut them off." Pearl ordered.
"What?" George asked.
"What?" Theodore repeated.
"Her masts are preventing you from buttoning on. Cut them off." Pearl repeated. "We can't get her into a drydock unless you do."
"N-no..." Bluenose whimpered.
It tore at Theodore's heart to say it. "I'm sorry Bluenose. We have to if we're gonna get you into a drydock." He replied.
Using a sharp broken bit of scrap metal, George began sawing away at the wood. The foremast came away easily with no problems but when George started cutting away at the mainmast Bluenose screamed. She struggled against Theodore's towline, risking a capsize as she pulled away from him.
"No! Please! Please stop!" She begged.
There was a clunk from George's improvised cutting knife and all of a sudden a fountain of blood erupted from Bluenose's deck. Bluenose struggled harder than ever, making the flow even worse.
"Her mainmast contains an important vein. I should've remembered that!" Pearl cried, scolding herself for her lapse of memory. "We've no time now, bring her into the dock as is! George, tie off where you can!"
Both tugs followed Pearl's swift directive as they hauled Bluenose out of the water and into the drydock. The workers immediately started swarming over her.
Both Pearl and George had to clean up the mess left by the fight leaving Theodore to wait on his own at the drydock. Most of his flank was covered in blood, all of it Bluenose's. He felt so guilty! If only he'd just stood up to Oliver, then maybe the bully tug would've left him alone and Bluenose wouldn't have had to fight his battle for him.
"But," his inner voice said. "If you had fought, you might have ended up even worse off." He noted how much his inner voice sounded like Bluenose. It was exactly the sort of thing she would say and she was right. He couldn't have fought a tug the size of Oliver on his own.
It was getting dark and Theodore was debating about whether or not to return home when a groan from the drydock answered his choice. He'd stay with Bluenose.
"Bluenose?" He called softly.
"Theodore, that you?" Her voice was still weak, but it was steady and a shade bit stronger than before.
"I'm here." He replied gently, moving up as close as he could.
She looked down at him, shocked at the blood adoring his flank. "You're hurt!" She exclaimed.
"It's not mine." He replied. "It-it's yours." He added quietly, his guilt obvious.
"Theodore," She chided in that gentle tone of hers. "Oliver had been after you all day. Goodness knows what he would've done to you had I not been there."
"But look at what he did to you? And I was there, I could've helped but I did nothing!" He cried. "Bluenose, you nearly died!"
"I know. Part of that was your handiwork. I can feel I'm missing a mast." She said.
Theodore winced. "I didn't know about the vein." He said. "Only that George and I couldn't button off to you with your masts in the way."
"I know and I'm not saying I blame you Theodore. You saved me and that's what counts." She replied.
*END OF FLASHBACK, PRESENT*
Theodore was startled by movement next to him and he turned to see Bluenose waking. She gave a huge yawn as she woke. "Ah, mmm. Best sleep I've had in a while." She said to herself, then noticed Theodore. "Have you been up all night?" She asked him. "I'm usually the first one up in the morning."
"No, I uh, I haven't been awake that long." He replied, still struggling to keep his mind firmly in the present.
She gave him a look that he knew well. It was that same level stare that said 'you're being silly, now tell me what's wrong'.
He sighed. "I dreamed about that fight. I've been having the same dream for 3 weeks now." He said. "Each time, you die."
"Theodore, I'm still here." She said.
"You easily could not be. And it's my..." He began but Bluenose cut him off.
"Finish that sentence, and I will deck you!" She growled, baring her teeth.
Frightened by her show of anger, he retreated a bit. She relaxed just as quickly.
"I'm sorry Theodore, to have scared you so. But I'm not sorry for stepping in that day. I will always protect you." She said.
"I know." He replied. "It's just-I want to protect you too."
"You did." She answered back, her tone becoming more kind. "You saved my life."
"And you, saved mine." He sighed. Oliver easily could've killed him that day if it hadn't been for her. He hadn't realized it until he'd thought about it some more.
"So I did." She agreed. "We're even, alright?"
"Agreed." He said, nuzzling her.
She purred. "Now Theodore," she said. "Give me some sunshine."
Theodore kissed her cheek and offered her the biggest most completely Theodore smile he could give!