Chapter 2

"GINGER!" Gilligan called out.

"GINGER!" The Skipper cried out.

The Howell's didn't shout out the movie star's name, but peered through bushes, as if they expected to find her in one of them. The Professor didn't really call out her name either. Gilligan was loud enough for all of them.

His mind went back to Mary Ann. Why had he been stupid enough to assume she was safe? They should have found some sign of Ginger by now. Was it possible that Mary Ann was in danger too? But how did he break away from the others and head back to the other side of the island?

"GINGER!" Gilligan yelled again, then stopped abruptly. He and the Skipper were bum rushed by two squalling head hunters! The group watched as the head hunters did flips towards the lagoon's edge, then swam away at a rate of speed that one would've never thought was possible.

"I wonder what got into them?" the Skipper asked of the group. Gilligan turned away from the lagoon and pointed.

"Look!" he exclaimed.

A man wearing tattered clothing, was carrying Ginger in his arms and headed their way. The group rushed towards them, with Gilligan and the Skipper taking Ginger out of the stranger's arms. Lovey Howell peered at him from behind her reticule. Good God! This man, whomever he was, looked quite the fright!

"I say there old boy," Thurston began, "it looks as if you were in a row and lost."

David peered at the older couple. It hit him that he was staring at Thurston Howell the III and his wife...her name escaped him at the moment. He had once applied for a grant from one of their foundations and had been turned down. He looked away from the couple and down at Ginger, who was now on the ground. A man in a white shirt was tending to her.

A young man in a red shirt and white hat, peered at him.

"Is that houseboat yours?" he asked. An older man wearing a blue shirt turned from Ginger and stared at him.

"Yeah, Mister, is that your houseboat?"

Lovey shook her head.

"Captain, don't be ridiculous! Look at him! Does he look as if he would own a houseboat?"

David folded his arms, peering down at Ginger.

"She fainted before the head hunters could do anything. She should be alright." he said. The Professor slowly stood up.

"So it seems. Gilligan, Skipper, why don't you carry Ginger back to her hut. Hopefully Mary Ann is back there..."

"Mary Ann?" David asked. "As in Mary Ann Summers?"

The group looked at one another, then at him.

"How do you know Mary Ann?" Gilligan asked. The Skipper and The Professor eyes the stranger with sudden suspicion.

"We come from the same farming community. She was still a little girl when I left but I knew the Summers family well...I heard she had been lost at sea or something...is she among you?"

"Why yes she is, dear boy!" Lovey said, linking an arm with David's. Now that he appeared to have SOME connection to someone here, she began to believe that he could possibly own a houseboat.

"Come Mr...uh..sorry for our appalling manners. We don't even know your name." Thurston said.

"It's David..." David began to say 'Brown'. But with Mary Ann on the island, there was no way he was going to get away with that.

"It's David Banner. Dr. David..."

"Bruce Banner." the Professor said in awe. Dr. David Banner was on this island? That couldn't be! He was almost sure he had heard or read that he had been killed. Killed by some creature...one that was only reported about in the tabloids. The Professor blinked, then looked at Gilligan and the Skipper.

"Take Ginger back to the huts. Dr. Banner and I need to speak alone." he said firmly. David could see that this man knew of him. He watched as the two men known as 'Gilligan' and 'The Skipper', carried Ginger off. The Howell's seemed disappointed not to get some time alone with him, but wandered off after the trio.

The Professor folded his arms.

"So, reports of your death WERE premature. What brings you to a deserted island, Dr. Banner?"

David chose not to answer that directly.

"I take it that all of you became stranded here? I heard that Mary Ann's family was heartsick at the idea of her being dead. They'll be glad to see her."

The Professor nodded slightly.

"That they will. How did you become stranded, Dr. Banner?"

"What you really want to know is how I came to still be alive, right...uh..."

The Professor shook David's hand.

"I'm Professor Roy Hinkley. I'm also a big fan of your research, Dr. Banner."

"That's flattering. Listen...I have a favor to ask."

The Professor raised an eyebrow but did not speak. David continued.

"Please take everyone that has been stranded here, with you on my boat. Don't come back."

The Professor blinked.

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me, Professor. Please take the houseboat and go. I need to be left here--alone."

The Professor peered at David.

"You're not joking, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"May I ask why on earth you would ask such a foolish thing?!"

"Because I'm sick, Professor. So much so that yours and everyone else's safety could be at risk. Now please leave. Your lives could depend on it."

It was as David said those words, that Mary Ann came rushing through the jungle and threw herself into his arms! The Professor stepped back a bit, feeling a queer pang of jealousy bounce around in his stomach, at the sight of Mary Ann in another man's arms.

"David! Oh God, the others told me someone from home was here but I never imagined it would be you!" Mary Ann squealed, looking him over. She had had the biggest crush on him as a child! Then he went away to become a famous and important doctor. She would always be excited at hearing the latest news from David's father, D.W. and his sister, Helen(who stayed in their hometown and opened up a physician's practice of her own) about what David was doing.

Then, for some reason, David stopped keeping in touch and D.W. didn't want to talk about it. Helen had nothing new to report. Slowly, Mary Ann's crush faded away.

But looking at David now just brought back so many memories....and the realization of just how attractive he was.

Mary Ann let go of David and turned to the Professor.

"Professor! Where are my manners? David this is..."

"We've met, Mary Ann. I must say it is good to see you alive and looking so well. Your folks are going to be happy to see you again."

Mary Ann tilted her head.

"Again? David, if you're here then you're just as stranded as the rest of us."

"Actually," the Professor interrupted, "David brought a houseboat. We're saved."

Mary Ann's eyes lit up and she threw herself into David's arms again! This time David noticed an odd look cross the Professor's face, but quickly shelved it to the back of his mind. Getting everyone out of harm's way was the important thing right now.

"Come on, David! We have to get back to the huts. I want you to tell everyone how you managed to save Ginger from those head hunters!" Mary Ann gushed. She then looked over at the Professor.

"Are you coming, Professor?"

"In a bit. I just need to collect some herbs."

Mary Ann smiled at him, then looked over at David.

"We would never have made it this long if it hadn't been for this man!" she said, touching the Professor's arm, before using that same arm to link with David's. They began walking towards the huts, with David giving the Professor a backwards, unreadable glance.
The Professor took a deep breath and stored away his jealousy of Dr. Banner...for now. Right now he wanted to get a look at this houseboat Banner came to the island in.

****

Mary Ann could not say that she was too happy at that moment.

She had fixed a special dinner in honor of David being on the island and the fact that they were all about to be rescued. The Professor was late to it, then he spirited the Skipper and Gilligan away for some reason...

The Howell's retired early to pack.

Ginger, fresh from her faint, awoke and dazzled David so much so, that he barely looked her way! They thanked her for the dinner and volunteered to do the dishes together. Mary Ann's mouth dropped open in shock! She couldn't think of the last time Ginger had offered to do dishes!

That left her on her own.

Mary Ann decided to take a walk to clear her head. She knew she was being unreasonable, thinking the way she was. Seeing David again had brought her childhood crush on him back to the forefront of her mind and heart.

Now, watching Ginger captivate him, also brought back the familiar feelings of frustration. Before she had been too young for David. Now it seemed she wasn't glamorous enough.

Mary Ann picked at a flower and made her way down to the lagoon. She stopped short when she saw the houseboat. She could not help but smile. It was a nice boat. It was too bad that David had gotten lost and ended up here. Well, bad for him. Not bad for the rest of them.

She noticed the Professor, Skipper and Gilligan standing on one side of the deck, talking in earnest. Something was wrong? Was the boat not running properly? What?

Mary Ann moved closer and overheard an appalling conversation...

"Just what is it you're trying to say, Professor?" the Skipper asked.

"I'm saying that this houseboat does not belong to Dr. Banner. And frankly I'm now more than a bit worried. Not only do I not think the boat belongs to him, but he told me a story about wanting us to take the boat and leave him here."

"Why in the world would he want us to do that?" Gilligan asked in disbelief. The Skipper frowned in confusion as well. Mary Ann edged closer. David wanted to stay here alone? That made no sense!

"Yes, Professor, why would anyone want to stay on an island alone?" the Skipper asked as well. Something caught Gilligan's eye and he moved away from the men.

"He said he's ill. He also said that our staying here with him could put us at risk."

"So what he has is contagious?" the Skipper asked. The Professor stroked his chin briefly, before answering.

"Unless the incubation period begins after we leave, somehow I don't think so."

The Skipper looked confused.

"Could you put that in plain english, Professor?"

"What I mean is that unless the period that would make Dr. Banner contagious, began after we left the island, frankly, I don't believe that's the case."

"LOOK AT THIS!" Gilligan exclaimed, waving a newspaper he had found in one of the backrooms of the houseboat. It was a Honolulu paper. The Skipper snatched it impatiently out of Gilligan's hands, before the three of the studied it. On the front page was a large, green creature, running down a shipping dock. The article was about a large, green creature that had been spotted in Hawaii. There wasn't much more to it and the Skipper rolled his eyes!

"I thought the Honolulu Journal had more journalistic integrity that that!" the Skipper sniffed. Gilligan sat down and read more while the the Professor looked even more disturbed, something the Skipper noticed.

"What is it, Professor?"

The Professor took a deep breath, walked over to a drawer and pulled out another newspaper. It was a tabloid called 'The National Register'. He waved it slightly.

"I found this sitting out and put it away, not wanting to scare any of the women once we were all aboard. But this tabloid, just from the little I read, has a reporter that's been following that creature."

The Skipper shrugged.

"So? Professor, what does this have to do with our problem with Banner?"

The Professor folded his arms.

"I found paperwork and other documents that prove that this houseboat belongs to one Mr. Jack McGhee. Mr. McGhee is the author of a weekly story in that rag, about the same creature that was spotted in Hawaii!"

Gilligan looked up from the paper.

"So where is this Mr. McGhee?" he asked innocently.

"Exactly, Gilligan! Where is he indeed." the Professor said coolly. The Skipper looked around a bit, before speaking.

"You're saying that Banner did something to this McGhee? Why? Why would he do something like that?" the Skipper asked.

Gilligan shrugged.

"Maybe they're friends and he let Dr. Banner borrow it."

Mary Ann had heard enough! She stomped into sight and boarded the houseboat. She glared at the Professor, but spoke to Gilligan.

"Thank you, Gilligan! That's exactly what it was! But to ask the Professor here, David murdered this man!"

The Skipper gasped and Gilligan rose from the chair he was in, dropping the paper. None of them had ever heard that tone of voice come out of Mary Ann's mouth! But the Professor was unfazed.

"Mary Ann, calm down. I certainly wasn't suggesting..."

"You were too, Professor! Skipper, Gilligan, didn't it sound like it to you?"

"What?" Gilligan asked, not liking the topic of conversation. He didn't want anyone here to be mad at anyone. The Skipper tried to play peacemaker.

"Mary Ann, none has accused your friend of anything, okay? But how long have we known the Professor here? He's just trying to make sure that we get off of this island safely."

"By accusing David of murder? And if he is sick, we certainly can't leave here until he gets well!" Mary Ann proclaimed. The Professor looked at Gilligan and the Skipper.

"I'd like to speak to Mary Ann alone...please." he said in a low tone.

"Come on, Gilligan. Let's see how Dr. Banner is getting along."

Gilligan nodded quickly, then gulped.

"Yeah, yeah, good idea." he seconded it. The Professor waited until he saw the two men disappear into the jungle, before facing Mary Ann.

"Mary Ann, Dr. Banner is someone you knew because you lived in a small town and you were neighbors. He's older than you, so you have no idea what kind of life he's lived since you last saw him."

Now Mary Ann folded her arms.

"What are you saying, Professor? That David has lived some kind of...of..."

"I'm saying," he interrupted, "that you don't know. None of us do. He may not be the same man you once knew as a girl. But the facts are this: he has come here on a houseboat that does not belong to him. The man it does belong to works for a tabloid where in which he chases a creature that was spotted in Honolulu...Dr. Banner's probable cast off point. When we first meet him, he had rescued Ginger from head hunters in such a way, that they left this island swimming as if they ate some of those radioactive beets Mrs. Howell once ingested. Dr. Banner also is wearing clothing that is in tatters. Could the head hunters have shredded his clothing? Possibly. But none of it adds up, Mary Ann. Surely you see that?"

"What I see, Professor, is a dear friend that has disappointed me. David told you he is sick. Did it ever occur to you, that maybe he wants us to leave because he didn't want us to witness his suffering? For all we know he is so sick that maybe..."

Mary Ann could not get another word out and the Professor slowly enveloped her in his arms. Maybe he had been harsh. Maybe all of the things that were bothering him, meant nothing at all. But he did know one thing: he was going to keep mum about his suspicions until he had further proof. For what he really suspected was that Dr. Banner, Mr. McGhee and that green creature, were all connected in some way.

Little did the Professor or Mary Ann know, that that connection would become a little more clear, once they returned to their huts.