A/N: Ok so PLEASE don't kill me over this one lol. I had to do this because it had been running through my head for ages, I'm not telling ya'll what happens yet though. Next chapter should be done in a couple of days, if all goes well for me. Thanks to all of you who read and review, you're awesome.
Special shoutouts to jessewalla, IrishCaptain, deathbypickle, makeyfamous, AleutianStorm, and all my DC family from the forum that I haven't been on in so long lol. I still love you guys bunches, I might actually get this story finished one of these years!
After an argument and the offload, Andy had managed to get things under control enough to get back out to the grounds. That had been a couple days ago, and things were still touchy with him and Jessica. It was getting closer to the end of the season, thankfully enough for Andy, because he'd managed to hold it together so far. She hadn't gotten hurt or been in any danger since the morning the storm came through before the offload. He had talked with his crew, making sure that they knew to keep her out of danger if at all possible. Being the stubborn woman she was, she had still gone back out onto deck, but had kept her cool and played it safe.
It was dark out on the Bering, making everything seem worse, and it made Andy uneasy to see her still out on the deck. Waves were crashing over the deck, soaking them to the bone while they worked to get the last of the pots hauled. Jessica was right in the middle of all the chaos out on deck, holding her own. In just the short time she'd been with them, she had become a part of their family, and they were all watching out for her. Every time she slipped or fell, someone was always right there at her side to help her back on her feet.
The sea was getting too angry that night, so much so that it had Jonathon up in the wheelhouse with Andy. Both of them were keeping a close eye on things, knowing they were going to have to call the crew in for a while hours. So close to the end, neither of them wanted to call it off yet, but safety always came first. Andy finally gave the order for them to secure things on deck for now and come back in for a while. Jessica helped get things secured and then walked off the deck with Neal, the two still talking about her hook throwing skills. She was laughing and joking with them as they walked below deck.
Grinning, she peeled off her deck clothes, leaving them near the door, getting a look from Mike in the process. "Nice clothes, didn't think you were a flannel wearing woman." Rolling her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at him, "Shut it, Mike. Out here I'd wear pink flannel if it kept me warm." They all burst out laughing, helping to keep the mood lightened between all of them, even in a stressful working environment. Turning, she followed them into the galley to get some coffee and warm up a little while they waited for the storm to calm down. She sat down beside Neal and accepted a cup of coffee from Scottie with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't spit in it, did you?"
"If I did, would it kill you?" He asked with a grin as he reached over and mussed her hair a little. "Yeah…I don't know Scottie, it might kill me." Jessica shot back at him with a grin before taking a drink of the warm liquid. "Damn, I forgot to tie up that last pot, I'll be back down in a minute." He said as he rolled his eyes and hurried out of the galley to go take care of tying up the pots. Shaking her head, Jessica just laughed and leaned back in her seat, taking another drink of the coffee. They had all started up laughing and joking around again, picking at each other here and there to keep their entertainment going until they could all get back home.
A minute later, the boat alarm went off seconds before a rogue wave slammed into the boat, causing it to rock badly. "Oh yeah here we go again, I loved this last time." Jessica said as she rolled her eyes and stood up, careful to hold onto something stable just in case. Blinking a bit, the coffee cup fell out of her hand and she looked incredibly pale, "Oh Jesus…Scottie!" Taking off out of the galley, it took the guys a second to catch on before they realized the problem. Scottie still hadn't come back in from off the deck where he'd been going back to secure a pot from earlier.
Jessica didn't waste a second of time, running straight down the hall and out onto the deck, wearing only her normal clothes and a pair of boots. Glancing around, she felt her heart racing in her chest when she didn't see him right off. "Scottie! Where are you?" She was yelling for him, shivering as the spray from the waves started soaking through her clothes. All she could hear was the alarm and the raging of the sea, fearing that they'd just lost him. "Jess…I'm over here!" Turning quickly, she ran over toward where he was, scaling the pots easily and reaching out to help him get finished tying them up.
Up in the wheelhouse, Andy let out a string of cursing when he saw her dash out onto the deck like that. "What the hell is she doing! She's going to get herself killed out there like that!" He yelled, slamming his fist down onto the wooden surface of the control panel, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. The deck was not a place he wanted to see her right now, and he really didn't like the image of her up on the pots with Scottie. Closing his eyes for a second, he said a quick prayer and then locked his eyes back on her form.
Finishing up the job together, she grinned at him, shivering as she carefully climbed down onto the deck. He came down after her and smiled, "Thanks for the help, lets get back inside now, you look like you're freezing to death." Nodding, she laughed and started across the deck with him to go back to the galley. Of course, her first trip would be to her bunkroom to get some dry clothes before she froze. Patting her on the back, Scottie hurried on across the deck, stepping inside and starting to pull off his rain gear, glancing back to watch her come on inside.
Just as she was nearing the corner of the sorting table, Andy felt his heart stop when he saw the wave. It crashed over the side of the boat with no warning, slamming into the sorting table and knocking it free of where it was sitting. Momentarily blinded by the rush of water, Jessica never saw what was happening. The sorting table hit her right side, slamming her up against the boat harder than she would have liked. She was definitely in a considerable amount of pain, holding her side with one hand; trying to hold back the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes at how bad it actually was.
Scottie moved to go out and help her off the deck, but bad things always came in pairs or more, and he never had the time to get to her. Another wave crashed over the rail and hit the sorting table, sending it flying right into her for the second time. The force of impact was so much that it knocked the air out of her instantly. A second later, she was out completely, sinking down onto the deck. Scottie and Neal were at her side almost as soon as she fell, moving the table and then lifting her together, hurrying to get off the deck. Andy was in a state of shock up in the wheelhouse, tears actually welling up in his blue eyes.
Leaving the boat to Jonathon, he turned and ran from the wheelhouse, feeling his heart breaking in his chest. They had cleared off the table in the galley, laying her down on it as carefully as they could. When he ran inside, he stopped, his face turning pale when he saw how lifeless she looked. It was worse than the bump on the head days earlier; she was barely even breathing this time. A thin, almost steady line of blood was dripping from her mouth and he knew she had internal injuries. Closing his eyes, he turned and ran back toward the wheelhouse as fast as his legs could carry him.
He didn't care about the season anymore; nothing mattered except getting her to a hospital as fast as they could. Taking the stairs two at a time, he came up into the wheelhouse, grabbing the mic from it's place on the wall. John stayed quiet, watching the way his brother was reacting to things right now. His hands were shaking as he tried to hold himself together, "Coast Guard, this is the Time Bandit. We've got a crew member down, immediate assistance requested." Every boat out on the Bering heard the call go out, the other captains pausing when they heard.
"Copy that, Time Bandit, we need any details you can give us." Swallowing hard, Andy closed his eyes for a moment, "Female, twenty-eight years old. A rogue wave hit the boat…the sorting table hit her…twice. There's internal bleeding…she's got blood coming from her mouth." Leaning his head against the wall, Andy did his best to hold it all together, feeling the hot tears slide down his cheeks now. Holding his arm out, he handed over the mid to John, turning toward the stairs, "Tell them where we are…and get them out here, now. I won't lose her, John, I can't." With that said, he was gone back down the stairs, not caring who saw the tears in his eyes, the woman he loved needed help.
Neal had her as dry and leaned up as they could get her, having blankets wrapped around her to keep her warm. Mike was keeping a constant check on her pulse and her blood pressure, making Andy thankful to have such a great crew. Taking a light breath, he walked over to them, stopping beside Scottie, who was about as shaken as his uncle. "I couldn't…everything happened so fast…" He said quietly, bringing Andy's attention to him, "There wasn't anything you could do, Scott." Putting a hand on his nephew's shoulder, Andy gave a light squeeze and then went over to where she was laying on the table.
Sliding by, he stood near her head and shoulders for a second before sitting down, reaching out to lightly brush the hair away from her face. She was so pale right now, making him worry even more than he had been before. "Can you guys give me a minute alone with her…please?" Everyone nodded and quietly left the galley, knowing that he was more than a little upset about everything right now. Andy closed his eyes, leaning forward and resting his head against her shoulder. His hand found one of hers, gently squeezing it as new tears slid down his cheeks. "Jessica, I know you can hear me. You listen to me, don't you dare die on me, you hear me? I love you, and I'm not going to let you die like this, I won't."
Lifting his head, he reached out, brushing all of the hair away from her face, gently turning her head toward him. Picking up a towel from beside her, he wiped the fresh blood away from her mouth. His heart clenched, but he held it together for the moment, putting the towel down with a sigh. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss onto her lips, praying that she didn't die like this on him. Sliding down, he sat beside her, holding her hand in his and resting his head against her shoulder again. This was the last time he was ever going to put her in danger again, his heart couldn't take seeing her like this. It also made him realize something else; he loved her more than anything in the world, losing her would shatter him into a million pieces.