Chapter 29

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The next week on board the S.S. Tipton was a long and arduous one. Not all of the students had been as fortunate as the seven who had rode out the storm in London's cabin. They hadn't forethought to board their windows, and many of their rooms had experienced various degrees of water damage. So, many of them spent a good part of the week cleaning and drying their own rooms. The students who had escaped major damage were encouraged to help out with the clean up of other areas of the ship.

The S.S. Wanda quickly made its way towards the S.S. Tipton, and all other passengers were transported to it by the end of the week. To quicken this process, it seemed that there was a constant stream of Tipton helicopters ferrying passengers from one ship to the other. So, by the end of the week, the only people left on board were the students, teachers, crew and the skeleton staff Mr. Moseby had mentioned.

As the reason the students were still there was to keep classes going, the affected classrooms were among the first places to be addressed. All interior classrooms were fine, but those that were right of the deck were a mess. Plywood was used to board up any broken windows and then sealed with waterproof tarps. Inside, broken glass was cleaned up and all the carpets vacuumed and cleaned.

Cody and Bailey found themselves in their element as both actually enjoyed cleaning. Everyone else was not as enthused, but Emma promised anyone that helped that she would write them a glowing letter of recommendation to include in their college admissions.

Midweek, Moseby had a discussion with a structural engineer that Mr. Tipton had flown in. After examining the skydeck, he condemned it and said it would have to be totally rebuilt. Knowing that he had to try to clean up what was still up there, Moseby pulled several of the guys away from the classrooms to assist in on the skydeck. Among those selected were Zack, Cody and Woody.

To say they were shocked when the first saw it since the hurricane would be putting it mild. The three guys could only look around and try to remember what it had once looked like. None of the many tables and deck chairs that had once adorned it were anywhere to be scene. The hottub was only a shell of its former self, and the staircase was mangled badly. And the Smoothie Bar...wiped away as if it had never existed. Cody found himself walking around where the towel counter used to be, but nothing was left but a few pieces of painted timber.

The first task was to determine what was salvageable and what wasn't. Unfortunately, this didn't take long at all. The only thing they could find was one of the wooden wall menus from the smoothie bar, but it was deemed to be worthless. Zack held it aside, intending on keeping it as a souvenir.

Once that was done, all the was left to do was throw everything into a large dumpster bin that had been specifically flown in for that purpose. After several hours, everything that wasn't nailed or screwed down had been tossed in the dumpster. All the guys were worn out by the time Mr. Moseby returned to check on the progress. Seeing the once vibrant area stripped and bared left him shaking his head in sadness as well. He finally turned to the guys and dismissed them and thanked them for their help.

As they walked back, Zack turned to Cody. "Wow...Can you imagine what could have happened if the dance had been help up there..."

Cody could only shudder. "Thank God it wasn't..."

"I know...I don't even recognize the place anymore..."

"Kind of weird that a place we've spent so much time the past two and a half years is gone..."

"Yeah...all those memories there seem...I don't know..."

Cody laughed. "Like our first day here watching Moseby getting fished out the ocean..."

Zack laughed too. "Oh yeah...I don't think he was happy to see us..." Zack paused. "Remember that night Agent Smith came aboard and beat up that other dude?"

Cody shakes his head. "How could I forget..."

Zack smirks. "Well, at least we know your aversion to showers is over now..."

Cody smirks back. "What about you, you still have nightmares of lady wrestlers beating you up?"

Zack shudders. "Thanks for reminding me..."

Cody pauses and smiles. "You know, we all have some pretty good memories of that place...Things we'll always remember..."

Zack nods. "Yeah...I'm really going to miss it. It was the first place I kissed Cassie..."

"I know what you mean...I have a lot of fond memories of being with Bailey there...It was where she first called me her guy..."

Zack smiles. "Well, we still have our memories...and for some reason, those girls actually like to be around us..."

"Yeah...I guess we have done some things right after all..."

"Well, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go shower and find mine..."

Cody nods. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me either..."

Returning to their floor, Cody entered his room, and found Bailey already back. She must have just come from the shower as she had a towel wrapped around her head. He shuffled inside, his legs sore from the day's work. Hearing him come in, Bailey looked up and watched him come in. She was about to say something to him when she caught herself staring. The t-shirt he was wearing was drenched in sweat and was skin tight on him. As he came in, he walked past her and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Bailey thought she heard him say something about a shower, but she was having trouble focusing. And then he did something that almost drove her crazy...he peeled off his shirt and dropped it into the hamper. Her mind went absolutely blank as she sat there staring as his naked torso still dripping in sweat. She briefly wondered if this was the same way Cody felt when he saw her. And she would have continued to be in her daze if she hadn't felt his hand on her shoulder. She shook her head and looked up to see him smiling at her.

"Bails? Are you okay? Looked like you were a million miles away..."

Bailey paused and then flushed. "Yeah...fine..."

Cody was curious now. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah...I..." Bailey sighed. She knew she could be honest with him. "The sight of your shirt clinging to you and then you taking it off left me...stupid for a minute..."

Cody was surprised. "Really?"

Bailey rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yes, really...You know you aren't the only one who can lose all brain activity by seeing the other...in a state of undress."

Cody blushed then smiled. "Thank you...I know that exact feeling all too well..."

Bailey felt a warm feeling begin to engulf her. "Anytime..." Pulling herself together, she asked. "So, how was the skydeck?"

Cody sighed. "Non-existent..."

Bailey looks at Cody in surprise. "What?"

"It was condemned. There wasn't hardly anything worth saving..."

Bailey frowns. "I'm going to miss that place..."

"Me too...Zack and I were talking about that very thing. We all have so many memories there..."

"I know...I'll never forget the mulch festival you threw for me there..."

Cody smiles. "I remember...I wanted so much to help you with your homesickness, but in the end, I was so afraid you were going to leave me..."

Bailey smiles. "You know what I remember?"

"What?"

"I remember hugging you and it finally hitting me..."

Cody looks confused. "What hit you?"

"That I had fallen for you...I felt so safe and at home in your arms. Then it got so warm..." Bailey paused. "I know a lot has happened since then, but I still feel so safe and comfortable in your arms..." Bailey grins. "But, instead of getting warm, it gets downright steamy..."

Cody smiles. "Tell me about it...Speaking of steamy, care to join me for another shower...You know, to help us cool off..."

Bailey grins. "I'd love to, but I'm supposed to talk to my Mom on a video chat in a few minutes..."

"Too bad..."

Bailey smiles. "I will expect a rain check though..."

Cody laughs. "Like you even have to ask for one..."

And with that Cody heads into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Again, he lets the warm water soothe his aching muscles before he decides to finally clean up. He grabs his loofah and reaches for his body wash when he realized the bottle was empty. He slips out of the shower to get a new bottle from the cabinet when he hears something. For some reason, he cracks the bathroom door to listen. He overhears Bailey and her mother speaking.

"So, how is everything going on board? Does the thought of the hurricane still bother you?"

"No, Mom, I'm okay now. Cody kept me from freaking out about it, and I can deal with it now..."

"Bailey, I can tell something is bothering you...Is everything going okay with you and Cody?"

"Everything with Cody is wonderful. He's still being his loveable, adorable self..."

"Then what is it, Honey?"

Bailey sighs. "I guess its just getting to me that I'm going to miss Thanksgiving this year. This will be the first time I've ever not been there for it. I guess the fact that all of you will be there and I will be stuck here has finally dawned on me. I've always loved Thanksgiving, it was one of my favorite holidays..."

"I know, but you'll be home for Christmas. We'll all see you again then..."

"I know...I'm just going to miss seeing everyone...and the wonderful meal you and grandma prepare. With everything that's happened, I don't know if we are doing anything special here to celebrate or not..."

"Have you told this to Cody? If I know that boy, he would do his best to make it special for you..."

"I know he would, Mom. After the hurricane and its aftermath, it would feel kind of selfish of me to make a big deal out of this. I know I should be thankful that we made it through Hurricane Igor in one piece and I should count my blessings...Its just...I don't know...I can't explain it. I guess I'm just missing the normalcy it would bring..."

"I understand...I know you will be just fine though. I still think you should tell Cody, but I understand your reasons why you don't..."

And with that, Cody closes the bathroom door and slips back in the shower. Silently, he berated himself for not realizing how missing Thanksgiving would affect her. There had to be something he could do about it. And then, it hit him. If he couldn't take the girl to a Kettlecorn Thanksgiving, he'd do his best to bring a Kettlecorn Thanksgiving to her.

To be Continued...