Chapter 10

They spent the whole fourth day cleaning up the remaining messes from the storm. It helped pass the time and avoid sitting and having nothing to do but think about their dilemma.

Mandy's siphoning of the engine room had removed a majority of the water and Steve spent most of the day down below cleaning up the rest and looking over the high-tech mechanical instruments again that were beyond his expertise. Even with the manual from the bridge it was still like looking at a space ship to him. After a few hours he finally gave up and put his free time to better use by re-caulking the leaky nozzle in the Conversion tank and checking the fresh water tank for leaks, making sure it too was still sealed. The weather had been good to them since the big storm three days before, hot but clear. He hoped it stayed that way.

He concentrated on his job but Mandy wasn't far from his thoughts and every now and then he would hear her upstairs and the kiss would come to mind. He also felt it odd that even though she was only a floor or two above him, he missed her. They had been together almost every minute of the day since the storm and now they weren't.

He bent his head inside the hatch on the floor and took one more look around to make sure everything looked secure just in case the weather did turn on them. He was satisfied for now and decided that only time would tell. He had done all that he could, wishing now for the first time that he'd spent more time in his Navy days on the ships rather than on the land, it might have helped in this situation, but once again he tried to keep the positive side and thought how thankful he was to be onboard the boat. Their situation could be a lot worse, a hell of a lot worse, he thought gratefully.

The boat was sound, and more than anything else at the moment Mandy was safe, to him that's all that mattered for the time being.

Mandy spent her time in each of the bedrooms, cleaning up the messes from the storm. There were broken perfume and cologne bottles and spilled shampoo in the bathrooms as well as clothes that had been scattered about, but she wondered in the girl's room just how much was from the storm and how much was from them just being messy. She didn't care, it gave her something to do rather than stare at the empty horizon and think about their rescue that seemed imminent in the beginning, but every day that went by they both began to realize they might be out there much longer than they had anticipated.

She tried not to think too much about Cash, assured he must be going out of his mind with worry, knowing she would be. She wondered if he were still searching or if they had presumed that the boat had sunk and given up. She thought how stubborn he could be and knew if the tables were turned, she would never give up until she found him or the boat, even if she had to scale the bottom of the ocean for it, assured he would do the same. It also made her mindful of her father, not so sure he would be as diligent as Cash. It saddened her, but she knew without a doubt that Cash was her only hope in the long run.

She heard what sounded like the engine room hatch closing and a smile instantly crossed her lips as Steve came to mind. He was a godsend to her. Of all the people on the planet to be stranded with, he was the best choice for her. He was the kindest most patient man she had ever met. He had a great sense of humor and kept her laughing, the fact that he was also the sexiest man she had ever met didn't hurt either. The kiss from him in the galley was so unexpected and made her blush even now. She was willing to let it escalate to whatever he wanted, if that's what he wanted, hoping as she blushed again, feeling her body long to be close with him in that way. They were alone and there was no one to tell her what she was feeling was wrong.

Their lives were so different but here on the boat there was no social distance between them, they were just two people looking out for one another in an unfortunate situation. It was ironic though she thought, because even with all the trouble they were in she didn't feel unfortunate. She was safe, unharmed and sharing her space with someone who truly cared for her well-being. She felt pretty lucky considering.

…..

Danny and Cash came inside the Rarotonga hospital a little after 1:00pm four days after the storm.

Cash went straight for the front desk when he heard his father's voice behind him.

"Cash," Peter said as he rose from the chair in the waiting room.

He turned and forwent the greeting, not seeing his father since the day before. Since his arrival they had barely spoken and when they did it was all business. He felt his father had just been a burden right now on his mission to find his sister, assured he could do nothing more with his help that he and Danny had not already accomplished together.

"How is he? Does he have information about the others, Mandy and Steve?" he asked frantically.

"He's sleeping they said."

"You haven't talked to him?!" Cash asked angrily.

Danny ignored the two men and went to the front desk, speaking to the young woman behind it. "The man that was brought in that they fished out of the ocean today, what room is he in?"

"I'm sorry but…"

"He was on a boat with my brother and his sister during the storm." he motioned to Cash. "The boat is now missing. He could have vital information to their whereabouts. We need to speak to him, now!"

She looked startled and glanced over at Cash and his father, who had stopped their bickering and was now focused on Danny.

"Oh," she replied sympathetically to them. They had rules but she felt this was an unusual circumstance. She looked at her computer, knowing exactly whom they were speaking of. She looked up at Danny, "Room 21, right down that hallway." She pointed around the corner.

He looked over at Cash and didn't have to say anything, he was already following him.

Danny backed away and allowed Cash and his father to enter first since they knew the man. He didn't want to barge in and start demanding answers, although that was exactly what Steve would have done, he thought amusingly, feeling pained over the possibility of him being gone for good.

He pushed that dreaded thought from his mind, knowing his partner and not believing his demise until he saw actual physical evidence of it.

He would give Cash and his father the first few minutes to speak to the man, but if things weren't going the way he hoped then he might have to channel some 'McGarrett' to get things moving. They didn't have time for small talk. Steve and Mandy could very well be floating in the ocean somewhere the same as this guy had been.

Cash came in and saw Bordeaux laying with his eyes closed and a tube coming out of his arm and chest into various machines along the side of the bed. His face was severally sunburned with patches of peeling dead skin on his cheeks and forehead. There was a white cream on his lips that were also chapped and cracking from dehydration and being exposed to the sun.

Cash walked to the other side of the bed from the machines and gently touched Bordeaux on the arm, using his given name.

"Tony," he said quietly so as not to startle him and then more loudly, needing his attention. "Tony."

He slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he turned his head, looking up at Cash.

"Mr. McKay," he replied in a raspy voice.

Peter stepped forward, "How are you feeling, Tony? Anything you need you just ask."

He smiled slightly from that but cringed over the pain on his lips from the cracking.

"We were so thankful to hear of your rescue," Cash said. "Mandy," he began and was suddenly overcome with emotions, not sure he was ready to hear bad news from him. He took a deep breath and went on, "Do you know what happened to Mandy, Steve and Frederick?"

Bordeaux squinted as if he were thinking and then gently shook his head. "No. There was an explosion," he whispered, as Danny moved closer to the bed to hear him more clearly.

"An explosion?" Cash gasped feeling his heart drop to his stomach, they all felt it. "Did the boat sink?"

He shook his head, "No, on top of the bridge, something hit it, lightening. I went out and…" he closed his eyes, recalling the terrifying moment that he went overboard. "I went to investigate and lost my footing. The waves were very high, I slipped overboard."

"It's a miracle you survived," Peter said. "Amanda," he began, feeling his heart ache for her, "what can you tell me about my daughter?"

He swallowed, "She was in the control room with me." He shook his head, "I don't know what happened. I lost sight of the boat in the storm. We drifted apart quickly. I don't know what became of it."

"What about Steve?" Danny asked. "When did you last see Steve?"

"He was in the control room with me and then went down…" he paused, about to tell them about the flooded engine room but stopped himself. If the boat did indeed sink because he had neglected to close the engine room hatch, he could very well be to blame, "He left to go find Frederick. He never came back."

Danny spoke up, "The Port Authority said they tried to contact you several times about the storm. Why didn't you respond to any of their radio calls?'

"I was in my cabin for the night." He looked over at Peter, "The storm came on very quickly. It was late at night."

"You didn't see it on the radar?" Danny inquired looking at him accusingly. "You'd think a storm like that would be clearly visible. So, you saw it and then went to bed?"

"What are you saying," Bordeaux snapped and then coughed, reaching for his glass of water. Peter stepped in and handed it to him. He took a sip and then spoke to Peter not Danny. "I brought the boat out to deeper water so we would not run aground and damage it. The storm grew quite quickly and fiercer than shown. If I hadn't gone out to deeper water we would have sunk for sure. I did what was best for the safety of everyone on board. I risked my life trying to save everyone."

Peter nodded and touched his arm, "Ok, Tony, ok. I know. I trust you did everything possible." He turned to Danny and Cash, "Let's leave him be for a while to rest."

"I'm with Danny," Cash said angrily, "Why didn't you respond to the Port Authority? Your last location was headed straight for the storm they said. What were you thinking, going to bed with a storm approaching! Goddamn you!"

"Cash!" Peter yelled. "That's enough!"

"He thinks he saved them but he could have killed them all!"

"I did the best I…" Bordeaux began and then started coughing again.

"Leave him be!" Peter yelled again. "Let's go." He pointed to the door.

Danny went out first determined to come back and question him again, alone.

Peter came out last, giving Danny a slight glance out the corner of his eye as he spoke to his son. "We need to talk. In private, Cash."

He turned to his father, ignoring the request, his anger and fear reaching a new height. "Why are you protecting Bordeaux? And why didn't you demand more answers?!"

"He already told us what he knew, Cash."

"I don't believe him, and if he is telling the truth then why aren't you more pissed off? It's like your protecting him over the welfare of your daughter! What is it Pop, you got some kind of big life insurance policy on Mandy that you'll collect if she's never found?!"

Peter reached out and slapped him across the face.

"How dare you say that to me! Amanda may be your sister but she's my child! I'm sick and tired of you blaming me for your mother's death, Cash! She was sick. There was nothing I could do to stop it! Stop blaming me for it! I tried my best with you and Amanda but it was never enough for you!"

The shocking slap did little to restrain his anger, "You don't give a shit about us, you never have! Work was all you cared about. Hell, you were on the phone with work when you landed. You couldn't even take the time to rush out and see what the latest news was on your daughter! The company is your child not us. It always has been. Mom taught us more in the little time we had with her than you ever will. I don't blame you for her death, I blame you for avoiding us because of her death!"

Danny blew out a breath and took a step back running his hands through his hair, not needing this right now. Steve was missing and he was caught dead center in the middle of a family feud.

"Look," he jumped in, "we all got family issues all right, but right now is not the time to be punching each other out. My partner is out there somewhere with your daughter and employee, god only knows where, so I say we put our differences aside and focus on the problem at hand."

Cash quickly backed off, being reminded why he was there, "You're right. I'm sorry, Danny. You're right. Let's go." He started to walk away with him toward the exit when Peter called out in a tamer voice.

"Cash. I'm here to help. I'm not leaving until we find Amanda and the others." He walked toward them as Cash stopped but didn't turn. "I wasn't on the phone with work when I landed. McKay Enterprises has several contracts with the Navy. I was reaching out to Pearl Harbor in hopes that one of them would be willing to aide in the help of locating the Fair Maiden. That's who I was speaking with."

Danny turned, not caring about the family feud but the word Navy got his attention. "Steve was in the Navy for like ten years. He was a Lieutenant Commander and a Navy Seal. They loved him and he has connections at Pearl. Mention his name, it might help."

Peter kept his eyes focused on the back of his son's head but spoke to Danny. "Ok, I'll do that. Thank you, Mr. Williams. But Cash, we need to talk privately and soon."

"Let us know what you find out about the Navy assistance," Cash said, ignoring the private conversation request again as he walked to the exist with Danny, leaving his father behind.

…

Mandy came down the darkened hallway after changing into a night shirt and called frantically for Steve as he met her halfway, gripping her by the shoulders as the boat gently swayed.

"Oh my god," her voice filled with panic and fear, "it's raining really hard! I don't want another storm!"

"Hey," he massaged her shoulders, hearing the stress and fear begin to grip her, "it's just a little rain. We're in the ocean, of course it's going to rain but it's nothing serious."

"How do you know?!"

He didn't really and was only going off of his knowledge of living in a tropical setting and the rain that would take over the island for a couple of hours and then vanish, hoping this was the same situation, but he didn't want her anymore upset than she already was.

"Rain like this comes and goes all the time in Hawaii. We'll be fine." He let go of her as she held steady in her stance. "See, the boat is barely even moving, it's just rain."

She let out a nervous breath and nodded her understanding, relying on his knowledge to calm her, "Ok. You're right, it is just rain. There's no thunder and lightning," she said as if alerting him of that knowledge.

"Right!" he enthusiastically agreed, pleased to hear her voice calming. "It's just a little rain, and it's actually a good thing," he said hoping to sway her in another direction. "I think we should set out some pots and catch some. We can fill up the empty water bottles we've been using."

She looked up at him with bright eyes and nodded, "Yes! Yes. That's a good idea." she leaned into him as he hugged her.

"It'll be over soon."

He held her hand as he guided her down the hallway and out to the main living area. They went down to the galley and gathered some pots and pans and put them out on the deck to catch the fresh water and then went back in the living room and sat down next to each other on the large, plush white rug that practically carpeted the entire room.

Steve bent his knees and rested his elbows on them as they both gazed out at the rain that fell on the deck and listened to the patter of it as it filled the metal pans.

"It's kind of a nice sound," Mandy said of the distant pitter-patter, not feeling any of the panic that had gripped her earlier.

"I like it when it rains," he agreed. "At home I have a lanai off my bedroom and when it rains, I open the door so I can hear it."

She pictured him there with doors that opened to a beautiful view of Hawaiian flowers and maybe even the ocean. It felt like someplace she could be happy in, reminding her of another time when she felt safe and happy during the rain.

"I remember one time when I was little," she began, "my Mom and I laid on the couch together at our house in the Hamptons during a thunderstorm and watched it for what seemed like hours. She told me stories about when she was a little girl and how she and my father met. It was one of the best times I ever spent with her." She looked over at him. "Up until the other night I liked storms because they reminded me of that night with her." She looked down shyly, "Thank you for being here with me and for making me appreciate them again. I know this isn't where you want to be, and I'm sure it hasn't been since the first day you stepped foot on the boat, but I'm glad you took the job and I'm glad you're here with me now."

He felt like something wrapped around his heart and squeezed, knowing it was simply her presence next to him. He was falling head over heels and there was nothing he could do stop it.

"Truthfully," he confessed, "you amaze me more and more every day that I spend with you and honestly, there's no place I'd rather be right now than here with you, and that goes all the way back to my first day here. When I looked up and saw you for the first time standing up on that deck in that tan dress with your hair blowing in the wind, I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful in my entire life."

She looked up at him and when she did, every word he'd just said spoke to her again through his eyes that couldn't lie or be misread, she too had never seen anything more beautiful than the man sitting next to her that wanted nothing from her, except just her.

"I don't want to be rescued tonight," she said without a hint of shyness or shame, "maybe not ever," she smiled.

He couldn't deny that he felt the same.

They slowly leaned into each other until their lips met. It felt different from the one earlier in the galley. There was no awkward beginning. It was as if they already knew each other so well that it was as natural as breathing. It was unhurried and gentle, there was no use in rushing it; they had all night.

They broke from the kiss but still remained close. He put a hand on her face, feeling the softness and reeling over the beautiful woman that had his full attention. He didn't think of the social class that separated them, because right here, right now, there was no separation and they both felt it. It was just the two of them in the middle of the vast ocean. There was no one there to tell her it was a mistake, or him that what was happening between them would only lead to a tragic end.

He had told himself at one point that they would have been good together in another life, but as he leaned in and kissed her again, he resolved with himself that he only had one life, and to not be with her in it would be the tragedy.

She held on around his neck as he laid her back on the rug.

She'd never been kissed nor had she ever kissed anyone else before with the same hunger that they both reveled in now. He came from a place in her heart that she had only dreamt of and yet he was here, so real and so willing to except her for who she was and not for what she was. Denying him was unthinkable because every inch of her body was screaming out for him.

He wanted her so bad he could barely think straight, but moving on her in that way he felt he needed to be cautious. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel pressured by him. He only wanted her if she felt the same. That thought scarcely had time to digest in his conscience when she broke from the kiss and pulled his shirt over his head, running her hands over his chest and biceps that were firm, feeling his muscles through the palms of her hand, finally getting to feel what she had admired so many times from afar. He was a man in every sense of the word and more of a man than anyone she had ever been with.

He put aside any doubts over her willingness, which in turn was like an adrenaline rush as the impulses in his brain ignited over just the thought of being with her in that way.

He removed her shirt next, both of them scarcely able to break free from the kissing that was driving the moment.

Their clothes eventually lay scattered near them in no particular order, tossed aside as if they were nothing more than a needless interference.

She felt uninhibited with him and did something that she normally would not have. She took his hand and guided it down between her legs.

When he touched her there her body quivered and she gasped, having to pull herself back from climaxing too soon, just from his simple touch.

He liked foreplay but at this moment he had no patients for it, his need for her was unrelenting. He moved on top of her as she wrapped her legs around him, more than grateful for this sexual liaison to get started. Her hands roamed over his body, feeling his strength from the muscles that were taught. His kisses were more than enough foreplay for her, assured his skills at sex were going to be just as amazing.

She could feel a slight pressure and then all at once she felt nothing but him as he slid into her.

He moved very slowly at first, keeping on track with his gentle nature, but as the coupling grew more comfortable so did the momentum from both of them.

He rose above her as she laid her head back and gasped over the shooting pleasures that were erupting insider of her.

He had to force himself to look away and not at her, the sight was too perfect and was moving him dangerously close to ending the moment that he was not ready to complete just yet, she felt too good to stop now, or ever.

She gripped onto his arms that were braced on either side of her body and lifted her hips off the floor, meeting him stroke for stroke feeling as if her whole body was perfectly in sync with his, including her mind that had no recollection of where she was lying or what might become of them, because at the moment she didn't care. All she wanted was him closer, not sure how to get him there when he once again perfected the moment.

He laid down on top of her and slid his arm under her neck, gripping her shoulder as he slowed his pace and then let nature have its way, unbale to control the urge to look at her.

She met his eyes and he felt it all the way to his core. The impact was mesmerizing and the feel of her hands roaming over his body and through his hair brought words to his lips that just flowed out of him with no sense of a filter or repercussion.

"My god, Mandy," he whimpered softly, "You feel so good."

When he kissed her the words were still floating in her head like a beautiful poem.

His pure honesty and his want for her was more powerful than any fantasy she had ever imagined, because this was real. He couldn't fake it, no one was that good of a liar and in turn it filled her with a hope of finally feeling for the first time in her life that she belonged somewhere, she belonged with him.

He broke from the kiss and they clung to each other tightly as the momentum grew and the forces of nature once again took over, allowing them to feel the wrath of it together.

When it finally ended, they laid motionless, still holding one another as their bodies relaxed under the strain of the release that was heart stopping.

He reluctantly moved off of her but not ready to let go just yet, keeping a tight hold as they rolled on their sides facing one another. She wrapped her leg around his thigh as he gripped her around the waist, pulling her close. She rested her head on his bicep that was a pillow.

Everything was different now, everything. There was no turning back and neither one of them wanted to.