"You joined the navy about a month ago. You were assigned to my recruitment ship, the SS Gillis. We were headed for Korea to make a trade," Skipper began. He felt foolish, like he was talking to a wall. Gilligan showed no sign that he had heard anything. Skipper continued. "On the first day, I made you peel potatoes." He paused and thought for a moment. "I'm the captain, but for some reason, you started calling me Skipper." He sighed. He had assumed that he would get some kind of response by this time.
Skipper took Gilligan's hand in his. "Gilligan, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."
Nothing.
Skipper glanced at his watch. It was one-thirty in the morning. "I'm not going to get anywhere tonight," he decided.
--
When Kayla peeked inside the room half an hour later, she found the Skipper with his face and arms laying on the edge of the bed, and the rest of him stretching out from the chair.
From her point of view, the scene looked like a father who had fallen asleep reading to his son.
She smiled and quietly shut the door.
--
Gilligan was walking down a dark pier, fog from the body of water underneath rolling over it. The pier was very rickety and seemed as if it could collapse at any moment.
There were voices calling out to him from the water, but he could neither see them nor understand what they were saying.
As he walked, the fog got less and less thick until he began to see a tiny light peeking through. The voices had stopped now, and the pier had gradually become sturdier until it looked brand-new.
Soon, he found that the source of the light was a lighthouse in the distance. He made it to the edge of the pier and stopped there. He could now see that the lighthouse was on the shore on the other side of the water.
Then, something bit his hand. He looked to see what it was, but it had gone.
So, he jumped into the water and began to swim across. The voices were back and he could now hear some of the words they were saying. He heard his name, the word "navy," and then "potatoes," then they stopped talking again.
He briefly got his hand caught in some seaweed, but was quickly freed.
He would make it to the lighthouse in no time.
--
"We had to change planes here in Hawaii, so you suggested that we get some breakfast—even though it was almost eight o'clock at night!" Skipper was saying. He had woken up at around seven a.m. when another doctor had come in to check on Gilligan. He had left to find some breakfast, since it was the right time for it, but unsuccessfully only found a vending machine filled with potato chips and gum.
So, after finishing his barbecue potato chips and walking around for a few minutes to exercise his knee, he had gone back to finish telling Gilligan about their adventure.
"We had a really rude waitress, but we left her a big tip anyway," Skipper said laughing at that memory. "You were really deep that night," he recalled. "You were talking about how beautiful the ocean was and how you'd love to live here." He paused. "Not here in the hospital, here in Hawaii," he clarified. Skipper looked at the wall, focusing on the memory.
--
Gilligan was so close to the lighthouse, in a few more strokes, he'd be there. Then, the voice was back. But, this time, it came in very clearly.
--
"You wanted for you and me to start a business and live here forever," Skipper said. He glanced back down at his immobile friend. "Gilligan, if you ever wake up—"
--
"—I swear, we'll start that business and we'll live in paradise forever, just like you wanted."
Gilligan, treading the water to stay in one place,turned his head back and forth, trying to find the source of the voice. He recognized it easily, but he couldn't figure out who it was.
--
Skipper leaned over his knees and put his face in his hands, dismally. He didn't notice Gilligan moving his head from side to side very faintly.
--
Before he could resume swimming toward the shore again, a great force pulled Gilligan straight down. He was sucked down through the water and thought he would drown. For some reason though, he didn't fight to get back to the surface, and all thoughts about the lighthouse had vanished.
--
Gilligan tried to cough up some of the water he had inhaled, but to his surprise, found that there was none. In fact, he was completely dry from head to toe. He opened his eyes and looked around the uncomfortably white room he found himself in.
Then, to his delight, he saw that the Skipper was sitting to his right, staring at him, mouth agape.
"That's not polite, Skipper," he said brazenly.
"Little Buddy!" Skipper cried, jumping to his feet. "Ow!" he wailed, grabbing his knee and stooping over. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm so glad you're awake!"
"Why, is it time for drills?" Gilligan wondered. He curiously felt the bandaging on his forehead. "Did I slip and fall down?"
"No, Gilligan," Skipper answered. "A car hit you. You saved—"
"Was I in an accident?" Gilligan asked, still feeling the bandage.
Skipper gave him a sideways look. "Yes, Gilligan," he said. "I just told you that a car hit you."
"Oh," Gilligan said. He noticed the dressing wrapped around his upper arm. "Was I in an accident?"
--
NoV: Yay! Sorry this one took so long. I had to write an essay and it was none too pretty. (frown) Okay! Chapter 12 will be up soon!