Cairns 17 April, 18:00 hrs ( 6 pm ):
When Josh set up the charter with Mathews Air Service, he listed Mike as their emergency contact, so when Dave's plane didn't show up in East Timor as scheduled, an alarm was raised. Dave's flight plan was confirmed, as was his departure from Weipa. Search and rescue were sent out from East Timor, and Dave's contact number was called.
Dave's wife, Jessica, received the call about her husband's missing plane. After pulling herself together, she called her girls and then looked up the charter information for that day's flight.
"Commander Mike Flynn", Mike said, answering the phone in his office.
"Commander," Jessica began trying to keep her composure. "This is Jessica Mathews, Mathews Air Service. You're listed as the emergency contact for two of our passengers, Josh Holiday and Nikki Caetano. I was just informed by the airport in East Timor that they were scheduled to land at 4:00pm and that they never made it. Their departure was confirmed by Weipa. It's assumed that the plane went down around 3:38. That's based on the time of the last check-in."
Mike was momentarily speechless, then, "Ms Mathews, are you saying that the plane went down?"
"It's being treated as such, yes," her voice breaking. She heaved a large sigh before continuing. "They have sent out search and rescue from East Timor and from Queensland.
Dave took off from Weipa at 1330 (1:30pm); an hour and a half into the flight, flight control lost contact. There had been a squall in the area at that time," she explained.
"Do you know what exactly is being done on this end?" Mike asked her.
"Coastwatch has been sent out and alerts to nearby shipping."
Taking a deep breath, "Thank you for your call, Mrs Mathews."
"Dave was an AFP for 20 years; he's an excellent pilot…" barely keeping it together, "I'll keep in touch."
"Thank you," Mike said, hanging up.
Mike sat back in his chair, stunned. Then he picked up the phone and called Fleet Command.
"Admiral Wright's office," the lieutenant answered.
"Commander Flynn, I need an urgent word with the Admiral."
"Just a moment…"
"Mike! What can I do for you?"
"Admiral, Hammersley's Navigator Lt. Caetano and her fiance Petty Officer Josh Holiday are missing in what is believed to be a light aircraft mishap over the Timor Sea. I would like to send Hammersley to assist in the search. These are two very special people to the crew."
" Of course, all of our Sailors are special people, Commander. Permission granted. Godspeed in your search."
"Thank you, Admiral."
Hanging up with the Admiral, Mike called Kate, who was at home waiting for him. "Kate, Luv, I am crash sailing Hammersley."
"Aww, Mike… What's up?"
"Josh and Nikki… their plane is missing and presumed down. I want Hammersley to join the search."
" OH MY GOD! Mike! Seriously?" Kate was shocked.
"How soon can you be gone?"
" An hour, maybe less."
"An hour then, I'll send out the blast text, and I'll see you at Hammersley in thirty minutes?"
"Thirty minutes, see you then."
Mike sat for a moment, composing his thoughts before making the next phone calls.
Calling families was the worst.
Diane looked at her ringing phone and recognised the number as belonging to the Navy. "Hello?" she answered with apprehension.
"Mrs Holiday?" Mike asked.
"Yes?"
"Commander Mike Flynn…"
"Commander, what can I do for you?"
"Is there anyone else home with you?"
"Now you're worrying me. No, Jim is out in the boat."
"Mrs Holiday, Were you aware of the trip that Josh was taking with Nikki, camping in East Timor?"
" No, he didn't mention anything...What's wrong?"
"They left Weipa at 1:30pm today in a charter plane and never made it to East Timor. Their plane is presumed down over the Timor Sea."
Diane's legs buckled and she sat down hard on the floor, gasping, " My God! My God!" Not able to say anything else.
"There is a search underway and Hammersley will be joining it. I promise to keep you informed."
Trembling, "Thank you, Commander."
Mike's next call was to the Caetano's. Mike knew Nikki's Mum tended to be high strung, so he prepared himself, trying Dom's phone first."
"Dom Caetano," Nikki's father answered.
"Mr Caetano, Commander Mike Flynn."
"Commander Flynn? What's wrong? Why are you calling?"
Mike took a deep breath and went on, "Nikki and Josh left this morning for holiday…it appears that their plane went down over the Timor Sea."
"EXCUSE ME? WH...WHAT? Nikki's plane? Lost?" he stammered.
"I know that this is hard. East Timor has sent out search teams as have we, Coastwatch and Navy."
"What happened...how?"
"Of course we can't be sure, but there was a report of a storm in the area that they were last heard from."
"Dear God, should we come up there?"
"You can, of course, but there is really nothing to be done except wait and pray. Mr Caetano, call me if you have any questions or if I can help in any way."
The unpleasantries complete, Mike grabbed his hat and headed for Hammersley.
When Mike arrived at Hammersley's berth, Buffer was checking in the arriving crew.
"Sir," Buffer said, saluting.
"At ease, Buff. I'll be on the bridge with the Captain; let me know when all of the crew is here and have them muster on the aft deck. When LT Beechum gets here, send to the bridge straight away."
"Yes, Sir," wondering what's up.
Thirty minutes later, Buffer called the bridge, "The roster's complete, Ma'am and the crew is mustered."
"Thanks, Buffer."
Mike and Kate glanced at each other and left the bridge for the aft deck.
"Good evening, I apologise for the crash sail and cutting short your shore leave," Mike began. " We received word at 1800 hrs that Lt. Caetano and Josh Holiday are missing in a presumed light aircraft crash. Their aircraft was last heard from over the Timor Sea at approximately 1530 hrs. East Timor has sent search planes, as have we. I am sending Hammersley to join in the search. The Captain has their last known coordinance, and you'll be proceeding there at best speed. Good Luck, Godspeed and fair winds in your search. That is all."
A very subdued crew broke formation and headed to their duty stations.
Kate turned to Dutchy, " XO, are we ready to sail?"
"Yes, Ma'am," he said solemnly.
"Prepare for departure in 15 minutes; you'll be taking the ship out."
"Yes, Ma'am."
" Kate, your office?" Mike said.
They left the deck and went into Kate's cabin/office. As soon as the door was closed, Kate grabbed onto Mike. "I can't believe that this has happened. Can't those two ever catch a break? What are the odds, Mike? What are the odds that we'll find one or both of them alive?"
"Honestly, I'm not hopeful."
The atmosphere on the ship was solemn, knowing that this news will most likely mean the loss of their friends and shipmates.
Four days later, the search was suspended when no wreckage was found. The three were presumed to have died in the crash. Mike obtained permission from Fleet Command to hold a memorial service on the Hammersley in the Timor Sea with the families and the crew of the Reef Explorer in attendance. Three wreaths were obtained for the service.
Nikki and Josh's parents obtained an order from the court to close out their townhouse and any debts. Their cars were sold.
The Island One week:
Josh woke before Nikki, checked the signal fire and then started a cooking fire. Let's see what we have for breakfast… he thought and decided on scrambled eggs. After bringing Nikki a coffee, he started on the eggs.
"These aren't too bad, Josh," Nikki commented. "We should get some more fruit."
"Sounds like a plan."
After getting their campsite sorted, they packed the daypacks with water and energy bars and headed out. They reached the plane in about fifteen minutes then Nikki got them on a northerly heading. Twenty-five minutes into their hike from the plane, they reached the papayas.
Back at the beach, they put the fruit in the shade under the lean-to they had built using the tarpaulin from the survival kit.
"I was reading through the survival guide book that was with Dave's survival kit," Josh says. "There's a guide to edible plants in there. I'm going to check it out," Josh said.
"That sounds good; we need something other than fruit, especially if we run out of our camp food."
Making a list of plants he wanted to try to find, Josh made a plan to go foraging the following morning. He also was planning on snorkelling for seaweed and whatever else he might find.
Waking up the following day, Josh rolls out of bed, uses a tree and heads down to the water. Wading in up to his knees, he was enjoying the surf and the cool water before the heat of the day. After a while, he walked out of the surf, laid down on his back with his feet and ankles still in the water, thinking about what had happened and what they would need to do to stay healthy and alive. ( How long before they find us? Will they find us,or will theystop looking for us thinking that we're down in the Timor Sea and lost? This is all too depressing; I need to keep up the faith for Nikki.)
Nikki woke, noticed that Josh had gotten up, and went out of the tent to find him. When she spotted him on his back near the water, she panicked.
"OH MY GOD! JOSH! JOSH! PLEASE…" She ran up to him and fell to her knees as he just realised what was happening.
"Nikki?" he said, sitting up.
"Oh, God! You're alright...I thought….I thought…" She couldn't finish as she started to cry.
"Hey, Hey, I'm okay. I'm not going anywhere. It's gonna be alright, gathering her in his arms and holding her close until she calmed.
" I can't lose you, Josh, I can't."
"And you won't; how about some of my special backpacker's eggs and coffee."
"Yup, okay," kissing him.
Later that day…
"Nikki, I'm going to try for some fish or something to supplement the backpack supplies; I'll be back."
"Can I come with you? Do you mind? I'm not ready to be alone."
"Of course, I'd love the company."
Josh had gotten lucky. That night they had baked fish for supper.
"I think we should watch one of our movies later, try and take our minds off of things," Josh suggests.
"That sounds good, Babe."
One Month: 15 May
Nikki woke before Josh and decided to make him breakfast for a change. They were down to just a few oatmeal packets, so they have been sharing one packet between them, adding the dry fruit and fresh fruit. She made their coffees, brought Josh his, and then did up the oatmeal.
"Nikki, this is the best oatmeal."
"Ha, you're just saying that, so I'll make breakfast again," she laughed.
" Nik, would you cut my hair after breakfast? I don't want to end up looking like Tom Hanks in ' Cast Away '."
"Funny... I'm so glad that you didn't choose that movie to download or Lost for that matter. Of course, I will. Trim the beard too?"
" I can do that with the signal mirror."
Getting up and taking his dish, she kisses him on the head, "Go get the scissor."
Food was now a huge challenge. They had already lost a fair amount of weight, and it had only been a month. They needed to try and not lose anymore. It was a challenging goal because of their lowered caloric intake and the amount of activity they did on an average day.
Once a week, they would bring their dirty clothes to the pool to wash.
As Josh improved at catching crab and fish, that became their staple protein. They had the fruit that they had found and some greens that they used in soups and salad. Nikki made up a dressing of sorts by mashing berries adding chopped wild onion with coconut water and sweetener. There were some packaged food stores left that they were trying to use sparingly. The noodles they had were added to their soups for bulk. They still had a little coffee left and the mint green tea that Josh had packed for Nikki.
On one of their outings, they came across a stand of bamboo.
"Josh, bamboo shoots are edible and don't laugh, but I want to try making a basket."
"Why would I laugh? Sounds like a good project to me. On our way back, I'll cut some stalks, and we can gather some shoots."
They made their way to the waterfall for a bath and to refill their water bottles. Getting out of the pool, they spread towels on "their" rock and lay back in the sun to dry.
After a few minutes, Nikki rolled over and started kissing Josh's neck and jaw, moving down to his chest. "Have I told you yet today how much I love you?" Nikki asks him.
Reaching for her, he pulls her in for a kiss and replies, "You tell me with everything that you do." Then he kisses her again.
When it was time for them to head back, Nikki suggested they walk downstream to harvest some of the wild onions they had found.
It was almost 4:00 when they arrived back to the beach with their day's gatherings, and the clouds were building over the ocean for their daily storm. They had set up a rainwater collecting system that went into the Esky, providing them with some extra water.
"Do you want to try and eat before the storm or wait?" Josh asked.
"I'm okay with some fruit for now."
"Good, I'm going to grab our chargers; I'll be right back."
"Looks like we're in for a good one; there's a lot of lightning out there."
"You know how much I love making love in a thunderstorm," he says with a cheeky grin.
Nikki laughed, "A favourite of mine too," and she leaned over and kissed him. They sat there in front of the tent, watching as the storm rolled in. When the rain started, they crawled inside. The storm went on for a while, and they fell asleep curled up together.
The next day Josh set to make some small tables out of some of the bamboo they had collected so that their cookware would be up out of the sand. He made frames from the bamboo stalks and secured them using the duct tape from the survival kit. When he had the frames done, he asked Nikki if she would weave strips of bamboo to form a top. She had been trying to weave a basket which was proving difficult with not knowing how it was done. But she's determined.
The bunker was set up after cleaning it of dust and dirt. A fire pit was constructed near the window with a supply of wood stacked inside. From the beach, they brought up two of the pillows, survival blankets, candles, and they made a table for the bunker too. They also left some of the energy bars that they had left.
August
It's the second week of August, and Nikki wakes up feeling nauseous. She makes her way out of the tent while Josh is still sleeping. After emptying her stomach, she gets a bottle of water and goes down to the water to walk and think. This is the fifth day that I have felt this way. When was my last cycle? I don't remember…Oh, God...
When Josh wakes, he reaches for Nikki but finds her side of their bed empty. Leaving the tent, he spots her sitting in the sand near the water's edge. After a quick trip to the bushes, he goes down to the water to join her.
Sitting down next to her, he realised that she had been crying. Josh puts his arms around her."Nikki, Baby, what's wrong?" Fully expecting that it was some depression over their situation as it happened from time to time.
"Josh...I…" she started crying again.
"Honey, everything will be okay. Just talk to me."
Another deep breath, "Josh… I'm pretty sure that I'm pregnant."
Eyes going wide, mouth hanging open, he was momentarily speechless.
"Josh? I'm scared. What will we do?"
"Well… Well… we'll have a baby. We can do anything together. I love you so much. We'll be okay, you'll be okay."
"I love you too," and she leans into him and cries some more.
"Do you know about how far along you are?"
"I'm thinking two months; that's about when my birth control would have stopped working. With what we've been going through, I didn't give it a second thought."
Holding her close and kissing the top of her head, "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, a bit sick in the mornings and sometimes later in the day."
"Were you sick this morning?"
" Yeah."
"Let's go back, and I'll make you some mint tea. I think that there are some crackers left too."
"Josh, you don't have to…"
"Nikki," he interrupts, "Let me take care of you. You have to do all the heavy lifting on this journey."
Smiling, "Okay, Poppa," leaning over and kissing him.
Nikki went into the tent to get changed while Josh started a fire and put some water on for tea. Then he explored the pack they were using as a pantry, found the crackers, and brought out the peanut butter.
After breakfast, Nikki got comfortable in the shade and continued to work on her basket.
"That's looking good. I think you're getting the hang of this."
" Thanks, Babe."
" Nikki, I'm going to cut some more bamboo and gather more wood for the fire."
"Okay, Babe. Don't get lost without me," she says with a twinkle.
"Navigator humour?"
Nikki just smiles.
Josh headed inland and started formulating a plan. He had been contemplating a project of his own for a while, and with Nikki's news, he figured it was time to get started.
He was gathering wood for their cooking fire, but he was also looking for something special, then just ahead, he spotted it, a small She Oak tree. Being a softwood tree, it was perfect for what he was looking to do. Getting the saw, he cut a small branch that was a little more than 3.5 cm ( 1.5 inches) round and 30.5 cm ( 12 inches) long. Gathering up the firewood, he returns to the beach.
Dropping the wood near the fire pit, he puts his special branch aside, and then he goes to sit with Nikki.
"I thought you were going to get more bamboo."
"I'll have to go back. I don't know what I was thinking, but I couldn't carry the wood and the bamboo."
"If I get any better, I want to make a basket for the baby."
"You do that, and I'll fashion a rocking base for it."
"Josh, that would be so great!"
Leaning over and placing a kiss on top of her head, "I'm going to see what I can stir up for supper. I'll be back in a bit."
"I'll be here."
Josh grabbed his stick, a screwdriver from the tool kit, his multi-tool, the saw and the Esky. Disappearing into the rocks, he finds a place to sit out of the sun and begins to strip the bark from the She-Oak stick. Once that was done, he cut several small disks approximately ½ cm ( ¼ inch) wide. Using a rock as a hammer, he chips away at the centre of the rings with the screwdriver until they thin enough to be comfortable on a finger. Once that was done, he found a narrow finger-shaped stone to sand it smooth, inside and out. Then he made one slightly larger for himself. For Nikki's, he remembered her ring size from buying her engagement ring.
It's been a couple of hours, and he figures it's time to get on with finding supper. Josh put the rings in his pocket for safekeeping and gathered his tools.
A short while later, he caught two crabs for their dinner, placing them in the Esky with some seawater.
Getting into camp, he put the Esky in the lean-to. Not seeing Nikki, he called out to her. No answer. Checking the tent, he found her napping. Crawling in beside her, he snuggled close and joined her in a nap.
A short while later, Nikki wakes, realises that Josh had joined her. She snuggles up close and starts tracing circles on his chest. As he begins to awaken, she kisses his cheek.
"Sleepyhead, want to go for a swim?"
Stretching and yawning, "You bet."
"What did you find us for supper? Let me guess, crab, crab or crab."
"Yup, crab. You make the best crab legs on the island."
Nikki laughed and started shucking her clothes and jogging to the water with Josh right behind her.
After their swim, Josh made the cook fire, and Nikki boiled the crabs. They had Nikki's salad and fruit with it.
Once dinner was cleaned up, they went for their nightly beach walk, enjoying the sunset until the sound of thunder reached them, sending them back to the tent for the evening.
The next day, Josh gathered more bamboo for Nikki. Later he returned to the rocks to finish the rings. Wanting to add something extra to Nikkis, he found some small colourful shells and broke them into small pieces. Using his corkscrew from the multi-tool, he hollowed out some small depressions and then used the cement from the tent's patch kit to glue tiny pieces of shell to the ring. The final step was to rub them with some of the coconut oil that he had made for Nikki. The rings are now finished.
25 August:
After breakfast… " Nikki, do you feel like hiking up to the pool? We need to fill the water bottles."
"Sure, I'll put some fruit in the pack for lunch."
Smiling, Josh kissed her, and they headed off.
When they reached the pool, Josh spread the blanket.
"Nik, I'll be right back; gotta use a tree."
"You're funny; I promise not to peek."
What he was really doing was picking some frangipani blossoms. Returning to Nikki, he sat in front of her and started placing the flowers in her hair.
"Josh...what's up? What's gotten into you?"
"You are so beautiful, Nikki. There... perfect." Then taking both of her hands…
"Nikki, my love, I don't know when we are going to get off this island, and I don't want to wait one more second. I want us to be married. Will you marry me today? Right now?"
"Oh, Josh… but how?"
"We don't need anyone else to make a commitment to each other. When I first saw you on Hammersley, Nikki, I knew that my life was about to change, and it's been fantastic. I've never known happiness like this until we were together. You are my love, my partner, my friend. You pick me up when I'm down; you lend me support when I need it. You are my everything, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. Please take this ring and know that I will always be by your side no matter what life throws our way. I love you."
Taking the ring that he made for her, he slips it on her finger.
Nikki is momentarily speechless while tears flow down her cheeks.
"Josh! This is so beautiful! You made this?! I will wear this ring forever."
"We get out of here, and I will get you a real one."
"No, you won't. I don't want another one. There is no better one. This ring was made with love, and there is nothing that could top that."
Taking Josh's hands, "Josh, my love. When we met, I was warned away from you by several shipmates. You were nothing but trouble, a playboy, shallow, they said. I didn't see that. I saw a man that hadn't found himself, a young man who was enjoying himself. I saw a man that was kind and considerate, caring and sensitive. I fell head over in love with you. You are my everything, and I can't imagine my life without you. I promise you my heart. I promise you that I will be with you no matter what comes our way now and forever. I love you."
Josh gave the second ring to her, and she slipped it on his finger. Then he pulled her in for a kiss, and another, and another. Standing, he takes out his phone and sets it to play Perfect by Ed Sheeran, then reaching for Nikki's hand, "Time for our first dance."
I found a love for me
Darling just dive right in
And follow my lead
Well I found a girl beautiful and sweet
I never knew you were the someone waiting for me….
But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own
And in your eyes, you're holding mine
Well, I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know
She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home
I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets
To carry love, to carry children of our own…
Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favourite song
I have faith in what I see
Now I know I have met an angel in person
And she looks perfect
I don't deserve this
You look perfect tonight
Holding each other close, they danced and kissed and whispered promises.
"Wedding pictures!" Josh declared as he got out his phone. First, Josh takes a picture of the beautiful Nikki and then a selfie with the both of them.
"Mrs Holiday, what do you say about a swim?" standing and reaching for her hand.
That night lying in bed, "I'm so happy," Nikki said. "You make being stuck on this God-forsaken island bearable."
"Nikki, I could never be happier," pulling her close, kissing her and… while the evening storm rolls in.