December: Nikki's 6th month
Nikki was lying in their bed, feeling a little depressed as the sun started to come up. It's December 1st, and we're still here. Josh is amazing at keeping us going and safe. But God, how much longer?
They had run out of wood for the signal fire two months ago, having depleted everything nearby. Their backpack food was all but gone. All that was left was Nikki's tea, some sweetener, honey and some energy/ protein bars that Josh had put aside for Nikki when they found out about the baby;' and there were just a few of those left.
With the signal fire gone, Josh carried the flare gun at all times, just in case. When he was away from the camp, he would pass it off to Nikki. They also made a huge SOS in the sand using stones. A few times, they hiked to the top of the island, hoping to see something out on the ocean.
Later that morning, Josh rushed over to her as she tried to get up from sitting on the ground... Six months along, Nikki was now having some difficulty getting around, especially getting up from the ground. Josh had an idea.
"Nik, I'm going to get some water," bending to give her a kiss.
"Okay, Josh."
"Do you need anything before I go?"
"Nah, I'm good."
"Ok, here's the flare gun. I won't be long."
Grabbing his daypack and adding the tools in with the water bottles, he set off. He hiked to the pool, took a quick bath and filled the water bottles. On his way back, he stopped at the plane on the way back.
I hope this works out, he says to himself. Climbing into the plane, he started working the bolts that were securing the seats. Surprisingly they came loose with ease. Dragging the seat from the plane, he began to think about how he would get it back to the beach. Attaching the rope that he had brought with him, he wrapped it around his waist and started to drag it down the trail to the camp.
Reaching the end of the trail, Josh left the seat in the tree line and went to find Nikki. Looking at his watch, he expected that he would find her in the tent, napping, and she was. Quietly, he moved the seat to the shade near the tent and then he crawled inside to join her.
Forty-Five minutes later, she started to stir, waking up Josh. Leaning on an elbow, he watched as she slowly came awake, stretching like a cat getting up from sleeping in the sun.
"Hey," Josh said, leaning over for a kiss.
"Hey, yourself," she snuggled into him.
Laying his hand on her tummy, he could feel their baby moving, and he loved it.
"Are you ready to get up?"
"I am; I need a tree, as you would say."
Josh left the tent first, then Nikki crawled to the tent's entrance, and Josh helped her stand.
"Thanks, be right back," as she headed into the bushes.
Josh waited for her to come out.
"What? Were you afraid that I'd get lost?"
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, " No… I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes."
"Really, Josh…"
"Really, now close them." Nikki closed her eyes, and Josh guided her to the seat.
"Alright, open them."
" Josh! How did you ever?" throwing her arms around him and then sitting down.
"It still reclines."
Nikki pushed the button, and the seat tipped back. "This is fantastic! You're too much. I love you so much."
"Anything I can do to make you more comfortable, my love."
"What about you?"
"I plan on getting another one for here and putting two in the bunker."
"They'll be perfect for watching a movie, like being in an outdoor theatre," she smiled.
Their days had become so mundane, and they were thankful for the tablets and kindles they had brought for distraction.
One early evening, Josh got his phone, turned on his music app and pulled Nikki in close as he danced with her in the moonlight.
Later that same night, after the storm had passed, he couldn't sleep. He left the tent to sit in one of the chairs and look at the stars. As he was lying there watching the sky, he saw a streak of light, and then another.
A meteor shower!
Climbing back into the tent, he woke Nikki, " Nik... Nikki, wake up... come and see this! It's wonderful!"
Yawning, " Huh? What, Josh?"
"Just come."
Getting up, she followed him outside, where he helped her up and over to their chairs.
"Here, lay back in the chair with me and watch the sky."
"Josh, really? Did you wake me to watch the sky? Were you lonely?"
"Just watch…"
No sooner had they laid back, there was a bright streak of light and then another, and another.
"Oh! Wow! A meteor shower! How awesome! Ok, you're forgiven!" Nikki exclaimed.
With the absence of any light, the meteors were spectacular.
Josh took her hand, "There are times when I would miss being on the ship and seeing nights like this. But now I get to share the night with you," kissing her. Nikki used his shoulder as a pillow as they watched nature's show.
The following day… "Hey, that's looking pretty good," Josh says as he approaches Nikki working on the baby's basket.
"Thanks, Luv. It's something to do."
"I'm going to look for some wood. I won't be too long."
After a supper of baked fish and a fruit and greens salad, they walked on the beach holding hands, fingers laced together, enjoying the sunset.
"This would be perfect if we weren't stuck here," Nikki said.
"At least we're together."
Nikki stopped and pulled Josh to her, "Thank you for your positive outlook; you keep me going," kissing him, which leads to them sitting on the rocks, kissing and holding each other until the sound of the nightly thunder reached them.
As was their routine, they sat near the front of the tent in their seats and watched as the storm rolled in and then they retreated inside.
" Which movie do you want to watch, or would you rather play cards, or read, or…" Josh said smirking.
" Let's watch a movie and then…" Nikki answered. "It'll help me sleep."
When Josh was preparing for their camping adventure, he had downloaded six movies, three on his tablet and three on Nikki's. "Can you even imagine if we didn't at least have the tablets and kindles?" Nikki remarked.
"I'm glad that I don't have too. Indiana Jones? Temple of Doom?" Josh asked her.
"Works for me; popcorn would be nice."
Chuckling, "Yeah, wouldn't it though, or Ben and Jerry's."
"Arggg, don't tease a pregnant woman like that!" and they both laughed.
Josh was using the backpack to lean against while Nikki got comfortable leaning back against him and started the movie.
After the movie, they settled in for the night listening to the rain on the tent.
Christmas:
During one of his foraging trips, Josh came across a small stand of Norfolk Island Pines. As Christmas approached, he cut a medium-sized one and dragged it back to camp for Nikki.
"Josh, what did you...Oh My! A Christmas tree!" throwing her arms around him. " We have to decorate it! I'm going to look for some shells."
"I'll come with, help you carry them," he said, grabbing one of Nikki's small baskets.
When they finished combing the beach, they had a nice collection of shells. Many of them conveniently had holes in them. Josh got the string from the survival kit, and they hung the shells on the tree.
Christmas day, they sat near their tree and gave each other a gift. Josh had made Nikki some coconut oil scented with crushed frangipani for her hair and skin. He carved a small vessel with a cap to put it in and added a couple of shells for decoration. Nikki had been working on a wine recipe while Josh was off on his jaunts. She gave Josh a water bottle of papaya wine.
"Nik, this is really good! How did you…?
"I worked at it while you were off foraging and such."
"This is great, Babe. Thank you," leaning over and kissing her.
"Will you help me with the coconut oil later?" she says with a sly smile.
"You know it!"
That evening while rubbing oil on Nikki's tummy, the baby got very active. Leaning over her stomach...: " Hey little Poppet, this is your Daddy. It's bedtime now, you need to let your Mum get some sleep," placing a kiss on her stomach.
February:
It was becoming much harder for Nikki to get around; March was their guess for a due date. Josh had taken on the domestic chores, bringing laundry with him when he went for water, foraging for plants and fruit and fishing.
He had just gotten back from a water run and washing their clothes. As he was hanging them on the clothesline they had made, Nikki came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him the best that she could. He turned around and pulled her to him.
"Josh, you are amazing. I don't feel like I am pulling my own weight; you're doing almost all of the work."
"Nikki, I'm just doing what I can. You are doing enough work growing our beautiful baby. You need to take care of yourself and our baby."
It had gotten too difficult for Nikki to get to the pool now, so Josh made sure that she had enough water to wash by filling the Esky and then leaving it in the sun for the water to warm.
Preparing for the baby, Nikki fashioned a pad for the baby's basket by using one of the planes blankets and the sewing kit to make a cover and then stuffing it with the filling from a couple of the pillows. With the leftover blanket, she was able to cut ten nappies. Then using one of their camp towels, Nikki cut liners for the nappies. There were pins in the survival kit. With another blanket, she cut it into quarters for blankets and swaddling. And finally, she used the rest of the camp towel to make some washcloths and a baby bath towel, putting all of these things in one of the baskets that she had made.
Once Nikki figured out how to make the baskets, she had made several. Josh took some of the larger baskets and lined them with the rain coveralls that they had brought with them so that he could fill them with water for the birth. Nikki had also made a basket to be used as a baby bath. Josh lined this one as well.
They had decided that it would be best to birth in the bunker so that there would be no worries about the weather. As March approached, Josh spent some time getting the bunker ready. He made the platform into a bed using one of the survival blankets as a bottom cover and then added a few of the blankets from the plane. When it was time, I'll bring the mattress up, he thought. Another survival blanket he spread on the floor in front of one of the seats from the plane and another to cover over the seat. On top of that, he placed one of the soft blankets. That was to be the birthing chair. They had the candles from the survival kit left and the solar lights and headlamps. Standing back, he was satisfied with their birthing suite. When the time came, he would bring up the cooking supplies and food.
March:
They were a week into March and getting anxious. It was after midnight, and Josh was having trouble sleeping. He couldn't seem to get out of his head. He was thinking of asking Nikki if she thought that they should move to the bunker. I'll talk to her in the morning, he thought, resting his hand on her tummy and finally falling asleep.
March 12th:
It's early morning, the sun is just coming up, and Nikki wakes feeling pressure. Sliding from Josh's embrace, thinking, well, I guess this is it. Not wanting to wake Josh, she crawled from the tent and used their chairs to pull herself up. After a jaunt into the bushes, she went to the shoreline to walk as the contractions are now undeniable.
An hour later, rolling over and reaching for Nikki, Josh finds himself alone in the tent. Leaving the tent, he spots her walking further down the beach and jogs over to meet her. Approaching her, he can see that something is wrong. Nikki had stopped and had bent over for a moment.
"Nikki! Baby, What is it?"
"Baby's coming, Josh. I've been in labour for a couple of hours now."
"Ahhh, ohhh, wow! Why didn't you wake me?"
"No...Need," as she bends again.
"What do you want to do? Sit? Lay down? Walk some more?"
"Help me to the seats, and I'll lie back for a while."
Placing an arm around her, he helped her back up the beach. After another half-hour or so, she wants to walk some more. Josh takes her to the wet sand, where it's easier walking.
"We should probably get you to the bunker before it becomes too difficult for you to walk."
"What are you saying? I'm too big for you to carry?" She said jokingly.
" Yeah, that… anyway, look at the sky. The wind is picking up. We're in for a nasty one." Out over the ocean, the clouds appeared to be spinning, and now they could see lightning and hear thunder. "Come on, Let's get you up to the bunker, then I'll come back and take care of things here."
"Alright."
Josh grabbed the backpack and the pack with the food, wrapped his arm around Nikki, and they slowly made it up the trail to the bunker.
Once Nikki was settled, he hustled back to the beach. First, he deflated the air mattress and put that and the bedding aside. He took down the tent and secured it in the bushes, hopefully, protected from the wind. Grabbing up the bedding and everything else they would need, he made his way back to Nikki.
1 pm:
They had been settled into the bunker for about an hour, and Nikki had been in labour for around six hours. The wind was fierce, and the rain had started coming down hard. The thunder and lightning were intense. It was fortunate that the bunker's opening faced a rock wall that blocked much of the rain and wind. Josh had set the chairs against the wall away from the entrance.
"Nik, I don't think that this is our usual storm. Feels almost like a tropical storm or cyclone to me."
Laughing as best as she could, "Leave it to us to have a baby in a cyclone."
5 pm:
The contractions are intense now every 2 - 3 minutes and lasting over a minute.
Josh is sitting, holding Nikki and applying a wet cloth to her face and giving her sips of water.
"Luv, you're doing so good; I'm with you." he keeps talking to her.
"JOSH! I NEED TO PUSH!"
Helping her to get into position, Josh moves to deliver their baby.
"Okay, Baby, push when you need to…"
Nikki cries out as the baby about to be delivered. All the while, the wind is howling, and the storm is raging.
"I see the head! Next contraction… big push!"
The contraction begins, Nikki is pushing and crying out, slowly the shoulders flow out and then… their little baby is delivered.
Nikki lays back, crying, and Josh's crying along with her as he lifts their baby. "Nikki! We have a little girl!" Josh says through tears and then places her on Nikki's tummy. Having sterilized one of his boot laces and the scissors, Josh proceeds to tie off and cut the cord. Then he joins Nikki for a moment. Lifting their little one to her mother's chest.
"Josh, somethings happening, I feel another contraction…"
"It's ok, Nik, it's the placenta," He moves below to take care of it, then he cleans Nikki up.
"Time for your first bath, little Poppet," after testing the bathwater, Josh carefully washes his little girl, then wraps her in one of Nikki's nappies and a blanket and brings her back to Nikki for a feed.
"Nikki, she is so beautiful, just like her mother. I love you. You did good," then kissing her.
"You were pretty good yourself, mister. You're amazing."
"I know that we talked about Emma for a girl's name, but I was thinking that maybe we should name her Gale, being that she was born during a raging storm," Josh said.
"Josh, that's perfect!"
"So how about, Gail Marie Holiday?"
Nikki reached for him and pulled him close, "That is just perfect."
"Gale Marie Holiday, born March 12th at 6:30 pm...on a dark and stormy night." Josh laughed. " Do you want to get into bed?"
"In a bit, I want to just sit here awhile with you."
Josh had covered the chair for the birth. He uncovered it and put the cover outside with the rest of the things to be taken care of later. Then covered Nikki in a fresh blanket and sat in his chair, pulling her close and holding his family to him.
"Are you hungry, Luv?"
"Yeah, pretty hungry."
"Alright, I'll heat some water, make you some tea and get you some fruit."
"What will you have?"
"The same, I guess. I've made some coconut milk for you. It's high in calories, and you'll need that to help with your milk and to keep you healthy."
"You're a fantastic husband… have I said I love you?"
" I love you too, Baby. Hey, I want to take a picture of my ' Madonna' and baby." he said, getting his phone. Nikki looked radiant.
"Okay, now Poppa, a family selfie!" Josh got close to Nikki and took a picture of their new family.
He heated some water for tea and cut up some banana, papaya, and coconut and put it in coconut shell bowls. When the tea was ready, he took Gale from Nikki, laid her down in her basket, and then gave Nikki her tea and fruit. They sat close and watched their little miracle sleep as the storm continued to rage on.
Two hours later, Gale woke up and wanted to nurse. Josh picked her up, changed her nappy and brought her to Nikki. Then he got out his phone and set it to play some soft music, sat back just enjoying the moment.
Once Gale had settled again, they climbed into bed and held each other close, falling asleep quickly. Baby Gale woke every two hours, Josh would change her, and then Nikki would nurse.
When morning finally came around, the storm had passed, and the sky was a beautiful blue. Climbing up onto the top of the bunker, Josh took out the binoculars to look out at the ocean. Empty and calm.
"I'm going to go down to the beach later and try for some fish," he said while making some fruit for Nikki with a bottle of coconut milk and a cuppa. "Here's a protein bar for you too."
"Josh, make sure you eat too. We need you."
"I will."
"Baby, would you like me to bring one of the chairs outside before I head off?"
"That would be wonderful, thanks, Babe."
"My pleasure," as he bowed.
Once Nikki was settled, he was off to his favourite fishing spot with hopes for some supper.
While walking on the beach, he harvested some fresh seaweed that had washed up with the storm. Reaching the cove, he wandered the tidal pools and found several crabs that he put in the Esky with some seawater and then he set about spearing some fish. He caught one good-sized one.
After cleaning the fish, he wrapped it in the wet seaweed and covered it over with a piece of a damp towel. He left the fish innards in the pool to attract more crabs and then made his way back to the bunker.
Hiking up the trail towards the bunker, he could see Nikki sitting outside nursing Gale. His heart filled with incredible love.
"Oi! Nikki!"
"Hey Josh!, did we get some supper?"
"We did. I got us a fish and a couple of crabs. Oh, and some fresh seaweed. Would you like me to bake the fish with papaya relish? We can save the crab for tomorrow."
"That would be great, Josh."
"How are you feeling?"
"Not too bad. I'm sore, of course, and tired."
"Maybe tomorrow, if you are up to it, we can go to the pool, and you can get a soak.'
"I would love that. Would you take Gale? I have to…"
"Visit a bush?" chuckling as Nikki passed him their daughter.
"Little Poppet, never has there ever been a more beautiful baby, don't let anyone tell you differently," he whispers as he holds her close, rocking her as she fell to sleep.
After a week in the bunker, they moved back to the beach. Josh put their poor battered tent back up. It had held up well considering the lashing it's taken from storms. A few spots had to be repaired with the patch kit, but it was still dry. The lean-to needed some repair to its roof. When they had retreated to the bunker, Josh took their tables and tucked them behind the lead-to, which kept them from becoming damaged.
April 17th :
Josh wakes at dawn, stretches and crawls from the tent while his girls are still sleeping. Walking the surf, he is contemplating the day. A year...it's been a year. It still seems so unreal, yet here we are and with a new baby.
After a short walk, he returned to the tent to find Nikki nursing. Gale was growing, which was a good thing. She seemed to be thriving, although he was still worried. But Nikki… he was becoming concerned...she's lost more weight as her body is working to produce milk. I gotta get her more to eat. What if her milk dries up? Then what about Gale. More coconuts and coconut milk.
"Hey, Luv"
" Been walking?"
"Yup took in the sunrise. Did you remember what day it is?"
"Yeah, April 17, the anniversary of the crash. Can you stand it? It's been a year."
"Yeah. Do you feel up to a small hike after breaky? I would like to get some wildflowers for Dave."
"That's nice; sure, a walk would be good."
"I've taken one of the daypacks and made it into a carry-all for Gale. We can try it out."
"That's awesome!"
After a breakfast of fruit and a power bar for Nikki, Nikki changed and nursed the baby, then they settled her into Josh's carrier.
"I'll take her Nik, I don't want you expending any more calories than necessary."
Once Gale was settled, Josh pulled Nikki close for a kiss, and they took off down the beach to a trail leading up to an open rocky area. There were some pretty yellow, white and orange flowers growing among the rocks. Once again, Nikki's Baskets came in handy as they used one to carry the flowers.
Nikki loved picking up and collecting shells, and over the year, whenever either of them would walk the beach, they would collect them. Most of these they had been leaving on Dave's gravesite to better mark it. It was pretty much covered over with them now. Then around the edges, they made a border from beach stone. Josh had made a marker out of some wood that he had cut. He carved Dave's name, birthday, gotten from his license, and the crash date.
That evening, as the sun was setting, they brought the flowers to the grave and spent some time in reflection.
May 1st:
Nikki woke up feeling grumpy and depressed. Gale was almost 2 months old now, and she was feeling a bit cooped up.
"Josh, I need a little alone time. Would you mind if I did the water and washing run?"
"Of course not. Do you want help packing up?"
"No, I'm good."
Her pack set to go… she packed a change of clothes, towel, blanket, what little soap was left and her special coconut oil, the washing and the water bottles.
Going over to Gales basket, she gives her a kiss on the head and then a big kiss for Josh. " See ya in a bit."
"Enjoy your walkabout, be careful, love you."
"I will, and I love you too," and she sets off.
As she passes the plane, it starts her thinking about all that has happened in the past year. I still can't believe it's been a year. Finally reaching the pool, she spreads her blanket, gets out the soap and coconut oil, strips down and gets in. Immersing herself in the cool water, she floats on her back and just relaxes, listening to the waterfall.
If it wasn't for the fact that we're stuck here, I would be the happiest woman in the world… she thought. Josh is the best husband, so sweet and caring, loving and a fabulous father. It's good that I didn't listen when everyone was telling me to stay away. And Gale, now we have a beautiful little girl who is looking more and more like her pappa every day. We have everything, we have each other… and we're stuck here.
What about Gale? What if she gets sick? What if any of us gets ill or hurt? We've been really lucky so far.
Nikki started freaking herself out; taking a deep breath, she chastised herself. That's enough, Nicole Holiday, you're supposed to be relaxing. Deep breath, pull yourself together.
She got what was left of the soap and washed her hair, mixing a little of the scented oil with the soap. Getting out of the pool, Nikki rubbed some of the oil on her tummy and then put on her bather to set about washing their clothes.
Looking at her watch, she realized how long she had been gone. Josh would start to worry, and Gale would be looking for her. Time to go. Gathering up the clothes into the basket she had brought them in and loading the water bottles into the pack, she set off back to the beach feeling so much better.
As she walked towards the tent, she found Josh reclined and sleeping in one of the chairs with their baby girl resting on his bare chest, also asleep. Her heart-melting, she quickly grabbed a phone and took their picture. Island or no island, just like all new parents, they had lots of pictures of their baby.
Getting herself a bottle of coconut milk and a banana, she went to join her sleeping family.
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