Flashbacks and Memories (Part 8)

By Jenny Taylor

"So Jaycee…" The said person turned slightly to look at him. "What happened after you told your mom about the…" He paused slightly as he tries to find the correct word to complete his sentence. "Incident?"

Jaycee took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she begins the next part of the story.

"After telling mom…"

14 years earlier on the cruise liner King William V…

"And they agreed to this?" Her mother quizzed which was responded with a simple nod.

The adult just sat there for a moment, gathering her thoughts together and processing on what her daughter had just told her. She wanted to know more about what happened between her only child and her nephews, but those thoughts were interrupted by some quiet rumbling coming from the person next to her.

The mother looked down at her daughter, whom is slightly blushed with embarrassment but her face is filled with fear. The adult decided to leave the situation alone for a bit and to help and to teach her stuff that should have been taught a long-time.

"C'mom…Let's get you sorted in the bathroom and then give you something to eat." She spoke softly which the youngster nodded slowly as they both got off the beds and walked into the bathroom.

The mother couldn't believe how little her daughter knew about personal hygiene and how long it took for her to teach her and even helping her to do these vital skills. They had almost spent an hour and a half, nearly two hours in the room alone, including emptying the bath water twice!

Once out of the bathroom, her daughter was much cleaner and fresher than when she first picked her up from her old bedroom the night before. Jaycee looked confused, she had never had any of these life skills taught to her before, nor the fact that she's now clean, which is something she had never felt before.

Her mother opened an old suitcase and took out a blue and white dress, it looked too small for the adult but looked just the right size for her. The adult helped Jaycee put on the dress, then went to pick out a pair of blue shoes with a blue flower on the strap and helped her put the shoes on.

She gently pushed her daughter back into the bathroom so that Jaycee can see herself in the mirror. The young girl gasped in shock awe. Firstly, she had never seen herself in a mirror before and because of this she was shocked to see how much she looks like her mother as the said person stepped into the reflection of the large mirror, smiling.

Secondly, the blue and white dress fitted her comfortably and it looked perfect on her. Jaycee smiled as tears weld up in her eyes. They stood and stared into their own reflection with the younger of the duo smiling and started to cry. The adult turned to look directly into her daughter's eyes, her face filled with worry and concern, but she neither had worried as Jaycee's eyes, even though tears are falling, are filled with joy and happiness.

The mother smiled as she pulled the youngster into her arms and there they held each other in happiness. After a couple of minutes and some more rumble noises from the youngster's stomach, the adult led her child out of the cabin and into the red carpeted corridor.

Their cabin number is 2098 on Deck 2 and then they turned left heading down towards the elevators (or lifts in British English) in the centre of the ship. Once they got to the doors, the mother pushed the UP button, as soon as the door opens they stepped in, the mother pressed the button for the Quarter Deck.

The doors opened announcing the duo that they arrived at the required deck. They turned left into the corridor, by which they then turned right in the direction of the rear of the ship and the restaurant, Wetherspoon.

Jaycee was confused, wandering where is she and why is there a British restaurant on-board including which ship is she on. She gave her mother a quizzical look as they sat down at a table. The mother noticed the look and gave out a sad sigh.

"What's wrong dear?" She asked knowing what some of the questions might be that will be flung in her direction.

"Where are we mom?" Jaycee asked nervously.

"We're on a cruise liner called King William 5."

"King William 5?"

"That's the name of the current King of a country called the United Kingdom or Great Britain as known as to the locals there."

"So…This ship is named after him?"

"In a way." The mother shrugged as a waiter came up to them politely asking for their orders which the mother asked him to give them a few more minutes to decide on what they want to eat, the waiter nodded understandably and said that he'll return when they feel that they're ready and then left them alone.

"So… where are we going?" The curious youngster asked.

"I will tell you more about the reason to where and why when we're back at the cabin, but first things first young lady. You need to decide on what you want to eat, because you look dreadfully thin." The mother replied, her voice first filled with sadness and then with worry and concern.

The youngster nodded and then looked at the children's menu. She decided to have a beef burger, orange juice and a small bag of chopped fruit, while her mother chose to have freshly battered cod and fries (or chips as the British called them) with garden peas and black filter coffee.

Once they made their order, Jaycee becomes more curious and starts asking some more questions to her mother while they're waiting for the food to appear. "Mom…"

"Hmm?"

Jaycee paused for a moment, wandering what to ask her, because although she wants answers now her mother had strictly told her that the reason into where they're going is private and didn't want to be heard, so she thinks up a question hoping that it wouldn't be connected to what has happened in the past, what… 12, 24 hours?

"What's your name?" She asked curiously. Her mother smiled a bit before automatically answering.

"Special Agent Trisha Anderson of the Criminal Investigation Squad International, or CISI for short." Her reply was met with a puzzled look from her daughter, she smiled at her before giving her an explanation into what she's told her. "Basically, I was senior detective into finding and catching really bad people like wanted terrorist and criminals."

Jaycee was opened mouthed and wide-eyed in shock as she stared at her mother. She broke off the stare to look down at her hands in her lap. She just couldn't believe in what her mom did for a living and all she asked for was her name. Jaycee frowned as she tries to figure out what's happening based on what she had just learnt today.

Mom's a senior detective? To catch most wanted terrorists and criminals from around the world? Is this why she's been hiding from me all this time? Because of her work? To protect me from those horrible people who might harm me? What?!... Wait!... No!... It can't be! Can it?

Jaycee looked up at her mom in shock-horror as the realisation on what just happened within the past 2 days, combined with her mom's job description hits her like a ton of bricks. Trisha looked upon her daughter's face, her smile turned to a frown as she realises that Jaycee might had just worked out some of the reason into why she's here.

Trisha shuffles her chair around so she's next to her child, in order to comfort her and before she could place her arm on her shoulder, a waiter turned up carrying a big, flat, black and round tray with their orders of food and drink on top.

Trisha thanked the waiter as he finished placing the orders to the correct persons, turned and left them. She turned back to look at the youngster, who looked like that she's lost her appetite after she realised what's happening. Trisha leans as close to her as she can, checking over her shoulders as she does so.

"Jaycee…" She spoke softly to get her daughter's attention. "I know that you might have just figured out why you're here, but…" She paused, making sure that the youngster is listening to her every word. "Now is not the time, nor the place to talk about it…Not in public anyway." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that no-one else is listening to their conversation. "I'll tell you everything about the situation we're in when we're back in our cabin."

She pulled back and sat fully in her seat and gave her daughter a smile, trying to distract her form her thoughts. "But now… How about we eat up this meal…We don't want to waste it now, do we?" She picked up her cutlery and started to eat.

Jaycee sat there for a moment looking at her mom at first with sadness, worry and fear, but those negative feelings disappeared when suddenly, her stomach grumbled. She looked down and placed her hand on her rumbling stomach, then looks up at first at her mom and then her meal.

Her meal looked and smelled strange, but delicious as she gingerly picked up the burger, twisted it round to get a good look at it, and then slowly she took a small bite. As she chewed on her morsel the juices of the meat combined with the soft warmness of the bun, had got her taste buds tingling and she suddenly felt hungry and wanting more of the delicious stuff. She took a big bite and starting chewing it as fast as she can before she taking another big bite.

Trisha took a side look at her daughter while she's about to take another mouthful of battered fish, but paused in mid-movement as she watches her child quickly taking big bites from her burger. Trisha puts her fork down, shakes her head as Jaycee starts to hic-cup in mid-bite.

"Slow down dear." She placed her hand of her back rubbing circles as Jaycee swallows her last bite before another big hic-cup arrived and made her jump up her seat. Trisha picks up Jaycee's drink and hands it over to her. "Drink this, slowly! After that, breathe in and out, slowly okay?" She instructed, and the child did what she was told and after a while the hic-cupping stopped.

"You've been eating too fast kid, that's why you just had the hic-cups." She smiled as the child blushed with embarrassment from her little ordeal with the hic-cups. After waiting for a few moments, Jaycee opened a bag od fruit and started to eat them slowly while Trisha finishes off her garden peas.

15 minutes later after finishing and paid for their meals, the duo left the restaurant and returned to the cabin. As soon as they returned, Jaycee walked straight towards her bed and sat on it facing the window, her face filled with worry, fear and sadness. She knows that this is the moment when her mother tells her the truth.

She sits and waits until her mother, Trisha, had finished her business in the bathroom. Trisha enters the room, walks over to sit in a chair and then silently and gently coaxes Jaycee to sit in the chair opposite her.

The girl obliged to the unspoken command. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, so comfortable that she wished that could fall asleep in it, but sadly this won't be the case as she is fixated on her mother, waiting, waiting in fear for the news that will answer unanswered questions and will ultimately change her life, forever.

Trisha sat in her chair, eyes closed, gathering her thoughts. She was dreading this moment, but sadly she knows now that she had no choice, but to tell her, because her daughter's life is going to take a turn for the worse. She opens her eyes, she can see the look of fear and dread on her daughter's face.

She takes a deep breath and lets out a long, slow and sad sigh, before looking up at her only child. "I guess that now's the time for me to tell you truth." She spoke with a mixture of sadness and seriousness as she leans forwards, resting her elbows on her knees and her mouth rests on top of her interlocked fingers, refusing to break eye contact with her child.

Jaycee stiffened slightly in slight preparation for the news to come, staring at her mother with sadness and fear in her eyes. Trisha breaks eye contact from her daughter as she begins her tale. "It all started 12 years ago, 2 years before you were born and 4 months before my saviour nephew was born."

She paused as she noticed a confused look upon the child's face. "Saviour nephew?" Trisha chuckled and smiled slightly at the puzzled question.

"Yes… Your eldest cousin, Scott, saved my life."

"What!?" All four brothers spoke in unison and shock as the youngest trio turned to face a very puzzled Scott.

No-one saw that coming, let alone Scott. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what he did to save his aunt, then coming to think of it, he doesn't remember seeing his aunt at all. His thoughts were interrupted by the youngest of the bunch.

"Scott… What did you do to save Aunt Trisha?" Alan spoke, clearly excited and wanting to know what his hero did to save a family member he'd never met. But his excitement turned into a frown as he saw the aeronaut shaking his head.

"I don't have a clue Alan and to be honest… I don't remember meeting or even seeing her at all." Scott replied as his brothers became disappointed with his answer. "But…" The youngsters perked up and were looking at him, apart from Jaycee, who knows what Scott is going to say next.

"I have a funny feeling that a certain someone who knows the answer to that question." He sends a pointed look to the doctor sitting next to him, making the rest of his brood turn to face her, waiting for her to continue with her tale.

"That I do Scott…That I do…" Jaycee nodded in response as her voice trailed off, making them realise that what she's going to say next will not be a happy one. All the boys shifted slightly, trying to prepare themselves for the tale of their aunt's predicament which involves the eldest of them saving her.

"So…what happened mom?" The aquanaut of the family asked, getting a bit impatient. "What happened to Aunt Trisha?" Jaycee took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she begins to retell her mother's tale.

"It started a month after the wedding of your parents…"