A/N: A quick turnaround on this chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Please continue to read and review.
Samantha rocked back and forth in her bunk as the boat rolled over the increasingly brutal bearing sea. Finally giving up on sleep she crawled out of her bunk and headed to the galley. She made a fresh pot of coffee and poured herself a cup before walking upstairs to see if whoever was driving the boat wanted one too. Sig was listening intently to the weather report which was crackling over the radio. It kept cutting out on the wind speed and that was pissing him off. His head swiveled around at the sound of Samantha's voice.
"Sig, would you like a fresh cup of coffee?" asked Samantha.
"Shh. I'm trying to hear the weather report" said Sig.
Samantha walked over and picked up his cold cup of coffee and went down to refill it. When she returned she was holding not only the cup of coffee but also a few cookies as a treat. Sig threw down the pencil in disgust before turning to accept the cup from Samantha's outstretched hand.
"Thank you" said Sig grumpily.
"Is everything ok?" asked Samantha.
"The weather is going to shit and I can't hear the damn weather report because the storm is messing up the radio transmissions" explained Sig.
"Maybe an extra pair of ears can help" said Samantha.
"Well it certainly isn't going to hurt" said Sig taking a sip of the coffee. "What did you do to this?"
"I just made a fresh pot and I put a cinnamon stick in with the grounds" said Samantha.
"Are you going to change everything on this boat before the week is up?" asked Sig, his voice teasing.
"I'm not trying to change anything" said Samantha defensively.
"But you are changing things without even realizing it" said Sig.
Samantha was about to start her rebuttal but the weather report crackled over the radio. Unconsciously she stepped forward placing her hands on the arm of Sig's chair leaning forward to be as close to the radio as possible. Through the crackling static of the radio Samantha listened to what were possibly the most disturbing words she'd ever heard. She stayed completely silent until the weather report was finished then she turned to Sig her eyes wide with terror.
"Did you hear what it said?" asked Samantha.
"Yes, we have a typhoon on it's way" said Sig calmly.
"Oh my God, I can't believe there would be a typhoon way up here. I thought they were more of a tropical phenomena" said Samantha.
"Well this one is probably coming from Japan" explained Sig.
"What are you going to do?" asked Samantha.
"Wake up the guys, we need to get these pots off the deck" said Sig.
"Ok, I'll go to make breakfast" said Samantha.
"Antha, make something quick. We need to get these pots off asap" said Sig.
"Ok" replied Samantha.
The guys walked into the galley to see breakfast sandwiches stacked on a platter in the center of the table. The rest of the kitchen was already clean and neat. Samantha sat on the counter in the kitchen watching the guys eat and sipping her coffee. The boat was pitching and rolling more than the previous day and Samantha assumed it was the approaching storm. She had no idea how long it would be before the boat was in the thick of the storm. Deciding she would make chili for lunch she hopped off the counter and pulled out a couple of pounds of meat setting them in the sink to defrost. Deciding that was all she could do for now she padded past the table heading to the stateroom. She'd almost made it past the table when Edgar's arm caught her around the waist.
"Thanks for breakfast" he said pulling her onto the bench.
"You're welcome" said Samantha.
"So, why are we up so early?" asked Edgar.
"A typhoon is coming and Sig said the pots need to get off the deck as soon as possible" replied Samantha, her voice belying her worry.
"Well lets go then, no time like the present to get some pots in the water" said Edgar. Samantha got up and headed to the stateroom to get dressed while Edgar walked towards the wheelhouse to talk to Sig.
The deck was like a teeter totter and Samantha felt like she was being tossed back and forth each time the boat crested a wave. She was in charge of making the bait set ups while Jake baited the pots. Everything seemed to be going well until holes were found in some of the pots on the bottom of the stack. Edgar came over to Samantha with a roll of twine and walked her over to the shrinking stack.
"Ok, you need to help me mend these holes" said Edgar. "I'll show you how to do it."
Samantha watched as Edgar used the twine to patch the holes tying a series of quick knots.
"You try" he said.
Samantha did her best to recreate what Edgar had done. He showed her a few more times and once she could do it on her own he left her alone. She worked as fast as she could but found the big rubber gloves to be a hinderance. She slipped off the work gloves and was able to go twice as fast with just her woolen gloves on. She moved from pot to pot occasionally being told to move by Edgar or Norman if she was in the way. Focused solely on her task she didn't realize how close pots were passing to her. Edgar and Jake commented that she must have nerves of steel to stand so still when a particularly wobbly pot passed over her head. Norman was taking extra care to keep the majority of the pots away from Samantha, but some of them had to pass over her. Getting to the last 10 pots was a challenge because Samantha had to slip in between two rows to get to them. Sliding her body between the pots she disappeared into the stack unnoticed by any of the other guys. When Nick turned around to hook up the next pot to the crane he noticed that Samantha wasn't where she'd been standing. A wave of panic swept over him and he struggled to keep himself from yelling out. His eyes calmly swept the deck looking for her, when his visual search came up empty he turned around in a circle checking all of his blind spots.
"Antha, where did you go?" called Nick.
"Nicky, hook up the next pot. Lets go, it's sick out here" yelled Norman.
"I can't find Antha" yelled Nick.
Everything on deck came to a grinding halt. Edgar was at Nick's side in a heartbeat and calmly asked him to repeat what he just said.
"She was right here a second ago" explained Nick.
"She probably went inside to go to the bathroom or something" said Edgar his eyes nervously searching the deck. "I mean if she fell overboard she would have yelled."
"Dude, that is not even funny" said Nick.
"ANTHA" yelled Edgar.
"WHAT?" came her slightly muffled reply.
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" bellowed Edgar.
"IN THE STACK STRINGING THE POTS" she bellowed.
Edgar spun around and stared at the wall of pots wondering where she was. He stared through the mesh of the pots feeling his vision get slightly unfocused, like he was looking a 3-D picture. A flicker of movement caught his attention and he watched as a small body emerged from between two pots.
"Is something wrong?" asked Samantha.
"Yes, you need to stay where we can see you" barked Edgar.
"What do you mean, I was right here. I only went through the pots so I could get started on the next row to help the whole process move faster" said Samantha heatedly.
"You shouldn't be able to fit through those, they are tied together" said Edgar.
"Well the ties are pretty loose so I was able to fit through" said Samantha.
"Where the hell are your gloves?" yelled Edgar.
"I was able to tie the lines better without them" said Samantha.
"You are going to ruin your hands" said Edgar seriously.
Before Samantha could respond Nick stepped in and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Antha, please stay where we can see you" said Nick. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry Nick, I didn't mean to scare you" said Samantha apologetically.
"Alright, lets get back to work before Sig notices" said Edgar.
The last of the pots had sploshed into the water 30 minutes ago. Long before the last pot was dropped Samantha was already in the galley making lunch. The chili on the stove was bubbling heartily and the green chili cheese cornbread was just about to be pulled out of the oven. All that was left was to dice a few onions to top the chili. Pulling out a cutting board and a knife she quickly got started. The guys tromped inside quickly splitting up to change into dry clothes or to grab a hot beverage. Edgar walked into the galley and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Why does this coffee taste like it has cinnamon in it?" asked Edgar.
"Because it does. I put a cinnamon stick in with the grounds" replied Samantha still chopping her onions.
"You should watch what you are doing before you lop off a finger" said Edgar.
"I'll be fine. I've been chopping onions for a really long time" said Samantha.
"Yeah but if you get cut it could become serious pretty fast" said Edgar seriously.
"Really, I'll be very careful" said Samantha placatingly.
"Do you know what the most common injury on a boat is?" asked Edgar.
"Getting crushed by something" replied Samantha.
"No" said Edgar.
"How about falling overboard?" said Samantha.
"No, it's" said Edgar.
"Being stabbed by someone trying to cook you lunch" interrupted Samantha.
"Possibly a close second. But the most dangerous thing out here is infection" said Edgar.
"Infection, I'll keep that in mind" said Samantha.
"You do that" said Edgar smugly.
Samantha rolled her eyes and returned to chopping the onions. When she was finished she served up lunch and took her place at the table between Jake and Matt. She was bone tired and as soon as she was finished eating she laid her head down on the table and closed her eyes.
"Don't do that" whispered Jake.
"Why?" asked Samantha into the table.
"Because if you aren't careful they will super glue your head to the table" whispered Jake.
"Really? Has this happened to you?" asked Samantha lifting her head from the table.
"Yep, it was terrible, I had to cut off part of my hair just to sit up" said Jake.
"Thanks for the warning" said Samantha.
"You are welcome, you have such pretty hair I'd hate for you to cut it" said Jake.
Samantha smiled and Matt snickered at the exchange. She elbowed him softly in the ribs as she continued to smile in Jake's direction. Matt took advantage of her distraction and pinched her side causing her to squirm. Suddenly the boat lurched to the left sending everyone searching for something to hang on to. Samantha reached forward and grabbed the pot of chili ensuring it wouldn't tip over while Matt held onto her. The boat quickly rited itself and everyone just looked at each other for a moment.
"Is everyone ok?" asked Sig's voice over the hailer.
Edgar picked up the phone in the galley and assured him everyone was fine and there as only minimal spillage. Samantha climbed over Matt, earning her a playful slap on the ass, and quickly began to clean up the galley. Jake helped her with the dishes and soon everything was secured in the locked cabinets.
In the wheelhouse Sig looked at the waves outside the windows. They had been growing steadily and were now screaming by his window one after another. Realizing the gear in the water needed time to soak, he decided to head for cover before the bulk of the storm hit the grounds. The run to safety was about 12 hours and Sig knew he'd be racing the storm to get there before the worst of the weather arrived. According to the boats fishing farther west the storm was a monster. Storms like these make everyone nervous and the danger of damage to the boat increases exponentially. He called the crew up to the wheelhouse to inform them of his decision.
"Alright, so the typhoon has been upgraded to a super typhoon. The wind and waves are going to be outrageous. So since the pots need time to soak I say we just head for a sheltering island and wait it out" said Sig.
"Sounds good to me" said Matt envisioning extra rack time.
"Yeah, if it's going to be nasty out I guess we should keep our guest as safe as possible" said Edgar.
"We are still going to hit some pretty heavy weather, so I need to make sure everything on deck is secured" said Sig.
"Roger. We'll do it now" said Edgar.
The group turned to walk downstairs when Sig caught Samantha's arm.
"Stay inside, it's already nasty out" said Sig.
"Sure, no problem" said Samantha.
"You can stay up here and watch the action if you want" said Sig.
"That would be interesting. Do I have time to go down and get something warm to drink?" asked Samantha.
"Sure, the bearing sea isn't going anywhere" replied Sig.
Samantha decided to do something a little special for the guys. She hurried to all the staterooms collecting everyone's blankets and pillow cases. She tossed them in the laundry making sure to add a little extra fabric softener. Then she went back to the galley and made herself and Sig cups of hot cocoa. When she walked back into the wheelhouse she was shocked to see how much the weather had deteriorated. The sky and the water were exactly the same color, a horrible colorless gray. The waves were huge and Samantha could feel her heart starting to beat riotously.
"Is one of those cups for me or are you just really thirsty?" asked Sig.
The question broke through Samantha's haze and she walked over and handed Sig the cocoa.
"What is this?" asked Sig.
"It's hot cocoa" said Samantha.
"What am I 5 years old?" said Sig.
"Well you are acting like it" said Samantha. "I made some for myself and I thought since you like chocolate you'd probably like hot cocoa."
Sig grabbed the cup and took a tentative sip. He fought hard to keep the smile from spreading across his face as he thoroughly enjoyed the rich warming drink. Samantha sat in the port side chair clutching the cup in her hand so hard her knuckles were turning white. The waves groaned as they passed the windows of the wheelhouse and when they hit the bow the whole boat trembled. Samantha was in and out of the wheelhouse putting dishes in the galley and finishing the laundry. When she returned to the wheelhouse after she'd remade all the beds Sig barked at her to sit still.
"You are like a hummingbird, just sit."
"Fine, I'm sitting. By the way the guys are done on deck" replied Samantha.
"Good. I hope everything is secured. It's going to be an insane storm" said Sig.
Samantha didn't say anything her eyes were slightly teary as her fear of the ocean seemed to completely take over her psyche. Just then there was yelling from the lower deck of the boat which snapped both her and Sig to attention.
"Antha, go see what's going on" said Sig.
"Roger" replied Samantha.
But before she even got to across the room Edgar was in the wheelhouse his pillow clutched in his hand.
"Hi Edgar" said Samantha brightly.
"Did you do this?" asked Edgar.
"I washed the pillow cases and blankets" said Samantha.
"Who asked you to do that?" asked Sig.
"No one, but they all smelled and I thought it would be nice for everyone to have fresh smelling bedding" explained Samantha. "Do you have some sort of stink contest on this boat? Like who can go longest without showering or washing their clothes?"
"Do you know where everyone else is right now?" asked Edgar.
"No" answered Samantha.
"They are all rolling around on their bunks sniffing their pillows, like they are in some sort of Downey commercial" said Edgar.
Samantha's face brightened and she broke into a huge smile before starting to laugh.
"Don't laugh" said Edgar trying to hide his smile.
"Edgar, are you going to take over so I can go sniff my pillow" said Sig.
At Sig's pronouncement both Samantha and Edgar burst into laughter.
"Sure, go ahead. I'll keep Susie homemaker up here to prevent her from hanging curtains or wallpapering the galley" said Edgar.
Sig got out of the chair and walked into his stateroom. As Edgar walked towards the captain's chair he whacked Samantha in the head with his pillow.
"Hey, you are going to mess up my hair" said Samantha.
"Too late" said Edgar.
Samantha sat pouting playfully in the port side chair.
"Come on Antha, don't start crying over there. You look just as pretty as you did when you walked on the boat" said Edgar.
"Edgar Hansen, did you just call me pretty?" teased Samantha.
"Maybe. Don't make a federal case about it" said Edgar.
"I think I may add this to my special memory scrapbook when I get home" said Samantha.
"You have a special memory scrapbook?" asked Edgar.
"No, but just because of this amazing compliment I may have to start one" said Samantha.