Chapter 18: Redemption
It had been one of the most brutal Opilio crab seasons yet. All across the Bering Sea boats began to turn their bows toward Dutch Harbor, more than ready to reach solid ground.
On the Northwestern, Sarah was taking a moment to figure out what to say to her parents regarding her relationship with Rick.
Meanwhile, Edgar and Jack Hansen sat in the Elbow Room with Sig, Norman, Matt, and Nick. They had all gathered to greet Sarah and the new Northwestern crew once they arrived. For Sarah, it would mean the official right of passage as a skipper on the Bering Sea. She had survived both the King Crab and Opilio Crab seasons and had proved herself to be a worthy captain.
"The boats are comin'!" shouted an elderly man sitting near the window.
Everyone in the Elbow Room stood up quickly and ran outside toward the docks. Some waved their hats in the air while others shouted happily. Children cried out happily as their dads returned from the deadly Bering Sea.
Sarah guided the Northwestern through the narrow channel and into the harbor. Down on the deck, the crew was talking and shouting excitedly.
Alex and Jake climbed out onto the bow. Jake stood on the very front of the boat and spread out his arms, pretending he could fly. Alex stood behind him and put his hands on his hips.
"I'm the king of the world!" shouted Jake, re-enacting the famous Titanic scene.
Sarah laughed loudly and shook her head at the slightly disturbing sight. Andrew and Jon pretended to gag on the deck behind the wheelhouse. They leaned over the railing and shouted insults at the two other deckhands on the front of the boat.
"Don't judge!" yelled Jake, pretending to be upset.
Sarah was in tears she was laughing so hard. Just then they rounded the corner and pulled into Dutch Harbor. She reached up to grab the binoculars and peered through them at the dock up ahead. She smiled when she recognized her parents and the old Northwestern crew.
As they drew closer to the dock, cheers went up from the crew on deck as they too recognized the familiar faces of the Hansen's and the other crew members standing on the docks. Jake was shouting something at Matt Bradley and Alex was waving at Sig Hansen.
Sarah guided the Northwestern up against the dock while the deckhands scrambled to tie her down. Matt, Nick, and Edgar moved to help them tie down the lines on the dock.
"Hey I thought you all retired?" said Jake in a joking manner as he leapt onto the dock, "Watcha doin' tying down our boat?"
Sig smacked Jake upside the head. Jake laughed and tried to duck out of the way of his next blow.
"Hey I still own it, you know," said Sig with a laugh.
Sarah climbed out of the wheelhouse and waved to her parents as she made her way towards the dock. She gave them both a hug and tried to answer their barrage of questions. When she got to the part about the storm and the massive rogue wave, everyone froze and listened, eyes wide with shock and horror.
"She got us through though," said Jake as he stepped up behind Sarah, giving her his full support, "We caught a ton of crab too. May even be a record-breaker season."
Sig nodded in approval and gave his niece a hug.
"Well I'm proud of you kiddo," he said as he looked down on her, pride and admiration shining in his blue eyes, "Looks like you're not going to be a greenhorn captain anymore."
Sarah's eyes lit up at the sound of that. Just then, the Maverick pulled into the harbor and began its slow crawl over to their section of the dock.
"Hey Hansens!" shouted Rick from the wheelhouse window as he skillfully maneuvered his boat into the docks.
Sig's jaw visibly tightened but he gritted his teeth and waved back. Edgar glanced over at his daughter to see her reaction. She was beaming and waving wildly at Rick, but froze when she noticed her parents looking at her.
Edgar rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair.
"Its okay, Sarah," he said giving her a loving look, "You're an adult now and you can make your own decisions."
Jack nodded in agreement as she watched the Maverick being tied up to the dock.
Sarah wondered what was going through her mother's mind. Blake Painter was the first man she had fallen in love with and he ended up being someone completely different than she had realized.
Just then, Jack gasped in shock and grabbed Edgar's arm. Sarah followed her mom's shocked and terrified stare.
Standing on the dock beside of the Maverick was Blake Painter, waiting to greet his son.
Edgar's entire body stiffened in anger and his flashing eyes revealed the depth of dislike he felt towards the man.
Sig also looked rather grim at the sight of his old enemy. Both the old and new Northwestern crews watched tensely as Rick climbed off the Maverick to greet his dad. The surprised look on his face told Sarah that he had not been expecting his dad to be there either.
The two men embraced in a hug. Rick glanced over his dad's shoulder and saw the shocked and surprised looks on the Northwestern crews' faces. He swallowed nervously and mumbled something to his dad. A few seconds later, Blake turned and gazed out at them.
Sarah saw her mom tense up in fear and cling onto Edgar a little tighter. Edgar muttered something into her ear to comfort her, never taking his eyes off of Blake.
Just then, the two men began to walk down the dock towards them. Instantly Sig, Edgar, Norman and Jake moved forward.
"Hey," said Rick, awkwardly as he approached them, "Um…I've been talking to my dad on the radio a lot while we were out fishing, and, uh, he has something he'd like to say."
Sarah narrowed her eyes and gave Rick a curious and confused look. Rick gave her a slight wink of encouragement before he turned his attention back to his dad.
Blake Painter had not changed much over the years. His blonde hair and blue eyes remained the same. He had a few more lines in his face but looked as fit and charming as ever. He took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Um, I understand that my son and your daughter are seeing each other," he said, addressing Edgar and Jack, "And I know we have a tainted past, but I was hoping that maybe for our children's sake, that we could let it go. I'd also like to say I'm sorry for what I did. Rick convinced me that the past is indeed the past and that we need to move on. He also managed to convince me that apologizing may be the best way to do just that. So, I'm sorry…I really am."
The sorrowful look in Blake's eyes confirmed that he truly meant what he said. He gazed at Edgar and Jack, shuffling his feet as he waited for their reply. Rick and Sarah exchanged nervous looks while they waited.
Suddenly, Jack nodded slowly.
"I agree."
The crews blinked and murmured in surprise. They had not expected Jack to be the first one to reply, much less to agree to what Blake had said. They gave her doubtful and uncertain looks.
She returned their stares with a determined and understanding look.
"He's right," she said, stepping forward, "The past is the past. It's high time we all move on with our lives, not just for our sake but for theirs."
Jack nodded towards Rick and Sarah. The two young captains looked nervous as everyone glanced briefly at them.
"So, Blake, I forgive you," continued Jack, "And I do hope we can move on."
Jack took another step forward and held out her hand. Edgar looked taken back by the scene and shook his head in disbelief. He hesitated for a moment, but stepped up behind his wife to support her.
Blake looked very surprised at Jack's response. He took her hand and shook it, his crooked grin spreading across his face. Edgar reached forward to shake his hand as well. The two men made eye-contact and nodded in silent understanding.
Rick looked overjoyed at the sight. He ran up to them and murmured something into Edgar's ear.
Edgar shook his head again in disbelief and gave Rick a bewildered look.
"You're just full of surprises aren't you?" he asked with a smile, "Yes, of course you can."
Sarah glanced at the other deckhands, wondering what was going on. She made eye-contact with Jake and gave him a questioning look. Jake shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't ask me," he muttered, "I'm as confused as you are!"
Just then, Rick sauntered over to her with a big, goofy grin on his face. Sarah was struck suddenly by the resemblance he had to his father. They had the same blonde hair, same blue eyes, and same wide, crooked smile.
Rick reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it up and went down on one knee.
"Sarah Hansen, will you marry me?"
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I'll post an epilogue asap!!