***So, I don't love this post. It feels rushed to me or something-I don't know. But I wanted to get something else up before the weekend because with everyone coming back home from school, I know I'm going to be busy for a while.***
"Well, looks like the princess decided to finally grace us with her presence! It's about fucking time we saw her do something other than throw a goddamn temper tantrum!"
Even with Edgar's warning, Kjiersten had no time to steel herself against the barrage of words Sig sent flying at her from the dock. Scenes like this were commonplace in Dutch- greenhorns being put in their place or crew skipping out on work often earned themselves some public humiliation. Most just ignored it, but Kjiersten didn't want Josh looking at her like that as he helped load groceries onto the Cornelia Marie next to them.
"It takes a lot of fucking nerve to show up here after all this! There's no room on this boat for children, Kjiersten!"
"I don't intend to bring any children on board," she shrugged casually. Edgar shot her a warning look from his spot on the deck. If she was on firm ground, she would have hopped the rail and confronted her uncle, but she was currently trying to replace the hose on their crane so they stopped leaking hydraulic fluid all over the deck.
"You're not irreplaceable, you know. I could have dozens of people here to fill your spot in a goddamn second. I don't need your fucking attitude on my ship! You've been nothing but a disrespectful, selfish…"
"What, Uncle Sig?" she snapped, slamming her pliers against the crane. "What am I? A bitch? A child? An idiot? Call me whatever the hell you want! I'm on the damn boat, ready to apologize and ready to work. If you're just going to belittle me and give me shit, I'll pack up and go home right fucking now."
"Oh, you're so fucking predictable, Kjiersten," Sig spat, hopping the rail onto his boat. Don and Dana stepped out on deck, saw the tense scene, and immediately whirled for cameras.
"Guess who I learned it from!" she spat right back at him.
"I have never disrespected my family like this. No matter how angry I was, I would never act the way you have."
Kjiersten hung her head and took a few deep breaths so that she could be as calm as possible when she looked back up. "Well, I'm not you, am I? I was raised not to take shit from anybody, so when I get hurt, I lash out. Kind of like you're doing right now." She paused to let that sink in. "And I'm sorry I hurt you guys; I wasn't thinking about anyone else at that point."
Sig opened his mouth and pointed at her, but he looked between the cameras, Edgar, and her sunken face. His hand fell slowly back to his side. "You're damn right you weren't thinking," he grumbled. "How long's that repair gonna take?"
Kjiersten shared a smile with Edgar and picked her pliers back up. "Maybe another 20 minutes or so."
"You get yourself back on this deck safe," Sig ordered. "You know I don't like you working up there." She grinned at that. "Your dad's gonna be up soon."
"Yeah, I know."
"Know what you're gonna say to him?"
"Nope."
Sig looked at Edgar, and they both rolled their eyes. "You really are your father's daughter, you know that?"
"So I've been told," she nodded. "Speaking of; DON! Put your damn camera away! You don't need to film this shit!"
"I'm just doing my job!" he insisted. "Why do you people sign contracts and then do everything you can not to fill them?"
"We meet our contracts," Sig pointed. "We just like making your lives hard. It adds joy to our lives."
"You know what adds joy to my life? Cake. You should try it sometime."
"You clearly lead a boring life!" Edgar grinned as he lowered the crane back onto the deck. Kjiersten untied herself and hopped off. "Your dad's gonna be here soon, y'know. You should have some kind of plan."
"Don't worry about us," she shook her head. "I'm gonna go talk to Dana." Edgar frowned at her. "Dad and I can work through anything. Those two? There's a better chance of you hitting the lottery."
"So…you're going to give her a pep talk on how to handle the same person you haven't talked to in a month?"
"Why would you say it like that? Why do you always have to put things like that?" She threw her hands up. "You always have to make stuff sound as bad as possible, Uncle Eddie! What the fuck?"
"I'm just trying to understand," he shrugged. She made a face as she opened the door to the galley.
"Well, stop. You just make me sound stupid, and I don't need your help." She disappeared inside and found Dana slumped at the table, staring at her hands as if they held the answers to the universe. "What's up with you?"
Dana snapped her head up, obviously startled. "Huh? Nothing. Why do you guys always sneak up on me?"
Kjiersten smirked. "I really didn't this time, honest. You look like something's eating at you."
Dana offered a weak smile. "I've got a lot on my mind. Any idea when your dad's showing up?"
"Ah, I knew that's what this was about," Kjiersten smirked, leaning against the wall casually. "Look, you know he's been through a lot. He'll come around, just like I said. You won't even need to figure out what to say; he'll come to you. Don't sweat it."
"It's not that easy anymore," Dana shook her head and rubbed her stomach as she cast a look at the fridge.
"Oh my God, you're pregnant."
Dana raised her eyebrows and sat up straight. "Oh. My God. Is it really that obvious already?"
"OHMYGOD, you're actually pregnant!" Kjiersten squeaked, her eyes growing wide. She threw her hands over her mouth and felt her stomach clench as she flinched away.
"Oh my God, could you be any louder?"
"You're…fucking-a, that's…holy shit…you're…it's…" she pointed to Dana's stomach as she fumbled through her thoughts. "Is it Dad's?"
"Well…yeah. I wish there was a better way to break that news, but…" she shrugged helplessly.
"Fucking a," Kjiersten murmured, still staring at Dana's stomach. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"I just found out a week ago. I mean, I'm only a little over a month along, and it's not something I was all that concerned about happening. Besides, it's not exactly news you leave on someone's voicemail. I don't know what was going on between you two, but you and your dad can do the silent treatment like nobody's business. You really didn't know?"
"I was just saying that. I say that all the time. Breaks the ice. You're actually fucking pregnant. Ho-ly shit. Wait!" Kjiersten threw her hands up and exclaimed, "You can't go out fishing like that!"
"I believe I can, actually," Dana countered.
"Not with my half…whatever…in there," Kjiersten gestured wildly to her stomach. "It's too dangerous. No, uh-uh, not a chance. You march into the wheelhouse and you tell Don you can't go out this season!"
"Kjiersten, I'm going out this season. I can't not go. I have to do this."
"Like hell you do!" Kjiersten exclaimed. "You stay home and take care of yourself. It's one thing to be stupid enough to put your own life at risk, but the life of…no! You get your ass off this boat!"
"Kjiersten," Dana stood up and grabbed the younger woman's hand, "you know I need to be here. If you were cut off from Josh, and the only way you could reach him was to go out, you look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't fight like hell to be on that boat when it left port." Kjiersten opened her mouth to protest, but closed it at the look in Dana's eyes.
"You really care about him, don't you?"
"I really do. And I will tell him about this, but you need to give me some time, alright? I want him to be around because of me, not because of this. Just give me this trip."
Kjiersten gaped at her, studying her like you would someone who had just claimed they had a third eye that you couldn't see. "Alright. You have opies to tell him. Or I do."
"I'll tell him myself. But I need him talking to me first."
"Need who talking to you before you can what?" Kjiersten and Dana snapped their heads around as Sig hopped down from the wheelhouse. Both women looked at each other. This was Kjiersten's first test, and they both knew it.
"Is dad here yet?" Kjiersten deflected, still watching Dana. Sig nodded.
"He's talking to Josh right now. That's what I was coming down to tell you. Thought you might want to interrupt."
"Shit," she mumbled, breaking the stare-down to look at Sig. "Thanks, Uncle Sig. I want to talk to him on land. Then," she turned to Dana, "he's all yours."
"Did I miss something?" Sig frowned between them. Kjiersten's face lit up in a huge grin, and she bounced over to him to plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
"You're always missing something, Uncle Siggy!" she announced. "I'll be back!"