Chapter Sixteen;
Our Champion

Nav found ET down in the engine room with Sparks Wallis, tinkering on things she knew she probably should understand but didn't. Still, as long as the engine kept going and the turbines kept turning all would be good. It was Sparks that spotted her first, tapping ET on the shoulder with a greasy spanner. ET glanced up with a smile and waved her in. Sparks wandered off, clearly thinking they were going into some loved-up private conversation, but Nav had a feeling he'd hear some of it soon enough when she raised her voice. Wiping his hands on his overalls, the grease smearing down his clothes in a pattern Nav tried and failed not to follow with her eyes. But her anger at what Josh had done eventually got the worst of her. "We need to talk about this." She motioned to the oily turbine he'd been working on.

ET nodded. "Yeah, it's alright, should last a few more days. She's getting old this poor thing, she just needs a bit of rest."

"No, I mean this buggering off when you already have a job to do." ET gave her a blank look. "You were supposed to be watching Cassie!"

ET froze and looked back at the door. "Did something happen? Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Nav growled. "But it was your job to look after her, not dump her on Sally Blake."

ET went back to work. "I didn't dump her on anyone, she wanted to go with Chloe, they're friends. Anyway, THIS is my job, not babysitting a child I didn't even want here."

Nav gaped. "You make it sound like my daughter is a burden for you."

ET stopped tinkering. "OUR daughter Nikki, Cassie is mine too and I love her, but she shouldn't be here."

"I know you love her Josh but she's sa…"

"Maybe we should talk about this later, you know, when I'm not trying to stop the Hammersley breaking down and sinking." He muttered, lowering his voice now Nav's outburst had finally caught Sparksie's attention.

"Fine, my office in half an hour and, if you remember what your daughter looks like, you can go find her and apologize for leaving her alone." Nav stalked off. Smacking his spanner down on a hunk of metal nearby, ET swore when he realized he'd knocked a piston rod out of whack. Calling Sparks back they set to work putting it good again, but ET was preoccupied so much so that he didn't notice the situation he was in until the pain rocketed up his arm and right into his brain. He gave a yell of pain.

***

It took the combined efforts of seven of the crew, lead by Swain, to get ET out of the stranglehold of metal he'd got his hand stuck in. Thinking too much about the trouble he was in, ET hadn't noticed his spanner slipping from his grasp and into a gap between the dislodged piston rod and the wheel it was powering. Reaching after it without thinking, ET found himself in a tight gap just as the piston rod began to move again, powered by ET's hand hitting the wood plank they'd wedged to stop the gravitational turn of the wheel while they worked. The wood dislodged, the piston moving out of place, ET's hand was crushed between a rock and a very hot place. It wasn't the crushing sensation in his hand that had awoken ET from his stupor but rather the rush of hot air from the valve nearby that sent cooled air to the piston engine. It was only then that Sparks had realised what had happened and raised the alarm. By the time the five others had joined ET and Sparks in the engine room, ET had managed to stop the piston's movement but his hand remained jammed and burnt. Under the guide of Swain, Spider and Sparks managed to dislodge the piston releasing the wheel it was powering. Seagull and Buffer bent away the cooling vent that was burning ET's hand, and Bomber and Halfy were in charge of holding ET to his feet when the damage to his hand got too much. But ET was stronger than they had predicted and was even able to walk himself to the medical room and take a seat near where Nav now sat with a look of mixed guilt and worry across her face, young Cassie bouncing on her knee at the sight of her father. Bomber rushed off looking for burn cream, while Swain assessed the Marine Technician's injured hand.

"Please tell me there isn't any nerve damage." Nav almost whimpered as ET just frowned down at his hand, looking as if he still had no idea how he'd got to this place.

Swain touched it carefully, turning it over in his hand. "There shouldn't be. The vent was about 50 degrees so definitely first and maybe second degree burns. You've probably broken one of the fine bones in your hand there so you'll be out of the job for the next few weeks."

"At least this'll give me more time to look after Cassie." ET said spitefully without looking at Nav.

"Josh don't…" Nav responded, her voice telling him she was on the verge of tears.

Bomber appeared with the cream and Swain lathered it over his hand then wrapped it. "This will have to be changed every few hours for the next week and then every morning and night every fortnight after that. After that we'll have a look at it. But you're working one handed for the next few weeks so, good luck with one of Bomber's tough steaks."

"Oh ho, he's funny." Bomber muttered, leaving the room with a glare at Swain. The Executive Officer soon followed, leaving the small family alone. Cassie took the opportunity to jump from her mother's lap and rush over to her father, ET grabbing her before she could reach his hand and sweeping her up on his lap so she giggled.

"Be careful with daddy's hand sweetie." Nav said, trying to catch ET's eye, but he was focused on Cassie.

"What'd you get up to while I was working pumpkin? Mummy said you were being naughty."

Cassie pouted. "I was playing doctors. Chloe's daddy is a doctor."

"I know sweetie, he just fixed my hand." He let her grab his wrist and assess his bandages. "Did he do a good job?"

Cassie nodded. "I gonna be a doctor when I grows up." She said, still staring at his hand. "Are you okay daddy?"

ET kissed her head and she wriggled. "I'm okay, just don't touch daddy's hand, can you do that?" Cassie nodded mutely. "Okay, now go find Chloe and stay off the bridge remember? I need to talk to mummy."

Chloe gave him a peck on the cheek. "You're still my champeen daddy." She ran off and ET smothered a smile. She still couldn't say champion. He finally caught Nav's eye and noticed they were watering. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was. I'm sorry Josh, I know you wouldn't've left Cassie in a dangerous position."

ET frowned. "You don't get it do you? She is in a dangerous position. She's always in a dangerous position. On this ship there're nothing BUT dangerous positions."

Nav stood up. "Let's not talk about this right now." She went to the door, glancing at his hand. "I'm glad you're alright. I love you Josh." She gave a small smile.

"Love you too Nik." ET returned as she left. Frowning back at his hand ET sighed then stood and followed her out.