Thanks all for the reviews! Sorry that this has taken so long to update once again! I promise to try and speed my slow ass up a little! Hope you keep reading and enjoy, thanks again!
Chapter Six
She was right on the verge of sleep when the creaking of her bedroom door being opened made her open her weary eyes ever so slightly. The intruder shut the door behind them and the patter of their little steps came to a stop when she felt a warm body climb into bed alongside her.
'There's a monster in my room,' she turned over in bed and came face to face with her little sister who immediately cuddled up to her.
'Stephanie sweetie there's no such thing as monster's, come on, I'll prove it to you….'
'Nooo! I wanna stay here with you!' She sighed as her sister held onto her arm even tighter, it was just past eleven in the evening, not late but she had to be up at five thirty in the morning and she needed all the sleep she could get. Rather than spending precious time arguing with her it was just better to let her have her own way tonight, she was far too soft on her brothers and sister. 'Okay missy, you can stay here tonight but only for tonight!'
'Thanks sis!' Stephanie loosened her grip and planted a kiss on her nose before snuggling in with her under the blankets.
With her dad being away for Opie Season she always came to stay with Louise and the kids to try and help out as much as she could. Despite the interruptions at night time which happened every now and then she loved every minute of being back home. She had moved in just before Christmas in time to help out with the cooking, cleaning, decorating and present wrapping. Dad had left for Dutch just before New Year's Eve along with Sig, the rest of the crew had been up in Dutch for a few days before them preparing the boat and doing last minute repairs for the upcoming season.
She was used to saying goodbye to her dad and her uncle's by now but that didn't mean that her fears and worries went away. She knew how dangerous the job was and every time she said goodbye she knew damn well that there was a chance she wouldn't see her loved ones again but she had to be strong. This season though it wasn't just family members that she was worrying about, she had Jake to worry about too.
Over the past couple of months their friendship had grown stronger, he'd visited her apartment and spent his Saturday's with her on a regular basis. Sometimes they'd go out together for lunch or just for a coffee but they had to be careful, they didn't want to be spotted by anyone who could make trouble for them with her family. With each visit her feelings for him had continued to grow stronger and stronger. She'd thought about pulling away and trying to forget about him, hell she'd even thought about leaving Seattle but she couldn't do it. The last time she'd seen him had been the day before Christmas Eve, she'd arranged to meet him at her apartment so they could see each other before he left for Dutch Harbour.
They'd spent just a couple of hours together talking mostly about the upcoming season and how nervous he was about it. She knew just how tough her family could be whilst they were at work but deep down she knew that he would do a great job, how could he disappoint anyone? He really didn't know how attractive he was, inside and out, that lack of vanity and arrogance just made her want him even more than she already did. It still brought a smile to her face when she thought back to their gift exchange just before she'd had to say goodbye to him.
Resting her head against the pillow she wrapped an arm around her younger sister and smiled to herself as she let her mind drift back to that day, to that moment.
'Okay so I know you said that I shouldn't get you anything but,' she watched as Jake pulled out an envelope from the pocket of his jacket and handed it to her, 'I had to.'
'Well since I guessed that you probably would ignore my request,' she got up from the couch and walked over to her computer desk where she opened one of the drawers and removed the presents she'd bought for him 'so I decided to get you a little something too.'
Jake smiled warmly as she took a seat next to him once again and they exchanged gifts. She'd taken so long to decide what to get him, she just hoped that what she'd eventually decided on would be okay.
She watched him open the first present as she wanted to see his reaction. After struggling for a minute or two with the well wrapped gift he finally pulled the paper off and pulled out the thermal under garments that she thought would keep him warm whilst out on deck.
'Oh man these are like the best you can get! I can't take these, I know how much they cost!'
'Of course you can take them! I'm just glad you like them, I know it's not the most exciting gift in the world….'
'It's really thoughtful of you Maddie, thank you,' he gave her a stomach tingling smile which almost made her lean forward and kiss the life out of him but she didn't. Instead she looked down at the envelope he'd given her and started to open it. She was well aware that he was watching her as she pulled out a gift card and read where it was from.
'Oh Jake this is wonderful!' She was delighted to see that he'd bought her a day of treatments at a local spa, she worked such long hours and got so stressed at times that a day of facials and massages would be complete heaven.
'I thought that it would be nice for you to just spend some time alone and relax you know? If you go on their website you'll be able to see what treatments you can get and the dates you can go,' this time she couldn't stop herself from leaning over and pulling him into an almost bone crushing hug. Usually her gifts from men consisted of perfume, chocolates or books, this was definitely one of the best and most thoughtful gifts a man had ever bought her.
'Thank you so much Jake,' as she went to pull away she pressed a quick kiss on his cheek which took him by surprise as he looked a little flustered for a second or two.
He quickly recovered enough to open the second gift she'd bought him, a book called 'How to be Assertive in any Situation'. If there was one thing that Jake lacked it was the ability to stand up to her relatives and give as good as he got, she knew that he almost hero-worshipped her father and that was fine but he definitely needed to learn how to stand up to him and make sure he wasn't going to be pushed around too much.
'I am definitely taking this with me and reading it every chance I get,' he smiled before he quickly wrapped his muscular arms around her.
She let her head rest against his shoulder as she took in a deep breathe so she could get lost in his smell, she closed her eyes briefly and tried to bite back the tears that she desperately wanted to spill. She knew that this could be the last time that she saw him, she thought the exact same thing everytime she said goodbye to her father and uncles but she had to keep it together.
Their hug lasted for much longer than it probably should have but she didn't care. Now as she lay back in bed and drifted off to sleep she thought of him and the moment that they'd shared that day. In the land of her daydreams she stirred briefly as the phone began to ring, she knew that it would be her father calling to check in on how everyone was doing so she chose not to open her eyes. She felt Stephanie stir against her and wrapped her free arm around her sibling to try and coax her back to sleep.
She didn't know how long it took between the phone ringing and then someone gently opening her bedroom door. She heard footsteps walk around to her side of the bed and as soon as she opened her eyes she nearly jumped right out of the bed when she saw a solemn looking Louise standing alongside her. A wave of nausea hit her and her heart began to race, she could tell from the look on her face that something bad had happened.
'Maddie honey I need to talk to you,' Louise whispered as she began to slowly and gently unravel herself from Stephanie so she could get out of bed. When her feet hit the ground they felt like two big pieces of jelly, she followed Louise like she was in some sort of a trance. She'd been preparing herself for this moment ever since she was a child and now it was here, she was going to be told that somebody wasn't coming back.
Following Louise into her room she managed to get over to the bed and sat down before her legs gave way. Louise sat down next to her and before she could say anything Maddie found herself talking.
'Who is it? Please don't tell me it's all of them,' tears began to pool in her eyes as Louise took her hand and shook her head.
'Everyone on the boat is fine honey, that was your dad on the phone. Jake's mother called the boat a couple of hours ago, his sister Chelsea has passed away,' she stared at Louise as tears began to stream down her face, hearing that everyone on the boat was okay had given her such a huge sense of relief that she felt like a complete dog, she was relieved and Jake was out in the middle of the ocean thousands of miles away from home completely broken hearted. The pain that she felt for him took over and she couldn't seem to control herself as her silent tears became choked sobs.
'Oh Maddie,' Louise wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close, her reaction to the news would undoubtedly tell her all she needed to know about her feelings for Jake but she couldn't care less anymore. 'He's going to be home and with his family soon honey, Sig's taking the boat back to Dutch right now and he'll be on the next flight out of there.'
She managed to get herself together after a few minutes and eventually pulled away from Louise who just continued to stare at her without saying anything.
'Is there any chance that I could talk to him?'
Louise took one of her hands in hers. 'I can call the boat and ask to speak to him I guess, if you call you and I both know what Sig and your father will think.'
'I really don't give a shit what they think right now, I just need to speak to Jake, I need to hear his voice,' Louise gripped her hand tightly.
'Well you should care what they think, the last thing Jake needs right now is any drama and you know as well as I do that that's what will happen if you call the boat to speak to him. If I do it I can make something up, I've told Edgar that June and I will go to see his family tomorrow, I can say I need to talk to him about that or something.'
Even though her emotions were all over the place she knew that Louise was right. The last thing that she wanted to do right now was to cause trouble for Jake when his world had all but collapsed around him already.
'Will you call please?' Louise leaned over across the bed to grab the phone as she watched her in silence. She dialled the number off by heart, she'd called it enough times to have it memorised by now. After a minute or two Louise greeted whoever was on the other end of the line, it was probably Sig or her father, it definitely wouldn't be Jake answering the call.
'Is Jake able to talk right now? June and I have just got off the phone to each other and we're gonna go and see his family tomorrow morning, we weren't quite sure of their address,' Louise closed her eyes momentarily and then seemingly interrupted whoever she was talking to. 'Okay, okay I didn't call just for that, I called because I thought he might want to talk to someone who's a little more…sensitive. As much as I love you guys sometimes you can be a little over the top, will you just get him for me, please?' Louise then put her hand over the phone's speaker and whispered to her 'I think I might be off Sig's good list for a while after that.'
They then waited in silence for a couple of minutes before Louise spoke again. 'Jake honey this is Louise, Edgar's wife, I'm so sorry about your sister, I have someone here that wants to talk to you.' Louise remained silent for a few moments then put her hand over the speaker again 'he's getting Sig to leave the wheelhouse so he can be alone.' She waited with baited breathe as they both sat there in silence, getting Sig to leave the wheelhouse was like taking candy from a baby but after a few minutes of waiting Louise finally handed the phone over to her.
'Hi there,' Jake's broken voice sounded across the crackly line and almost tore her heart in two.
'Jake I'm so, so sorry about Chelsea, I know how much she meant to you. I really wish there was something I could say or do to make you feel better right now,' she shook her head as she tried to come up with something meaningful to say but she couldn't manage anything other than the usual clumsy attempts at consoling someone who had lost somebody close.
'It means a lot that you called,' she could hear him struggling to hold back his emotions as he spoke and she wanted him to know that he didn't have to hold anything back from her.
'Jake you don't have to hide your emotions from me, it's okay to get upset, to cry, to grieve,' she almost whispered down the line, hoping that she wasn't overstepping the mark.
'I have to be strong, my family need me to be strong. If I start crying the truth is I don't know when I'll fucking stop,' the choked sob after he'd finished talking almost made her burst into tears, his pain was her pain.
'Louise, June and I are going to visit your family tomorrow, we'll do what we can to help, not that much will help right now but we want you all to know that we're here. Well, you know I'm here for you I guess, I hope so anyway,' she was babbling, she always babbled when she didn't know what to say.
'I know you are and believe me it means a lot right now, more than you realise I think,' she wished that she could somehow reach down the line and touch him, she was desperate to be with him now more than ever. 'I'd better go, I need to start packing up my things and you should get some sleep if you're heading to see my folks tomorrow.'
She shook her head again, how could he be thinking of her needs at a time like this? 'Let me know when you get home and if there's anything you need or want, just get in touch no matter what time of day or night it is you got that?'
'Yes ma'am, I know better than to mess with a Hansen,' his words brought a little smile to her face. 'I'll see you soon, thanks Maddie.'
'You take care of yourself Jake, I'll see you when you get back.'
Putting the phone down was more difficult than she thought it would be, for a minute or two she just sat on the bed listening to the dialling tone like a fool. It was only when Louise came and sat back down on the bed again that she snapped out of her temporary daze and put the phone back where it belonged.
Reaching her hand across and placing it in hers once again Louise just stared at her. 'I think we need to talk about your feelings for Jake.'