Okay, I was in a writing mood tonight. Hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor!
After saying goodbye to Johnny, Karen followed Todd and Craig down the dock. A minute or two later, Todd stopped in front of a white and blue boat.
"Karen, this is where we part ways. Have a good time and enjoy yourself on the Northwestern. That's Ben, he's one of the camera guys on board," Todd said, helping her across the way to the deck of the boat. She paused for a moment, looking at Todd and Craig.
"Brice, enjoy your trip. Meet you back at the end, and we'll share a drink with the others," Karen said, waving goodbye to him.
"Bye Summers, have fun," Craig replied, turning and following Todd down the docks. She watched as they disappeared around the corner, her heart full of uneasiness. This was going to be tough, being around fishermen in the worst weather imaginable.
She broke her trance when she heard Ben say, "You okay?"
She turned to him and noticed he had grabbed her gear. "Yeah, I'm okay, just a little nervous about all this."
"Don't worry, you'll be okay. Let's get you settled and you can meet the crew," Ben said, starting for the house of the boat.
Karen followed him into the house, Ben leading her down a hallway and into the galley. He took her gear into a stateroom.
"Unfortunately, since we are outsiders, and there is not a whole lot of room on the boat, your gear is going to have to be stored here. This room is for three of the crew members. Because they work odd hours, you can bunk down when they work, but you will have to vacate when they need to sleep." Ben replied, laying her gear down on the floor.
"That's fine. I just need to keep my medical supplies somewhere safe and accessible," Karen replied, grabbing one of the bags.
"Well, let's go introduce you to Sig and the crew and maybe they have an idea where it can be kept," Ben replied, motioning her to follow him up the stairs just off the galley.
Karen followed him, her heart beating loudly in her chest. She was nervous about meeting the men who worked on the boat.
She got to the top of the stairs, Ben helping her up into the wheelhouse. She stepped up and first noticed the six men standing near the right side of the wheelhouse. Already she felt trapped. Her eyes started darting around. Ben pulled her nearer to the men.
"Hey guys. This is the paramedic assigned to the boat. Karen Summers, meet Captain Sig Hansen."
Sig stood and held his hand out to the young lady in front of him. He noticed that she seemed like a trapped animal; her eyes were as wide as saucers. She returned the gesture by shaking hands with him. Sig sat back down.
"Nice to meet you Karen. Welcome aboard the Northwestern. I hope you enjoy your ride with us and, " knocking on the wood of the desk in front of him, "pray that we don't need your services."
"I have the same feeling. Thank you for allowing me on your boat, Captain."
"No problem. And you can drop the "Captain" stuff. It's just Sig," he replied, smiling. He noticed her visibly relax. To Sig it looked like the poor girl was scared to death.
"Okay, this is Edgar Hansen, Matt Bradley, Jake Anderson, Norman Hansen and Nick Mavar," Ben said, introducing the other crew members. Each on shook hands with her and said hello before running down the stairs. She looked at Ben with a question in her eyes.
"They have to get back to work. They came up to meet you, but they have to finish getting the boat ready to leave tomorrow. You'll get to spend more time with them when they finish."
"Yeah, the king crab season starts the day after tomorrow, so we are going to try to leave Dutch by tomorrow afternoon to make good time to the fishing grounds," Sig said, turning his attention to the vast array of monitors in front of him.
"Sig, I need a safe spot to stow this bag. It has medical gear in it, in case of emergency," Karen replied, her eyes scanning the wheelhouse.
"You can stow it in one of the cabinets near the co-captains seat," he replied, pointing over to the other side of the wheelhouse.
She went over, Ben at her side, and made room for her bag in the last cabinet. They both stood and Ben grabbed a camera that was laying on the ledge above the cabinet.
"Okay, time for me to start work," he replied, turning the camera on. He started taking his footage for the show. Karen watched for a moment before she headed for the back of the wheelhouse.
"I'm heading below. See you guys later," Karen replied, starting down the wheelhouse steps.
She entered the galley and headed for the stateroom her gear was in. She wondered how long she was going to last at this job. She hoped she could make it to the end. As she sat on the bed, her thoughts traveled to Johnny and how he was faring on the Time Bandit.
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