Chapter 41 Day 34
As I straddle Linka's hips, her moans of pleasure encourage me to push harder. The way she hums and gasps beneath me...does she know what that does to me? Is she doing it on purpose? I pull away, teasing her with my absence.
"Wheeeeeelerrrrrr?" She whines in protest.
"Say it," I lean down and whisper in her ear.
"Do not stop."
I lean forward and continue to press into her.
"Planeteers, to the Crystal Chamber," Gaia's voice breaks into our consciousness.
"Nyet!" She moans as I sigh in frustration.
"Finish?" She practically begs.
I climb off of her and out of the bed.
"Sorry Babe…the rest of your massage will have to wait. We gotta go see what Gaia wants," I say as I hold my hand out to her to help her up.
My "punishment" for embarrassing her as we were leaving Eden was a massage every day after our morning exercise. I've been doing it ever since we got back from Eden. Like I said, it's not much of a punishment. I'm enjoying it as much as she is.
"You mean YOU have to go see what she wants. I think I will just stay here in bed."
"Stop pouting…it's unbecoming…if you come to the Crystal Chamber, at least it shows that you're showing an interest…and maybe it'll be a mission that you can come on…now get your ass in gear, Planeteer!" I say as a swoop in and scoop her up in my arms. "I'll carry you if I have to."
"Put me down!" She squeals as she kicks her legs.
I do as she asks, but not before spinning her around, setting her down, and playfully pushing her out the door.
"What's up Gaia?" I ask when we get to the Crystal Chamber, still shoving Linka playfully and accidentally causing her to trip. I reach out and grab her to steady her and laugh.
"Watch yourself, clumsy!" I say with a chuckle.
She smacks my chest and then laughs as well.
"Linka, you're looking well," Gaia says.
"I am feeling well too. Thank you."
"Good…well enough to go on a mission?" Gaia asks.
"Really? Da!"
I can't help but smile. I put my arm around her shoulder, pull her against my side, and say against the side of her head,
"I told you so."
She pushes me away and takes a step closer to the Planet Vision. Great. She's in mission mode, which means "'Hands off Yankee.' Don't touch her and don't talk to her unless it's about the mission." I knew this day would come. I should be happier about it, but I'm not. I see her slowly slipping away, back to her old self…which is great…I just wish her old self liked me better and had a place for me in her life.
My attention is drawn back to Gaia and her explanation.
"…off the coast of Australia. Rescuers have lost track of him, but I have picked him up. He's 120 miles south of where they last saw him. He's migrating, as his natural instinct is instructing him to, but unless that netting is removed, he will continue to struggle to the point of exhaustion and drown."
"Is it a fishing net?" I ask.
"Were you not listening Yankee? It is shark netting that they use around the beaches to keep the sharks away from the swimmers. The whale got disoriented and swam into the net. We must go quickly and get him free!" She says enthusiastically.
Yep, back to normal.
Gi is piloting the Eco Sub while Kwame and Ma-Ti strategize how to handle the whale once we get there. Linka is listening in and offering her opinion. I'm pretty quiet, thinking about how easily she falls back into that routine of pushing me away and yelling at me. Yeah, I know I was zoning out and not paying attention during the briefing, but after all we've been through, I thought maybe I'd earned at least a little respect. Guess not.
"Earth to Wheeler!" I hear Linka say as she waves her hand in front of my face.
"What?"
"Kwame and Ma-Ti are going to get some rest…We have some time before we arrive in Australia…I was thinking you could finish my massage," she says as she sits on my knee.
"Funny…I was just thinking that you seemed fine."
"But before, we were not done. You always finish with my neck."
"You were limber enough to get away from me in the Crystal Chamber…you're fine. Besides, I think Kwame and Ma-Ti have the right idea…I'm gonna get some sleep so we can take on the 'Whale vs. fishing net mission.' Why don't you go keep Gi company?"
"Do you not want me on this mission?" She asks. "It is not a hard mission. There are no eco-villains…just saving a life. I can handle this."
"I know. You're ready. All better…back to normal…now if you don't mind…I'd like some sleep," I say as I lift her off my leg and curl up against the side of the Eco Sub to take my pretend nap. I'm not tired. I'm not going to sleep. I can hear every word of her conversation with Gi. I listen closely as Gi not so subtly brings up the topic of our "relationship."
"But you don't want EVERYTHING to go back do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Wheeler. You and he have really gotten close."
"Da, but it is not like that…he has been nothing but a good friend. There is nothing other than friendship there."
I try to listen to the tone of her voice…is there any regret in that statement? Does she wish there was more than friendship? I can't tell. She continues on to explain to Gi.
"Wheeler is determined to not take advantage of the situation…and I would never use a friend's kindness and mistake that for something more. We are just friends. Very good friends. I could not have gotten through this without him."
Well, at least she is able to admit that to the others, even if she can't admit her true feelings. I know what I heard, but I know what I feel…I know the feelings that are between us when we're together…it's more than just "very good friends." If that's how she wants to play it though, that's fine. We can hide our feelings from the others. I'm cool with that. If we can only act one way in private while putting on an act in public, I'll take it.
I guess I was more tired than I thought. I fell asleep and woke up when I heard the commotion from the others as the distressed whale came into view.
"There he is!"
"The net is wrapped around his tail and his mouth!"
"And one of his pectoral fins."
"Oh the poor thing!"
"Take the sub up to the surface Gi. Ma-Ti will try to calm him and let him know we are here to help," Kwame says.
By now, I have already put on my wetsuit and breathing apparatus.
"Gi, you must tell us when the whale is showing signs of distress or getting agitated and Ma-Ti will try to calm him again. Wheeler and I will go in and begin cutting away the net. It will probably be easiest if we get it in bits and pieces, so Linka, you will have to remove the discarded pieces and bring them into the Eco Sub and out of the water. Wheeler, do you have something to cut the net with?" Kwame asks as he holds up a pair of wire cutters from the toolbox.
"Yeah," I say as I hold up my ring hand and dive in.
"WHEELER!" I hear them all yell at once.
The sooner I get this whale free, the better off he'll be and then the better off I'll be once we get back to Hope Island.
"WHEELER, ARE YOU INSANE?" Gi yells. "THAT ANIMAL IS SCARED AND CONFUSED! HE COULD KNOCK YOU OUT WITH ONE WHACK OF HIS FIN OR KILL YOU WITH A FLICK OF HIS TAIL!"
"WHEELER, GET OUT OF THERE!" Linka yells.
"Ma-Ti, do something!" Kwame orders.
"Heart! It is ok my friend. We are here to help. My friend is not trying to hurt you…he is trying to get you freed. Just stay calm."
The whale stops thrashing, but to the point where he is starting to sink.
"Gi look!" Linka says. "There are more whales."
I dip my head underwater and sure enough, I see three more humpback whales circling us. They're heading straight for me! I swim out of the way and see that the whales weren't coming for me; they were pushing the trapped whale to the surface so he could breathe. Wow. That's amazing. They're really no different than humans. They see their fellow whale in trouble, and they are trying to help. Once I know that I'm in no immediate danger, I return to the whale's mouth, carefully burning away the netting and pulling away pieces of it until the netting is completely removed.
I hear Linka summon her wind power to lift the pieces of netting out of the water.
Now I have to get the net off the pectoral fin. The other whales are still around, blowing streams of bubbles out of their blowholes as they circle me.
"Be careful Wheeler!" Gi says. "What they're doing…that's a threat. It means they know you're there and they're watching you."
"I thought they just ate small fish!"
"Well, no offense Wheeler, but compared to them, you ARE small!"
"I'm going to try for the netting around his fin," I explain.
"Kwame, go help him!" Linka pleads.
"NO!" Ma-Ti says. "It is too dangerous. I cannot keep him calm. Wheeler should not be in there either."
"WHEELER GET OUT OF THERE YOU DAMN YANKEE…COWBOY!"
Cowboy? Must be my bravado. Willingness to dive right into a situation…"guns blazin'" so to say.
I see an opening…a perfect opportunity to remove a large piece of netting, so I swim for it. I no sooner get there though, and the whale starts into a barrel roll, swatting me aside with his fin as if I were nothing more than a little fly. The last thing I hear is Linka calling my name.
The next thing I know, Linka's arms are around me, keeping me afloat as she pulls me towards the Eco Sub. She dove in after me? Kwame and Ma-Ti pull me up as Gi helps Linka. Then she is at my side, holding me in her arms and brushing the hair away from my face. I think she's yelling at me, but she's doing it affectionately. I smile up at her.
"You care?"
"What?"
"You saved me…you care."
"Of course I care you idiot! If anyone is going to kill you, it will be me! Not some whale!"
"The whale!" I say, suddenly aware of what's happening. "It's around his fin."
"Nyet, not anymore. You were tangled in the netting. I had to get you out so…so I used your ring to cut you free. That got rid of the rest of the net around the whale's fin. Here," she says as she slides my ring back onto my finger. I smile. I can use her ring and she can use mine. Weird…but awesome. It has to mean something…there has to be more to it. Kwame couldn't use hers, but I could and now she can use mine. I wonder how it felt for her? If she got the same feelings I got when I used hers?
"Got it!" I hear Kwame say. I look over and see him waving a long pole with a saw at the end…like what people use to trim branches from trees. "Linka get the remainder of the net out of the water!"
She unwraps one of her arms from around me and uses her ring to pick up the net and bring it to the Eco Sub where Ma-Ti and Gi store it securely inside.
"Oh no!" Gi says. "He's sinking!"
"But he is free! Why is he sinking?" Linka asks.
"Maybe the stress was too much," Gi responds.
"Heart!" Ma-Ti waits. "The other whales are still in the area and are here to help."
Then I see the whale make it to the surface for air, with the help of the others.
"Swim my friend…you are free now. Go be with your friends," Ma-Ti says.
"He is swimming!" Kwame announces. "Great job everyone."
"Let's go home…unless you think Wheeler needs to see a doctor?" Gi asks Linka as Kwame and Ma-Ti help me down into the sub.
"He probably should. He lost consciousness and probably has a concussion. He should have a CT scan to make sure there is no more serious injury…perhaps they can check for a brain in there as well!"
I heard that!
"Hey!"
"Do not argue Yankee. You know what you did was stupid."
"But you saved me."
"I did not have a choice…you still owe me a massage!" She says as she unzips my wetsuit and pulls it down off my shoulders. Not gonna lie…I like being undressed by Linka. "Bozhe moy, your stab wound is bleeding…AGAIN. I really wish you would stop over exerting yourself and let this thing heal!"
She pulls out the first aid kit and applies pressure to the wound. It's not too bad. It's mostly healed except for the top part which keeps popping open. She's finished bandaging me up just as we arrive at the shore. We are met by a group of reporters who had been following the whale's ordeal. The others stay behind and answer questions about the whale rescue while Linka takes me to the ER.
To Be Continued…
And don't forget, to get the full affect of the story, you HAVE TO read Linka's side of the story in Chapter 41 of LouiseX's Codependence!