***Chapter 10

The waves were indeed high and the sailors on board the RHIB had one hell of a ride over to Mr. Jones' yacht. Boarding it, Bomber slipped on the wet planks and almost fell over board. Buffer managed to grab her vest just in time and pulled her back up.
"Careful Bomber. We still need our chef, I hadn't had dinner tonight." He smiled at her. Addressing the old man coming towards them from the wheelhouse, he asked: "Mr. Jones, is that you? We're Australian Navy, I'm Petty Officer Peter Tomaszewski, these are Petty Officer Chris Blake and Able Seaman Rebecca Brown. Where's that child you reported?"
The skipper shook hands with Buffer, then turned and showed them the way downstairs under deck. "What child?" he asked, entering the steps. "There's no child on board."
Startled, the sailors changed glances. Buffer's hand was hovering over his holster in a second. But there was no weapon, of course not. That one was supposed to be a rescue mission, wasn't it? Swain and Bomber were alarmed too.
"Sir, I'm a bit confused. You reported a young child in critical condition. What's this all about?" Buffer said, using his harsh tone now normally reserved for uncooperative fisherman, gesturing his crew mates to step back.
Jones waved his hand with a calming gesture. "Let's stay calm here. There's no need for a weapon, son. I told your captain we had a young girl aboard. Not a child. He must have misunderstood. And as you can imagine, for my wife and myself, everyone is young out of our perspective. The young lady is over here. Linda, my wife is with her." He carried on downstairs and rounded a corner. Still cautious, Buffer followed, motioning Swain and Bomber to stay behind for the moment. He wanted to check out first.
"Swain, I need you down here at the rush." he called seconds later.

Sara heard people talking. They were so loud she couldn't sleep any more. She tried to tell them they should stop talking but it didn't work. Strangely her vocal chords wouldn't obey. All she managed was a slight coughing. It worked nonetheless – they were silent immediately. Then there was a single voice, calling her name. Who was it? She didn't know. Someone was holding her wrist now, there was a gentle touch on her face, then her arm exploded with pain. Sara wanted to scream but still no sound came out of her mouth, she felt tears pouring down her cheeks. Maybe I should open my eyes to see what's going on? Her weary brain slowly kicked in, she opened her eyes just to close them again instantly. There was a blinding light ahead, shadowy figures moving around. There's a chance they go away and let me sleep if I lay still? Something cold at the inside of her elbow made her flinch. She tried moving away from it but her arm was held in place. There was that voice again, calming and soothing. The pain in her arm mysteriously reduced to a dull throbbing. Sara decided she could risk a second glance. The blinding light was gone, thankfully. There was a face near hers now, talking to her but she wasn't able to decipher the words, a rushing in her ears made it impossible to understand anything. The face went away, she felt herself been lifted. One of the figures was carrying her, now she could smell seawater, the cold air made her shiver. A gentle hand wrapped a blanket around her, she leant her head against the shoulder of whom ever it was that was carrying her. She didn't care - if they would just let her sleep everything was fine. It smelled familiar though. Sea, salt, a discreet aftershave, her memory was sure she had smelled that before. But she couldn't grab the thought before it vanished in deep blackness again.

"Buffer, sitrep please!" They had seen Buffer's reaction up from the bridge, then the three of them had vanished under deck and Mike anxiously wanted to know what was going on.
"Sir, everything's fine, can't talk right now, Swain and Bomber need assistance. We got Spider's mermaid here. Buffer out." He could vividly imagine the startled faces at the bridge but there was no time to deal with that now. Buffer knelt down next to Bomber and Swain. "What can I do to help?" he asked.
Swain finished examining the young woman laying on the couch and motioned to the lamp. "See if you can turn it away or switch it of. The light is blinding her. Bomber, I need an IV." He took the patient's wrist again, checking the pulse and shook his head. "We need to get her to the Hammersley and get a medevac asap."
Buffer didn't ask. He lifted the young woman up and carried her back to the RHIB. Swain followed, holding the IV bag up with one hand, wrapping the blanket he had gotten from Linda with the old nurse's help around Sara with the other.
"Young lady?" Jonas stood behind Bomber, carrying a full diving equipment. "You would probably like to take that with you." he said, pressing it into her arms. Surprised Bomber wanted to hand it back, but Swain prevented her from doing so. "Take that with you please, Bomber. It's hers, right?" he motioned in Sara's direction, who was already in the RHIB, still wrapped in Buffer's arms, not moving, eyes closed, her face pale.
"Yes, when we found her, she was carrying that. Maybe it can help you finding out what happened. And after all, it's her belongings. She would want to have them when she wakes up again, right?" He looked at Bomber for reassurance.
"She's no illegal, isn't she?" Linda asked. Climbing carefully back at the RHIB Swain shook his head. The old woman nodded. "I already guessed. Sweetheart, please call us if you know more." she asked grabbing Bomber's arm.
"Of course Ma'am. We'll do." Bomber assured her, padding the old lady's hand and climbed back at the RHIB as well. They headed back to Hammersley full speed, Swain informing the now really anxious CO about the current situation and asking for a medevac.

"Swain?" a knock on the door, then RO was poking his head into the room, holding a headset in hands. "I got you Dr. Frasier from Fleet Medical on the line. He's informed about the situation."
The coxswain took the equipment and wrestled with the wires for a moment. "Thanks Robert. Dr. Frasier, this is Petty Officer Christopher Blake speaking." He noticed Robert still standing in the doorway, looking shocked about what he saw in the wardroom. Swain covered the microphone with one hand. "Buffer, see that you get Robert out of here."
Buffer left the room, taking their vests with them, pulling the radio officer without resistance with him.
"Sir, I'm sorry, I'm back again. What did you just asked?" Swain listened for a moment, then answered. "I don't know, Sir. Skipper that found her estimated some hours, at least 6. Yes, Sir, it's the upper arm, the skipper's wife already stopped the blood loss. She's hardly responding, blood pressure is 85 over 40, pulse is thready and rapid. No, they said she was alright some hours ago." Swain waited for the answer, then nodded and added a "Yes Sir, we did" when realising that the man on the other end of the line couldn't see him. A knock on the door interrupted him. Bomber rushed to open the door, prepared to sent any one away to let Swain do his work. Outside stood 2Dads, fiddling nervously with his cap. "Bomber, how's she?"
"I don't know, 2Dads. Let Swain do his work, ok. She will be fine, I'm sure." Bomber wanted to close the door again but 2Dads grabbed her arm, stopping her from doing so. "I saw you brought back some diving equipment too. Was she diving when getting shot?"
"We don't know what happened. She's still not really responding and the old couple didn't know anything either. Now go and let us do our work, will you?"
"Were did you put it? The diving equipment." he added seeing her blank look.
"It's in the storage room, why?" Rebecca was curious now. What was he up to?
"Tell Swain I'm going to have a look and see if there's a diving computer. There will be information about all the dives she made. Maybe that can help."
Swain, who had heard the last few sentences nodded his approval. "Good thinking, 2Dads! Dr. Frasier just asked me about probable other problems that could explain her current condition. Linda said she did sleep a lot, then complained about dizziness, nausea, ringing in the ears and pain in the muscles. That all partly fit with the gunshot wound, the blood loss and the hypothermia. But we think there might be something else."
"I'll go and see if I can find out something." 2Dads was already half way down the passageway when Swain called after him. "Ask RO to help you. And 2Dads, I want a word with you when you're done." He waved with a little blue ice pack. The blonde sailor flinched at the sight of it. Of course Swain had noticed. Leo had wanted to get rid of it but when he had had the time to have a look, the cold pack had been gone already.

Bomber flung open the door when there was a third knock. She already had opened her mouth to tell whoever it was to just leave them alone and let them do their job. It was the CO standing outside, his hand ready to open the door hanging in the air because his chef had just ripped the door knob out of his grasp.
"Sir, I, er, I'm sorry." she stumbled unsure what to do. Sure she couldn't say what she had wanted to. That wouldn't be appropriate at all. The older sailor just raised an eye brow. Realizing that she still stood in the middle of the doorway, blocking Mike's way, she made room instantly.
"Thank you Bomber for opening the door. There was no need for the hurry though." He stepped into the room and seeing her blushing, added: "It's ok, sailor. I do understand that you are under a lot of pressure right now and I hadn't had the intention to keep you from doing your job." He addressed Swain then, the concern in his voice clearly audible: "How is she? I talked to NAVCOM, there's a helicopter on its way to fly her out."
Chris looked at his patient, laying still unconscious. He shrugged his shoulders. "Stable for the moment. But there's no way telling on how it develops from here. We need to get her out of here asap, Sir."
Mike tried to exude confidence which was a bit of a hard task since his coxswain couldn't hide his concern at all. That made the CO worried as well. "We'll do that, Swain. The Hammersley is going top of the green, we're at a rendezvous course with the helicopter right now. You're just keep doing what you can, Bomber and you. Dr. Frasier is on stand by, we can call him whenever you need assistance." He cast an eye over the pale woman. She appeared so small and fragile wearing the way too big shirt she'd been lent by Linda. He remembered the smile she had cast at him before disappearing. I shouldn't have let her go.

He stood at the door, reading the sign over and over again. XO. By now he was sure knowing every scratch, every mote it had. He should knock. Telling the truth about what happened. But he didn't dare to. She would be disappointed. Sure she would. Everyone would. Why was it always him who had to get into situations like that? Spider had told him. Of course he had. Spider Webb never made anything stupid. Bomber never did. Everyone seemed to do everything straight by the book, always. Now he was getting unfair, he knew. But if he knocked on that door, he had to go in and had to confess. That would mean admitting to his superior officer and to himself that he had endangered his crew mates. Out of stupidity. Just because he hadn't thought about his actions. That happened way to often. He couldn't prevent it. Sometimes he just did what came to his mind, realizing to late that there would be unwanted side effects. Once he had thought having a pet would be a good idea. It turned out it wasn't! At least not on a navy warship. 2Dads heard someone's footsteps on the stairs coming towards him and squared his shoulders. It would be best not to be caught standing here in the passage, looking blank-faced at the XO's door-plate. He knocked.

Kate was reading the book she had bought the last time they were in Cairns. A friend of hers had recommended it but she never had had the time to actually read it. Now that she was forced to rest, she finally had the time to have a look. It was really exiting and part of her was glad she mustn't go out there, dealing with having left someone behind, foreign fisherman, illegals trying to come to Australia having a better life there... . She could pretend just for a short time having an ordinary job, an ordinary life. She turned over the page and reached for the teacup at her desk. It knocked. Kate looked up. It knocked again, more confident this time.
"Yes? Who is it?" Kate asked and set the cup aside.
The door opened a crack and a blonde sailor looked in sheepishly. "May I have a word, ma'am?" 2Dads asked.
"Sure. What is it?"
"Er, I just wanted..." 2 Dads looked over his shoulder down the passage."Well it's kind of delicate. Can I have a quiet word, X?" Kate nodded and the young man squeezed himself through the crack and carefully closed the door making sure to not make any noise.
Kate laid her book down, curious now and looked at the young man standing with his back pressed at her door, doorknob still in hand as if he was about to leave as soon as possible. It seemed like he would rather be doing galley duty for the rest of the patrol then being here. She wondered what it was this time. Having an ordinary job. She sighed. Well sure not on the Hammersley. "What is it, leader?" she asked again.
"Ma'am, I just wanted to apologize. I'm sorry you slipped on the stairs last night. I really am! I hope you are ok?"
"Thank you, 2Dads. But it wasn't your fault. I didn't pay attention and when the ship heeled, I slipped. That's something that happens. I'm fine, the ankle is just sprained. And it's not like you pushed me down the stairs so... ." her voice petered off when she saw him blushing.
"That's why I'm here. You know I did hit my head at a water pipe that night while helping Charge at the engine room?"
Kate nodded, not knowing where he wanted to go with that but letting him go on.
"Bomber had given me a cold pack to press on the swelling which must have looked pretty stupid because there was a lot of mocking going on. I met Spider on my way to the bridge and..." he stopped, looking at the floor.
"And? 2Dads, please. I do have a really exciting book right here, waiting to be read. I really do appreciate your concern but unless this is heading somewhere..." She looked at the door giving him a subtle hind to leave her alone. The sailor gave a squirm of embarrassment.
"Ma'am, I left that cold pack at the staircase. I was planning to pick it up again on my way back down. I'm so sorry, ma'am. Spider had told me to take it away but I thought I would be back in no time. It was at the edge of the stairs, no one was supposed to even notice it."
"Well I did, obviously. Leading seaman Kosov-Meyer, that's one of the most stupid things I ever saw or heard someone doing on a ship! You know better than to leave something behind where one of your crew mates could trip over it. Did it actually occurred to you that I could have easily broken my neck?!" Kate was furious now. What she hated most was someone being careless. "Please leave, 2Dads. Be aware this is not over yet. I have to think about it but there will be consequences, you can be sure of that!"
2Dads nodded and opened the door. He had expected that kind of reaction.
"Wait. Have you told the CO already?" Kate asked him as he wanted to leave. He shook his head. "No ma'am. But I'm going to do it right now. Swain does know though, he found the cold pack."
Kate thought over it for a moment, then answered: "Leave it to me, Leader. I'm going to inform him myself when I know what to do with you. The CO has to deal with other things at the moment." She knew Mike all to well. If the young sailor was going to tell him what he had done right now, Mike would probably react as furious as she did and do something he regretted later on.

I hope you liked it :)