A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter was hard for me to write for some reason. Hopefully the next will go faster. Thanks for all who are sticking with me through these sporadic updates.
Natalie put the finishing touches on dinner and placed it in the oven. Beef bourguignon was one of her favorite dishes. It was something she ate a lot when she was growing up and it was the first dish she ever learned to cook. It could sit in the oven until the guys were ready to come in and just get better. She knelt on the counter and peered out the window watching Edgar and the guys work on deck for a few moments before cleaning up the kitchen. The weather had started to come up and Sig had asked her to stay inside. The deck was becoming dangerous, totes were sliding back and forth and pots were swinging in the heavy winds. Once everything was squared away she decided to check on Sig. She slipped up to the wheelhouse and took her place in the port side chair. The waves crashed against the bow of the boat splattering the windows with sea water. Sig's head looked like it was mounted on a swivel, it whipped between the approaching waves and the camera monitoring the deck. He would announce incoming waves over the hailer advising the guys to take shelter. Natalie could feel the stress rolling off him. Chris filmed the growing seas out the front windows.
"These are some monster waves" he said casually.
"Yeah, the guys need to get through these next 20 pots and then we'll ride out the storm. It's getting harry out there" said Sig.
"Does that mean dinner in 20 pots?" asked Natalie.
"Yes" replied Sig.
"Ok, then I'm going to shower before they come in" she replied.
"Have fun" replied Sig.
"I plan too" said Natalie.
Standing under the shower spray Natalie closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth. She felt the knots in her arms and back slowly loosen. She'd already washed her hair three times but continued to find the occasional cod scales in it. She stood under the pulsing spray and began to mediate. Norman knocked on the door a few times before finally just opening the door. The steam rolled out into the small hallway. Norman took a deep breath and walked into the citrus scented room.
"Natalie" he said.
Receiving no answer he walked towards the shower and pulled back the curtain. Natalie was standing in the shower, eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest.
"Hey" said Norman poking her in the arm. "You are going to use all the hot water."
Natalie's eyes snapped open and her head turned toward the voice.
"I thought I had 20 pots" said Natalie.
"You did and you've used them all" said Norman.
"No fucking way, I haven't been in here that long" said Natalie.
"You have maybe 5 pots left. I just came in to go to the bathroom" said Norman.
"Well that's a relief" said Natalie.
She turned off the water and reached out for her towel. Norman unabashedly stared at Natalie's exposed body as she dried herself off. Finally wrapping the towel around herself she walked out of the bathroom. Norman watched her retreating form and let out the breath he'd been holding.
The guys trouped in a few minutes later and found themselves faced with a huge spread on the table. Natalie set down the drinks on the table and went up to tell Sig dinner was ready. By the time she got back everyone was gathered around the table digging into the food.
"This is amazing" said Matt.
"Try using the bread to sop up the juices" suggested Natalie.
"This is totally gourmet food" said Nick.
"It's not really, but it cooks for a long time which makes the meat tender and delicious" said Natalie.
"Norm, why didn't you come back out" asked Edgar.
"It was my fault" said Natalie. "I was taking a shower."
"Norm, I didn't think you'd be that patient" said Edgar.
"He wasn't" replied Natalie.
Eyebrows were raised and a chorus of oohs went around the table.
"Who wants dessert?" asked Natalie quickly.
"Everyone, except Norman he already got some" said Matt.
"I assure you he got nothing" said Natalie.
"Burn" replied Jake.
Norman reached over and landed a hard punch on Jake's arm.
"Fuck, that hurt" muttered Jake.
"It was suppose to" said Norman.
Natalie passed out dessert and walked over to Matt who was rubbing his hands.
"Are you willing to let me use acupuncture on your knuckles. I assure you, your hands will feel better" said Natalie quietly.
"Right now I'd be willing to let you hit me with a hammer if it would make them stop hurting" said Matt.
Natalie took Matt's hand in hers and watched him wince.
"I'll be right back" said Natalie.
"Are we going to do it here?" asked Matt.
"Yes, I need a flat surface" said Natalie.
"You're crazy" said Nick. "You're going to let her stick you with pins on a rocking boat in the middle of the bearing sea?"
"She's promised I'll be fine" said Matt.
"Better you than me" said Nick.
Natalie returned a moment later with a small box of tiny stainless steel needles. She heated up towel and placed it over Matt's hand. The warm heat began to relax his tired joints. Natalie spoke quietly to Matt encouraging him to relax. The other guys looked on in amazement as Natalie soothed Matt into an almost sleep-like trance. Then she swabbed the knuckles with alcohol and began to strategically place the needles. Matt didn't wince or move throughout the entire process. When Natalie finished removing the last of the needles she carefully rubbed Matt's hands.
"How do you feel?" asked Natalie.
"Tired" said Matt.
"Ok, how do your hands feel" said Natalie.
"They don't feel like anything" said Matt. "No pain, no feeling it's kind of weird."
"Get some rest" said Natalie.
"Is that an order?" asked Matt.
"I'm in no position to give orders on this boat" said Natalie. "Consider it a friendly suggestion."
Edgar took the first watch and before Sig retired for the night he came looking for Natalie. He found her in the kitchen cleaning out the fridge and prepping food for the next day's meals. Sig watched her for a few minutes before lighting a cigarette. The click of the lighter caught Natalie's attention and she turned. She smiled at Sig for a moment before returning to her task.
"What's all this?" asked Sig pointing to a pile of food on the counter.
"It's the veggies that I think are going to go bad" said Natalie.
"Are you going to throw them out?" asked Sig.
"No, I'm going to cook them before they spoil" said Natalie.
"Aw" said Sig.
Natalie started chopping the vegetables while Sig helped himself to a huge square of chocolate.
"Do you want some?" he asked.
"Sure" said Natalie.
Since her hands were occupied she just opened her mouth for Sig to put the chocolate in. Sig gently placed a piece on her tongue. Natalie closed her eyes savoring the delicious flavor of the high quality Norwegian chocolate. Her pleasure radiated onto her face and Sig's breath caught in his throat at how beautiful she was in that moment.
"That's really good" said Natalie. "No wonder you want to keep it all to yourself."
"I'm willing to share with you" said Sig.
"Thanks, I'll definitely take you up on your offer" said Natalie.
Sig watched Natalie finish up the vegetables and clean up. Before he knew it she was saying good night and walking off to bed. Sig sat for a moment looking off into middle distance wondering what had just happened to him.
Natalie climbed into bed, the moment her body relaxed the aches of the day penetrated her mind. She tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position. When it became clear it wasn't going to happen she got down and pulled a small box of pills out of her bag. She pulled out one pill and groped around for a bottle of water.
"What are you doing?" asked a groggy Norman.
"Looking for a bottle of water" said Natalie.
"Why?" asked Norman.
"Because I need to take something to wash down this pill, everything hurts right now" said Natalie.
"It comes with the territory" said Norman.
"Found it" said Natalie triumphantly.
"Good, get some sleep" said Norman.
"Roger" said Natalie quietly.
She climbed back into her bunk and fell into a fitful sleep.
A few hours later Natalie rolled over and tugged the blanket around her. She was freezing, colder than she'd ever felt in her life. Cracking her eyes open she noticed the room was pitch black. Usually a trickle of light filtered through the crack of the door but now there was nothing.
"Norman, why is it so cold in here" asked Natalie.
When she received no response she asked the question again. Once again receiving no response she leaned over her bunk and was surprised to see Norman's bunk empty. Scrambling out of bed she walked to the door and tried the light switch. Nothing happened.
"This can't be happening" Natalie said to herself.
She closed her eyes wishing to wake up from what had to be a nightmare. When her eyes reopened she was in the same position. She exhaled heavily and swore she could see her breath.
"Damn it."
Wrenching open the door she barreled into the dark hallway. Confused in the darkness it took her a few minutes to make it to the other stateroom. When she opened the door and called out the guys names she was met with silence. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes but she brushed them away. Her goal was to get to the wheelhouse. Walking towards the galley she heard the groaning of the boat.
"It's ok, it's going to be ok" she whispered to herself. She bumped her hip on the galley table and let out a relieved sigh knowing she'd almost made it to her goal. The next step her foot hit water and she screamed. The water was freezing cold and came up almost to the top of her foot. Her first thought was the boat was sinking and she was the only one left on board. The tears now freely streamed down her face and a few sobs escaped. Natalie was torn between going outside to find her way to a life raft or going to wheelhouse to call for help. Deciding that she needed a survival suit anyway she stumbled her way to the wheelhouse. After falling twice on the way up the stairs she finally started to hear voices.
"Damn it just fix it or get the back up power on" yelled Sig. "Before we are dead in the fucking water."
Natalie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was ridiculously relieved that she hadn't been abandoned on a sinking ship however it did seem like sinking was still a distinct possibility. Chris noticed her and walked over to see if she was ok. Sig was still yelling on the phone.
"Nat are you ok?" asked Chris quietly.
"Yeah" said Natalie quietly. "What's going on?"
"We've lost power. Everyone is down in the engine room trying to get it fixed" said Chris. "You're shaking" said Chris.
"I'm ok. I was scared" said Natalie.
Chris nodded and gave her a quick squeeze before returning to film Sig.
"Where did you just go? I need your light" said Sig as Chris returned to his peripheral vision.
"Natalie's here" said Chris.
"Everything is fine" announced Sig.
Natalie was still too shocked and scared to respond so when Sig didn't hear anything he turned to look at her. In the dark Sig couldn't make out anything but her profile.
"Come here" said Sig.
Natalie shuffled forward until she was within Chris's camera light. Sig's mouth dropped open when he saw the state she was in. She was dressed in a pair of black pants and a light t-shirt. Her arms were broken out in goosebumps and her teeth were chattering violently. The thing that was most striking was the completely terrified look on her face.
"It's going to be ok" said Sig.
Natalie nodded.
"I promise you're going to be fine. It's a minor glitch, we have them every season" said Sig.
Tears leaked down Natalie's face as she struggled to keep herself from having a completely breakdown.
"Hey, it's going to be fine" said Sig reassuringly.
He reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Holy Shit! Your hand's like an ice cube" he announced.
"It's cold" said Natalie gritting her teeth against the chattering.
"I know it's cold, but honestly you're freezing" said Sig.
"Well it's too dark for me to do anything about it" said Natalie.
Sig cast a glance around looking for something to bundle Natalie in, coming up empty.
"Come here" said Sig.
Natalie took a step forward and Sig pulled her into his lap. He tucked her head under his chin and held her. Natalie stiffened then relaxed into the warmth of his arms. Sig continued to speak to the crew on the boat phone and occasionally say a few words to Chris. Almost an hour later the computer monitors flickered to life and the boat lights clicked on. The wheelhouse was awash in light and Sig looked down at the girl curled up in his lap. Her eyes were closed tightly and her cheeks were streaked with tears. For the first time he realized just how upset and scared she'd been. He debated telling her the lights were back on and sending her on her way but he felt her body relax as she fell into a heavy sleep.
"So Sig" began Chris.
He was cut off by a poignant look from Sig. He'd been filming the captain a long time and knew exactly what that look meant.
"I'm going to go film the action downstairs" finished Chris.
Sig nodded and carefully shifted Natalie in his arms so he could reach the boat phone.
"Hey, I need one of you guys to come up and take over" said Sig quietly then immediately hung up before he received an answer.
Nick arrived in the wheelhouse and took in the tableau before him.
"Hey Sig, you wanted out of the chair?" asked Nick.
"Yeah" said Sig.
"Is she ok?" asked Nick. "I thought Ed and Norm said she was fast asleep."
"She was and then she woke up and got scared" said Sig.
Sig got up and jostled Natalie slightly in the process.
"Sig, she's bleeding" said Nick.
"What?" said Sig.
Nick stepped closer and pushed a lock of Natalie's hair off her forehead showing Sig a thick trickle of blood.
"How the hell did she manage to do that?" asked Sig.
"Fell against something probably. Especially if she was panicked and running through an unfamiliar boat in the dark" said Nick.
"Thanks" muttered Sig. "Call Edgar and ask him to bring up the box. I'm taking her to my stateroom."
"Roger" replied Nick reaching for the phone.
Edgar rushed up the stairs taking them two at a time. The medical box slammed against his thigh at each step. Meanwhile Sig had laid Natalie down on his bed, he used a bunch of kleenex to dab up the blood running down her forehead. Sig watched her rhythmic breathing verifying that she was still fast asleep. Edgar burst through the door banging the case against the wall in the process.
"What's going on?" he asked panting slightly.
"Natalie's hurt" said Sig.
Edgar walked towards the bed and leaned down to look at her. Sig moved so he could cradle Natalie's head in his lap.
"What happened?" asked Edgar.
"I don't know. We didn't even know she was hurt until the lights came back on" said Sig.
"Why was she up there?" asked Edgar.
"She woke up, got scared and came up" said Sig.
"She's been crying" said Edgar running his finger down her cheek.
"Yeah, she was pretty upset" said Sig sadly. "I didn't realize."
Edgar moved her hair back and looked at the dried blood. Next he parted her hair searching for the source. He continued to look until he found a small gash just about an inch above her hairline. Grabbing some gauze he cleaned it as best he could. The cut was fairly deep and still oozing blood.
"I think she needs stitches or maybe we can use the suture tape or glue" said Edgar.
"Whatever you need to do" said Sig.
"Does she have any other injuries?" asked Edgar.
"I don't know" replied Sig.
"Well lets find out" said Edgar.
Sig and Edgar methodically undressed Natalie until she was down to her bra and underwear. Her body was covered in bruises and cuts. The most concerning was a fairly large bruise blooming over her right ribs.
"What the hell is this?" asked Sig.
"It looks like it could be a broken rib" said Edgar.
"How the hell does she get this hurt on our boat" said Sig.
"Maybe it's not as bad as it looks" said Edgar. "Lets get her cleaned up and let her rest and see how she feels tomorrow."
Edgar started methodically cleaning and dressing her wounds. There were a handful of scrapes on her legs and feet along with a lot of bruising. Once they were done Edgar closed up the box and placed it on the floor.
"Do you want me to take her?" he asked.
"No, I'll keep an eye on her here" said Sig.
"Roger" said Edgar as he left the room.
Sig redressed Natalie carefully and then climbed into bed beside her. He tucked her into the crook of his arm and fell asleep.
Natalie awoke in the morning disoriented and sore. The first thing she noticed was she wasn't in her bunk and she wasn't alone. She tried to sit up but found herself pinned under a large arm. Laying back down she looked around the room, the sun was streaming through the curtains which meant she wasn't in her stateroom because there were no windows. Turning her head to the side she noticed a shock of messy blond hair. The events of the previous night came rushing back, her being scared walking through the boat, finding Sig and Chris in the wheelhouse and finally Sig holding her. Her head was pounding and when she put her hand up to it she felt a bandage. Deciding that she'd rather just go back to sleep then face reality she lay back and closed her eyes. An hour later she stirred again.
"Hey sleeping beauty" said Sig's sleepy voice.
"Hi" croaked Natalie.
"You should get some more rest" said Sig.
"My head hurts" said Natalie softly.
"Let me get you some advil" replied Sig.
Natalie stretched slowly willing her muscles to unwind. Her hands brushed down the sides of her pants and she froze.
"Why are my pants on inside out?" she asked.
"Edgar and I had to check for additional injuries. I assure you it was all very clinical" said Sig.
"You undressed me?" asked Natalie.
"Yes, your head was bleeding and we weren't sure where else you were hurt" said Sig.
"Do I have other injuries?" asked Natalie.
"Yes, you're pretty banged up and you had a few small cuts" said Sig.
"Well I guess it's a good thing you checked" said Natalie. "I wasn't naked was I?"
"No. Your dignity is still intact" said Sig.
There was a brief knock at the door and before anyone had a chance to respond Edgar walked into the room.
"How's the patient this morning?" he asked.
"Her head hurts" said Sig.
"I'm not really surprised" said Edgar. "Let me see your bruise."
Natalie flipped up her hair showing him her cut.
"No, the one on your side" said Edgar.
"Oh, ok" said Natalie. "I didn't know I had one there."
Edgar prompted her to roll onto her side and pulled up her t-shirt. The cool air caused her to break out in goosebumps. Edgar ran his hand over the purplish bruise before pressing it slightly. Natalie hissed at the pain.
"Sorry. It seems pretty tender" said Edgar. "I think you may have bruised or broken a rib. Do you remember running into anything?"
"Lots of things, this boat is always tossing me around. I've probably run into every single corner in the place" replied Natalie.
"Do you want me to wrap it for you?" asked Edgar.
"No, I want to see how it feels once I stretch and start moving around" said Natalie.
"Ok, let me know if you change your mind and try to avoid running into any more stuff" said Edgar.
"Easier said that done" muttered Natalie.
Sig handed her a small mountain of pills.
"I can't take this many" said Natalie.
"Well just take as many as you want" said Sig.
Natalie popped 4 into her mouth along with half a bottle of water. She swung her legs off the bunk and tentatively set her feet on the floor. The moment her right foot hit the ground she winced. Pulling it back up she took off her sock revealing a bloody purple pinky toe.
"Jesus that looks disgusting" said Sig.
"When did you do that?" asked Edgar.
"It had to be last night. I think I ripped off the whole nail" said Natalie inspecting the injury.
"Don't touch it, let me get some peroxide and gauze" said Edgar.
"Wow, that is one fucked up toe" commented Sig.
"No kidding, I can't even see my nail polish on it" said Natalie.
She reached down to prod the toe with her finger but Sig grabbed her wrist to gently stop her.
"He said not to touch" explained Sig.
He rubbed the back of Natalie's hand with his thumb. This action alone was enough to distract Natalie from touching her toe. Edgar returned to the room and prepared to clean the toe. Sig made to pull away his hand but Natalie held fast. She squeezed it hard as the peroxide bubbled and hissed over the wound. Her eyes were closed and her face set in a pained grimace. Edgar cleaned the toe and then taped it to her ring toe in order to stabilize it. When the procedure was finished he had her try walking on it. After a few shaky steps Natalie felt confident enough to walk down to the galley.
The rest of the crew sat sullenly around the table. They were up most of the night fixing the electrical problem and awoke to nothing more than a cold breakfast of cereal. The entire galley was a mess, somehow in the commotion the freezer had been opened and the majority of the contents had spilled and subsequently melted on the floor. That was the liquid Natalie had stepped into the night before. All eyes turned towards Sig and Natalie as they entered the room.
"Hey Bug, what happened to your head?" asked Matt.
"I hurt it on something. I don't really know" said Natalie. "I'll be fine, let me cook you guys some breakfast."
Natalie moved into the kitchen and quickly began to pull pots and pans out of the cabinets. Jake moved into the kitchen to help Natalie get the food from the upper shelves. They worked together to put a pretty decent spread on the table in less than 30 minutes. Edgar and Sig watched Natalie like a hawk trying to asses how serious her injury was. She didn't show any outward signs of discomfort but they did notice she seemed to be favoring her left side. Once breakfast was eaten Sig announced that they were pretty close to filling the boat and if the crew could get through the gear one more time they should be able to plug the boat and head into town. Natalie was given strict instruction to stay off the deck and take it easy.