A/N: Please continue to read and review. I welcome all feedback with eager eyes and a happy heart.
The crew was still sitting around the table finishing up their dinner. They'd completely ignored Natalie's absence and fell onto the food like a pack of starving dogs. The guys only stopped chewing to refill plates, no one was talking. Sig and Norman walked back into the galley and quickly grabbed a plate full of food before it was all gone.
"Family meeting" said Sig as he shoveled a spoonful of food into his mouth.
"Where's Natalie?" asked Jake.
"She's who we're meeting about" said Sig around a mouthful of food.
"Oh" said Jake. "Is she ok?"
"She's sleeping" said Norman.
"She wasn't feeling too good today" said Matt. "But um, she didn't seem that bad."
"Are you going to fire her or something?" asked Nick.
"Do you guys honestly think she can do this job?" asked Sig. "I'm completely serious, do you think once she gets use to the grind that she can keep up."
There was silence for a moment before the guys began nodding.
"She can do it" said Jake.
"Yeah, she just needs to get broken in" said Matt.
Sig gave Matt a look that demanded he explain himself.
"You know, get use to everything" said Matt. "Not that we're actually breaking her or anything."
"We are helping her right now, but she will get use to it and start doing better" said Nick.
"We all had to learn, none of us were perfect right off the bat" said Jake.
"Especially you" said Sig. "Well at least she's making dinner."
"She's not" said Matt. "She never left the deck."
"Who the hell is cooking?" asked Sig.
"We are" said Jason from behind the camera.
He flipped off the camera and set it down on the table. The crew looked down at it, surprised to see the red light off.
"What's up?" asked Norman.
"We are cooking this trip" said Jason. "Chris wanted to make sure we did our best to help the boat. You didn't have to let us back on after what happened last season. We failed to protect you as a crew from one of our own and it won't happen again."
The guys looked surprised at Jason's statement.
"Thanks for having our backs man" said Matt.
"No sweat" said Jason as he picked up the camera. "Back to the grind guys."
Norman walked sluggishly into the stateroom he shared with Natalie. He noticed that she was obviously having some sort of a nightmare. Kneeling down he gently placed his hand on her arm. Natalie's eyes flew open and she tried unsuccessfully to stifle a scream.
"Hey, shh, it's ok" said Norman. "It's just me, Norman. You're ok."
Natalie tried to tamp down the feeling of panic coursing through her body. She studied Norman's face in the dim light of the room and tried to make herself breath normally. Tears spilled down her cheeks and Norman reached for her pulling her into his arms. The blanket fell onto the bed and Natalie began to shiver.
"It's too cold" said Natalie.
Instead of just setting her back down Norman turned both of them into the bed and settled her body into the curve of his own. He reached above them and grabbed a fleece blanket off his bed to cover them with. Natalie snuggled into his warmth and let the tears spill onto her pillow. Norman could feel her sobs and wrapped his arms around her tighter.
"Don't cry" said Norman quietly. "You're ok, you can do this."
"I know" mumbled Natalie.
"What's wrong?" asked Norman.
"I'm so tired" said Natalie.
"It's hard work" said Norman.
"It's not that" said Natalie. "I keep having nightmares. I'm so tired but I can't sleep."
"Sleep now" said Norman. "I'll keep you safe."
Natalie sniffed one more time and then settled deeper into Norman's arms. Within moments her breathing evened out and she fell into a deep sleep.
Norman woke up with a face full of hair and soft warm breaths puffing into his neck. He opened his eyes and sensed that the rest of the boat was still asleep. His internal clock told him that there was probably still an hour before it was time to get up. Natalie shifted in his arms, her leg moving between his. It was an intimate position and Norman could feel himself hardening at the contact. He willed himself to stop, thinking of anything he could to stop the process. A particular piece of hair was tickling his nose and he concentrated on blowing it out of his face. After three attempts he lifted his arm and brushed the offending hair away. Smoothing it back with the rest of Natalie's hair he tucked it gently behind her ear. Her eyes were closed, dark lashes on soft cheeks. Norman ran a callused finger across her cheek to her ear and then down her neck. Her skin was soft and warm. Norman smiled to himself.
"Why are you smiling?" said Natalie into Norman's neck.
"I didn't know you were up" said Norman. "How did you know I was smiling."
"I could feel your face move" said Natalie.
"Ah" said Norman. "How did you sleep?"
"Wonderfully" said Natalie. "Best sleep I've had on the boat."
"That's good" said Norman. "You'll need every ounce of energy you've got. Sig wants to turn through the gear and load the back tank today."
"I guess I should get up then" said Natalie.
"We have time if you want to rest some more" said Norman.
"How can you tell?" asked Natalie.
"It's still quiet" said Norman. "When you've been on boats as long as I have you can sense when the energy on the boat changes, when people wake up and start moving around."
"Interesting" murmured Natalie, her eyes already closing.
Norman looked down at her face and snuggled her closer to him. He figured this was his only opportunity to cuddle with Natalie, she was Sig's girlfriend but for the rest of this all too brief night she was his.
The sound of a brief knock and then a door being opened roused Natalie from her slumber. Jake's head popped into the room, yelling it was time for breakfast and that the boat was 20 minutes from the next string. Natalie yawned, stretching her arms over her head. She rolled over Norman and off the bunk. Her feet hit the floor and she started to dress. Norman feigned sleep, watching her through slitted eyes. Sitting on the floor in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt Natalie pulled a brush through her hair.
"Norman, it's time to get up" she said conversationally.
"I know" said Norman.
"So get up" said Natalie.
"I can't right now" said Norman.
"Are you ok?" asked Natalie, suddenly concerned.
She kneeled up and scooted towards the bunk. Norman edged away from her slightly and she stopped frowning.
"What's wrong?" asked Natalie.
"Nothing" said Norman.
She eyed him suspiciously.
"Then get up" she said sternly.
"I don't want to" said Norman. "I will after you leave."
"Did I do something wrong?" asked Natalie, her voice sounding hurt.
"No. God no" said Norman.
He stayed quiet for a moment and Natalie turned back and pulled on a pair of socks.
"Whatever I did, I'm sorry" said Natalie quietly.
"You didn't do anything" said Norman exasperatedly. "I have morning wood and I don't want to get out of the bed."
"Oh" said Natalie, her cheeks blushing. "Well, I'll um, leave you to that."
Natalie grabbed a hair band and rushed out of the room. Once the door closed Norman tried to smother himself with his own pillow.
The deck was starting to pitch as the seas began to grow. Natalie had been told to stay away from the rail for her own safety. The pots were being stacked on, the pot numbers had been fair but not high enough for Sig. He wanted to move to better fishing, farther north. The temperature had dropped significantly and the boat was starting to build ice. Halfway through the second string fishing was shut down so the crew could beat ice off the boat.
"Ok Natalie, lets see if you can swing for the fences" said Matt as he handed her a bat.
"What am I suppose to do with this?" asked Natalie.
"Beat the ice off the boat" said Matt.
"With a bat?" said Natalie incredulously. "There has got to be a better way."
"There is a better way" said Matt, "it's called using a sledgehammer but I don't think you can swing one."
"You're probably right" said Natalie as she watched Nick swinging his.
"Start on the bow" said Matt. "Norman will be with you."
Norman and Natalie climbed to the bow of the boat, the ice was starting to weigh the bow down. As they walked past the window they saw Sig, he looked tired and wary.
"Ok Natalie" began Norman. "Just hit around the letters and I'll do the rest, stay away from the rail."
"Roger" said Natalie, her voice almost lost in the wind.
Natalie's first smack to the boat caused a huge sheet of ice to fall. Norman gave her a high five before pushing the pile of ice off the side of the boat. They were almost finished clearing the bow when Natalie saw a huge wall of water in front of the boat.
"NORMAN" she yelled, desperate to get his attention.
He was on the other side of the bow and couldn't hear her. In a split second she realized that they needed to get off the bow before the wave hit them. She slid her way across the bow and straight into Norman, pushing him slightly into the rail.
"Be careful" he said.
"We have to go" said Natalie, pointing to the wave.
"Oh shit" said Norman.
Natalie turned to head back the way she'd come but Norman grabbed her arm.
"No time" he said.
The sound of the buzzer, and Sig's voice over the hailer barely registered as the sound of the ocean's roar drowned out everything. Norman pulled Natalie with him as he ran around the curve of the deck and onto the port side of the boat. There was a tiny nook and he pushed her into it before shoving himself in after her. They were squeezed under a small overhang, but protected. The impact of the wave made a horrific crash and the boat shuttered. Natalie thought it had split the boat into pieces and they were going down. Water rushed around their feet as she and Norman knelt in their hidey hole. After a minute or two Norman stood up and pulled Natalie with him. They were wet but alive.
"Head check" said Sig's voice over the hailer.
There was a moment of silence before Sig's incoherent yelling seemed to echo across the boat.
"We should tell him we're ok" said Norman.
"What is he yelling about?" asked Natalie as she skidded back towards the bow.
"Probably yelling about losing me over the side" said Norman.
"Oh" said Natalie nodding.
The pair crossed the bow to the starboard side of the boat. Before Natalie could head down the outside stairs Norman steered her into the wheelhouse. It was empty so Norman pulled her back out and led her down the stairs to the deck.
"Don't worry guys I'm fine" said Norman as he reached the deck. "And so is she."
The guys turned to face him and he pulled Natalie out from behind him. For a moment the whole deck seemed to freeze then 4 grown men thundered across the deck to envelope the pair in hugs.
"What the hell happened?" asked Nick.
"Norman saved me" said Natalie.
Norman just shook his head and moved into the shelter to change his rain gear.
"No more leaving the bait station" said Jake, giving Natalie a fierce hug.
"I was fine" said Natalie. "Scared, but in good hands."
"That was fucking ridiculous" said Matt. "This weather is going to shit."
"Lets get through the rest of the string" said Sig.
As he started to walk towards the stairs to the wheelhouse he stopped in front of Natalie. He touched her wet cheek with his hand and shook his head before walking up the steps.
Natalie sat in the wheelhouse with Sig, the guys were securing the deck before coming in for dinner. The weather had picked up to the point where Sig had decided it was too dangerous to fish. Natalie was pretty sure he pulled the guys off deck because of her. Sig had announced every wave that hit the bow for the rest of the set, instructing the guys to keep Natalie safe each and every time. Sig's head looked like it was on a swivel as he turned back and forth between the front windows and the monitor showing the deck. He was on edge and there wasn't really anything Natalie could do about it.
"Finally" said Sig stretching his neck and turning his full attention to the windows.
"Are they done?" asked Natalie.
"Yeah" said Sig.
Natalie got up and stood next to Sig's chair. She reached over and began to massage the crick from his neck. He sighed contentedly and a small smile spread across his tired face.
"Are you going to get any sleep tonight?" asked Natalie.
"I don't know" said Sig. "Maybe if the weather lets up."
"How are your headaches?" asked Natalie.
"The same, pretty much constant" said Sig. "But we're almost full, then we can go in for an offload and I can get some sleep."
"The back tank is full" said Natalie casually.
"I know" said Sig.
"Only one tank to go then" said Natalie.
Sig chuckled.
"If only it was that easy" he said with a sigh.
Natalie's hands slid down Sig's shoulders.
"If you stand in front of me I can give you a better massage" said Natalie. "And standing is good for your circulation."
Sig sighed, but stood stiffly. Natalie scrambled into his chair and knelt up enough to reach his shoulders. Her hands pressed hard into the tight muscles, working the knots out. Sig flinched as she reached a particularly tender spot.
"I got that when I thought you went overboard with Norman" said Sig.
"We were fine" said Natalie.
"I didn't know that" said Sig. "I can't believe Junior sent you to the bow, how fucking stupid can he be."
"Don't do this" said Natalie. "What's done is done and I'm fine."
"But you could have not been fine" said Sig.
He turned around and faced Natalie. She was at eye level and Sig seemed to be trying to stare into her soul.
"I don't want to lose you" said Sig.
He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Natalie gripped the back of his head and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Sig's arms went around her waist, his hands resting on her butt. Natalie's tongue traced the seam of Sig's lips and he allowed it admittance. His hands were just dipping below the waistband of Natalie's yoga pants when noises on the stairs forced them to pull apart.
They were interrupted by Jason jogging up the stairs.
"Natalie, we need your help, Nick sliced his finger open."
"On what?" asked Natalie.
"A can of green beans" said Jason.
Natalie got up and followed Jason down the stairs to the galley.
Nick was standing over the sink, holding a very bloody towel over his hand. Natalie walked over to him and uncovered the wound. It was deep and while not spurting blood it was definitely bleeding heavily. Re-covering the wound she ran to her stateroom and grabbed the medical kit the Coast Guard had given to her. Bringing it into the galley she hoisted it onto the table. Opening the kit she pulled out a couple of chuck pads and spread them out on the table. Next she pulled a suture set out and set it carefully to the side. Finally she pulled out a pair of gloves.
"Ok Nick, the surgical table is ready" said Natalie.
Nick walked over while Natalie snapped on the latex gloves. He sat down heavily and Natalie moved his arm to where she needed it.
"I'm going to clean the wound, suture it closed and give you a shot of antibiotics" explained Natalie. "Do you want something for the pain?"
"No, I'm ok" said Nick, looking anywhere but his hand.
"Alright, I'm going to get started" said Natalie.
She removed the towel tossing it into the waiting trash can, it wasn't salvageable.
"I'm going to irrigate the wound" said Natalie quietly.
Using a catheter of saline solution she quickly flushed any debris out of the would track. Once it was clear she could see that while the cut was deep it was fairly clean and would most likely heal easily. Natalie realized that Nick was flinching far too much from just cleaning the wound so she decided to give him a little lidocaine.
"You're going to feel a little pinch" said Natalie.
"I don't want to hear every little thing you're doing to me" said Nick, his voice strained. "Just do it and tell me when it's done."
"Roger" said Natalie.
Once the finger was numb she quickly stitched the wound closed, 7 perfect stitches. She cleaned the site again with saline and then dabbed a small amount of bacitracin over the site before covering it with a sterile dressing.
"Done" said Natalie. "I'll check it in 24 hours for signs of infection."
Nick looked down at his bandaged finger in surprise.
"That was fast and I didn't feel anything" said Nick.
"Well I did a lot of sutures when I worked at the ER" said Natalie. "It should heal in about 7 to 10 days. Try to keep it as dry as possible."
"That should be easy" said Nick with a roll of his eyes.
"Almost forgot" said Natalie as she lifted Nick's hand and gave his finger a gentle kiss.
"Did you do that in ER?" asked Matt with a raised eyebrow.
Natalie just rolled her eyes in response.
"Now it's all better" said Nick with a smile. "Thanks bug."
"Anytime Nick" said Natalie with a smile.