Midnight
Garrison kept a steady pace away from the wreckage. He swam with the swells at his back using the pressure of the water to help them along even though he still wasn't certain where they were going. The boat had burned down to a glow low on the horizon behind them and the fog seemed to be lifting.
"How ya doin' Warden." Casino asked.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Craig turned, keeping them moving with a rhythmic kick. Casino's slow speech and the slight slur worried him. Even though the words were blasé the voice was tight with pain. "How are you holding up?"
"Hands hurt."
Garrison caught the sleeves of the jacket Casino was wearing, careful of hands that had been blistered in the boat explosion and fire. He pulled his feet up until his toes found purchase on the bottom of the float for leverage and pulled. With the safecracker closer to the edge of the float he assured him, "Your hands'll be fine Casino," and then added. "The cold will probably help; try hanging them in the water."
Casino plunged his hands in the icy water and swore but within a few moments the cold was doing its work and his hands were growing a little numb. "Hey," he asked the Warden. "How come you'r not an icicle?"
Garrison smiled, "Towing you is keeping me warm."
"So… which coast are you towin' me to?"
"The right one of course."
"A course." Casino's head lolled to the side and he rested for a moment before pulling it back up onto his chin. "I ain't Goniff y'know. You don't have t'paint pretty pictures for me…."
"I'm not painting you pretty pictures..."
"Right."
About that time the fog lifted. "Look behind you, Casino."
Casino let his head roll off his chin onto his right cheek and twisted so he could peer over his shoulder. "The moon," he said through teeth that were beginning to chatter. "So what?"
"So. The moon rises in the east if I remember my lessons, and if it's behind us, we must be moving west…"
"Go west young man… Jeeze!" His attempt at sarcasm was cut short when he turned back to face the Warden and his left hand came in contact with the edge of the float. "Damn, that hurts!"
Garrison stopped and lifted Casino's hands free of the water, carefully resting the sleeves of his jacket on the broken wooden hull. The moon coming out gave eyes that were used to darkness enough light to see the skin hanging in tatters where the blisters had broken. He slipped the man's hands back in the water. His stomach tightened but he managed to keep the concern out of his voice …. "Stop grabbing the sides of the float then. You'll get splinters and, believe me, you don't want Actor going after those."
Casino attempts to laugh fell flat, he'd seen his hands too. "God, how'm I gonna work with those?"
Garrison stopped again and fished for one of Casino's hands again. "Make a fist."
"What?"
"You heard me." He turned on his command voice to cut through the cold and the safecracker's pain. "I said make a fist!"
Casino groaned as he complied. He could hardly feel the Warden's fingers but gripped them as hard as he could and hoped that it hurt him. "There you go, you bastard! That good enough for you?"
The grip was weak and not all of the fingers made contact; he prayed that was only due to the cold. "See. Your hands are fine Casino"
"Sure." Casino said, but they were both wondering what would happen to him if that turned out to be a lie. "Why don't you just turn around there and see to the drivin' and let me alone for a while."