Full Summary:
An old oil rig that has been decommissioned is set to be blown up to be turned into a coral reef. Buck, Eddie and a friendly lifeguard are trapped inside when the detonation goes off earlier than expected. They were trying to get the party goers off the rig before its detonation the next day. Will the 118, lifeguards and coast guard be able to get them all out alive?
Disaster At The Oil Rig:
Buck was sitting on the beach enjoying the sound of the waves when Eddie and Chris walked up. He'd been spending more and more time at the beach, even learned how to surf thanks to a lifeguard friend of his. He wasn't nearly as good as his lifeguard friend, but he passed as a beginner. As Eddie sat down, Chris meandered down to the shore. He loved playing in the waves and making sand castles. Buck paid them no mind. He was fine just relaxing on the shore and enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. Eddie finally thought it would be a good time to start talking, so he brought up the conversation first.
"So, this lifeguard friend of yours. Do you think you'll ever introduce her to the rest of the team? I mean people are starting to talk. Even Maddie thinks it's a good thing to start bringing her around."
"I've asked her a few times, but when she isn't on the beach doing her job, she's in the mountains working at her other job."
"She has two jobs?"
"Lifeguard by summer months; horse rancher by winter months. Or whenever she needs a break from the city and beachgoers."
"Guess that makes sense. But you still need to persuade her to meet the rest of the team. Bobby was going to have a BBQ at his house tomorrow, but we all have to work. We got Oil Rig Duty."
"Yeah, I heard we got the short end of the stick when it came to keeping an eye out for people who might try and party on that thing."
"I heard the lifeguards are going to be keeping an eye on it too. Who knows, maybe we'll meet your friend while on duty."
"You never know."
"You're not even going to give me a little hint about who she might be? There are lifeguards all over this beach."
"It's too much fun watching you guys try and guess who she is."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point on that."
The talking stopped as they watched Chris play in the water. After some time, Eddie went to join his son, but still kept an eye on Buck just in case his lifeguard friend decided to make herself known. She never did show up that day. He was hoping she would be assigned to the 118 for Oil Rig Duty. That way they could officially meet Buck's mysterious friend.
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At the station the next day, Buck walked in with a woman who seemed to be laughing at something Buck had said. The 118 had been handed Oil Rig Duty because the local lifeguards needed a couple extra hands. It was up to the lifeguards to decide which station got the job of helping them keep people off of it. Buck had a feeling his friend had had something to do with them getting the position but he hadn't wanted to ask. As they climbed the stairs, Buck noticed that Maddie, Josh and Sue were also at the House. It confused him a bit but he pushed it out of his mind, for now. He figured they had to be there for some reason.
"Maddie, what brings the three of you here?"
"Well, we were requested to be here. Seems your friend here has a little bit of pull when it comes to this situation."
"What aren't you telling me? And why haven't you been on the beach lately?"
"I got promoted to Lieutenant so I've been in the office more and more lately. However, with this situation, everyone needed to be in the loop on what has been going on."
"And that would be what exactly? And can we know who you are?" Athena asked as she came up the stairs. Apparently she was needed for the briefing as well.
"The Oil Rig is set to be demolished at the end of the week and we need to make sure the party going spring breakers don't decide to use it as a nice place to escape normal parties. Mostly the rich kids who like to take their daddy's boats out to it and drink and make out. The last couple people we caught out there were rich kids."
"Nice explanation, but that still doesn't tell us who you are and how you have a hand in us getting the position of keeping an eye on the oil rig."
"Well, I am Kristina Beck and the new Lieutenant in charge of Major Operations. And this Oil Rig deal is a major operation. We have lifeguards in scarabs keeping an eye on the rig every day. But rich kids aren't our only problem anymore."
"What other problems could there possibly be?" Chimney asked.
"The Navy has let us know that several mines have been spotted in the area. The chains they were attached to have finally eroded away and they have popped up to the surface. They are busy trying to get rid of them as we speak, but as more chains erode away, more mines are going to pop to the surface and that will spell disaster for that Rig."
"Because one could hit it before demolition day and anyone still on it would be trapped as it sank." Eddie said.
"Pretty much, yes. And that's not what we need right now. We don't need a huge water disaster or rescue for that matter. The Navy said that they would keep us up to date on how they are going and a couple EOD will be on hand if need be, however I'm pretty sure we can also keep people off the Rig and out of harm's way if we work together."
"So you did have something to do with us getting this position?" Hen asked.
"Sorry, I like to have people I technically know working with me. I know Buck and from what he has told me about you all, you seemed like the perfect people to help with this situation. Besides, I heard Eddie was in the military. If anyone would know how to get out of a sticky situation, it should be a military veteran."
"You sound as if you know what you are talking about." Eddie said.
"I did a couple tours with the Navy, which is why they are being very cooperative with the Mine situation. So, are you up for the job?"
"I think we can help you with that." Bobby said.
"So, what do we have to do with this conversation?" Maddie asked as she pointed at herself, Josh, Sue, and Athena.
"Any calls coming into the Call Center about party goers on the Rig need to be immediately rerouted over to Lifeguard Headquarters. I need to give you the number to transfer once you get the initial information. And we will decide if it is credible enough to make a pass by or not. If we believe it to be a prank, the caller will be logged into our system. If it is real, well that's where the rest of you come in."
"And Athena's job in this conversation?" Buck asked.
"She's been assigned to the beach until further notice. That part I had no control of. There have been some serious situations that even we can't deal with."
"Like what exactly?" Athena asked.
"Like the rapist that won't leave the beach. Or the homeless man that we have figured out is a child predator. Like I said, some serious situations that we can't deal with and that we aren't even allowed to touch. The last time we tried, one of my lifeguards was assaulted. And maybe you can deal with the shark chummers while you are at it."
"Shark chummers?" Josh asked.
"They've been getting really bothersome because their chum has been attracting some very large sharks. We had to evacuate the beach a couple times due to the chumming bringing in Great White's. Evacuating a beach means tourists don't come back. And well, the mayor hates that."
"Anyway you can put up some kind of underwater fence that stops them from getting to the beach goers?" Maddie asked.
"No budget for that. The Mayor won't allow us to eve look into buying them. Besides the only fences that would technically work are titanium fences and those are about $10,000 each link. Titanium is pretty expensive. And the mayor won't allow us to even think about it. Apparently he's never seen any shark movie like ever."
That last comment got a couple laughs out of everyone. As everyone broke up, I turned towards Athena and could tell that she wasn't happy about being sent to the beach until further notice. I walked up to her.
"Look I'm sorry about you getting stuck at the beach. But unless something really bad happens, you basically be in the Headquarters the entire time. We will even give you your own locker if you want. Or you can share my office; I'm the only one using it at the moment. That's the best that I can do for you at the moment, I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Someone higher up probably had something to do with it. I will take the office invite though. I'll need some place to do my paperwork."
"Good. Then I should probably go speak with the Call Center employees. I need to give them a number that they will use to transfer the calls about the oil rig."
"Alright then, and just so you know, Maddie is Buck's sister and she is very over-protective of her baby brother."
"Good to know. Talk with you later Sergeant."
With that, I walked over to where Maddie and the other Call Center employees were standing. I assumed that since they were there they were the main people that would need to be talked to. As I walked up to them, Maddie turned towards me and the man's eyebrows went up a little.
"So, you're the girl my brother has been hanging out with. I knew we'd meet someday. I just didn't think it would be a day that we would all be working with each other."
"Yes, I am the girl. However, we haven't hung out much lately. I've been a little preoccupied with work. And speaking of work, here is the number that you will need to use to transfer calls about the Oil Rig."
"And at that mention, I will take the number for now. Hi, I'm Sue Blevins, I run the Call Center. These two are just two of the employees that work with me, but both are very credible. Josh has been with the Call Center going on about six years (not really sure how long Josh has been with the Call Center as it's never addressed so I made something up) and Maddie here has been with us for a little over two years. She used to be an Emergency Room Nurse. In fact, she used to run the Emergency Room that she worked in. And she was very instrumental when the tsunami hit the pier."
"Yes, I remember that. We had to close the beach down and the Mayor for once had nothing negative to say about it. However, we then used the scarabs to go and help as many people as we could. Good thing we had plenty of scarabs to do so. We even decided to bring out the Jet Ski's to get as many people to safety as we could."
"Well, at least you were useful."
"Yes, there is that. Maddie, can I speak with you for a moment."
I pulled Maddie to the side as Buck watched. He could tell I was about to say something but didn't understand why I wanted to talk to his sister alone. He hoped it had nothing to do with the friendship they had struck up. He really liked her and hoped they could keep everything they had started going.
"So, what's up? What did you want to talk to me about?"
"How long have you known about Buck and me?"
"He told me almost immediately. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."
"It's not that. It's just if the rest of my family found out that I'm dating someone, then they would have a lot to talk about."
"Your family doesn't know you're dating my brother? Why would you not tell them?"
"They are entitled and rich and I separated myself from them as soon as I married. That marriage is now over, but I was still able to make something of myself without their help. They have been trying to get back into my life now that they know I'm actually richer than they are."
"You're rich and you still like working as a lifeguard?"
"I love my work. Besides, my family doesn't want anything to do with my lifeguard life. They want more to do with my Horse Ranch life. One day, I do aim on taking people up there, but at the moment, they think they know what's best for me and the Ranch and they think they can tell me what to do and who to date. I don't want them to know about Buck because I don't want them to run him off. My family is really good at running people out of my life."
"Don't worry, my lips are sealed. And I will make sure everyone else's are as well. But you should talk to Buck about your family. He's going to want to know why he can't meet them now that you have basically met his family."
"I will, I promise, just not until after this situation has worked itself out. I don't want anyone thinking I'm weak at the moment and that's what my family makes me feel. They make me feel weak because I choose to work and they choose to be spoiled, entitled rich people who think everyone must serve them."
"Good to know. I think we should all get back to what we were doing. Josh, Sue, and I need to get back to the Call Center and Athena has to follow you to the Lifeguard Headquarters and get situated, and the 118 needs to get back to work."
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Good to have this talk with you."
"And you; it was nice meeting you. Hope to be able to hang out one day soon."
As we dispersed to out separate locations, the 118 was called out to a small fire at a local restaurant. Athena followed me back to the Lifeguard Headquarters and got settled into my office as I went to my Captain and told him what was going on and how the meeting had gone. He was very interested to know that someone within the LAPD had been assigned to the Headquarters until further notice but he could get better information than I could. Josh, Sue, and Maddie headed back to the Call Center and relayed the information about the Oil Rig and handed out the number that everyone would need to use to transfer calls to the Lifeguard Headquarters. This was going to be one long week.
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Athena pulled up to Lifeguard Headquarters shortly before 9am. She knew that she didn't technically have to be at the building all day, but she did know that she had to be on the beach the majority of the day. She was allowed to leave and go to the firehouse if she so pleased and she needed to check in with her own Captain daily, but she was told that this assignment had come from the Superintendent himself, so she really didn't have a choice in the matter. She couldn't talk the Superintendent out of his decision. He had placed her here for a reason. She would soon learn exactly how special this beach was.
As she settled into Lt. Beck's office, she noticed some things that she hadn't the first time that she'd been there. The Lt. had a multitude of awards and pictures hanging on her wall. It was like she actually cared about her job. Athena had known some Lifeguards that had only been on the beach for the uniform and that was it. Because lifeguards were city employees, they didn't get paid very well and they weren't worth suing. She also noticed what looked like medical supplies in the room. The bags looked like an IV but instead of clear liquid, it was some kind of pinkish-grey paste. She wasn't quite sure what that was about, but she was sure she would find out when Lt. Beck showed up for her shift. And as Athena continued to look around the office, Lt. Beck did end up walking in the door. She had a smile on her face and when she noticed that Athena was looking around, she spoke up.
"Sgt. Grant, it's nice to see that you are settling in here. Can I ask what you are looking for? I might be able to help."
"Sorry, Lt. Beck, I was just looking around and getting settled into the day. And you can call me Athena; most people do anyways."
"Good to know; and you can call me either Kristina or Beck, most people do anyways."
"Well, now that that is out of the way, I do have one question for you."
"Fire away. I'm an open book."
"Do you mind telling me what kind of liquid is inside the IV bags? They don't look like normal IV bags."
"That's because they aren't. We have an unusual ocean pet that comes to the beach twice a day. The fluid is for him. It's the only way he can really eat. We have to insert the tube into his throat so that he can have his fish smoothie."
"What kind of pet and why does he have to be tube-fed?"
"He is a full-grown great white shark. He used to be owned by a very cruel human who thought it would be a good idea to have all of his teeth removed and continued to remove any that grew back until no more teeth were able to grow. Animal control seized custody of the shark and had the man arrested. I think he did about five years in prison but I can't really be sure. But he lives out by the Oil Rig and when it becomes a coral reef, he will live within the building. We call him Scar. He has a scar over his right eye from when he was being held down and his teeth were being yanked out of his mouth. Animal control gave him to an aquarium zoo that got him back to health and then released him near the Oil Rig. Scar is the main reason the owner has decided to turn the Rig into a coral reef, because he knows how cruel people can be."
"Long explanation, but I get it now. At which times of day does Scar arrive?"
"Well, in the morning, it's normally before anyone gets to the beach. And we have a special spot designated just for him. It's initially a swimming area but no people are allowed into it at all. It was built for Scar. And because he trusts me the most, I'm the one that administers his tube feeding. We have a special bond. I'd do anything for him."
"Buck should be jealous. Scar's getting all of your attention."
"Maddie told you that Buck and I are more than friends?"
"It wasn't that hard to figure out. It was actually pretty easy once we all saw you together the other day."
"It's not that I don't want to be public with him, it's just that the rest of my family would want to have a say in whom I date. They've always thought that they had the right to decide who I date and who I don't date. Rich entitled people; what can you do?"
"Rich and entitled huh? Forget to tell us something the other day?"
"Yes, my family is rich. No, they do not approve of my life as a lifeguard. No, I do not care. Yes, I do have a home in the mountains that they have been trying to get their greedy hands on since I'm only there on the weekends, if it isn't too busy down here. But they have yet to get their hands on the property and none of them are in the Will. They don't know that part."
"You already have a Will? I mean, I know why cops and firefighters have Will's on hand, but didn't think you as a lifeguard would need one."
"Oh, you'd be surprised at how many people actually want us lifeguards dead. Hell even the sharks try every now and then. Most just fail, but abut twenty years ago, we did have a fatal shark attack on a lifeguard. She was doing really well and mending and then they showed up at the hospital to see her and they were told that she had died. Everyone was heartbroken."
"I see, well, just let me know if I can help. With the demolition coming up, you probably have some things to attend to. And how about you tell me which two from the 118 you think you might want at the beach and I might be able to persuade their Captain to send them on over. When the time is right for checking on the Oil Rig comes up, of course."
"Of course. But I have other lifeguards keeping an eye on the Rig. Myself, I will go on Thursday, so when you show up for your shift, they better be with you. I want them to have full medical kits as well and we'll give them the backpacks that they are to use when we are in the water. If anything happens, we will be very prepared. The last Oil Rig to be used as a reef was again about twenty years ago. And we really don't want a repeat of what happened that time either."
"Let me guess, people were trapped inside."
"Yes, two lifeguards and about 4 civilians. People do the dumbest things sometimes. That Rig went down due to a loose underwater mine that had floated to the surface; which is why we are being very cautious this time around."
"Alright, I will let Bobby know that he will be down two firefighters on Thursday and have them pack some bags."
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On Thursday, Eddie & Buck were at the Beach with Athena and in Lt. Beck's office by the time Kristina got to Lifeguard Headquarters. She was surprised to see that they had decided to carpool in Eddie's truck, because she didn't see Buck's jeep anywhere. She smiled as she walked inside. She knew that this was going to be a long day; she just didn't know how long it was really going to be. As she was about to enter her office and talk to the people inside, her Captain pulled her into his office. She just went with it. She knew that he had a reason for pulling her into his office. He offered her a seat and she took it.
"What's up Captain? Is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong. But we have had a few complaints for some beachgoers about the swimming hole that isn't being used during the day. They believe that they should have the ability to use the roped off swimming hole. I have to let everyone know in a meeting today if we are opening it up or not. As you control that swimming hole, I wanted to talk to you about it first. What is your opinion on the swimming hole?"
"It will not be opened up to the public. The Mayor didn't want to pay for it so I used my own money to buy the fencing for the swimming hole. That hole is for Scar so that he can eat twice a day without being interrupted. I've had a few nosy Karen's come by while I was feeding him and telling their kids to just get into the swimming hole while he's been in there. I've literally stopped them from getting in and told them that if they came in, the mother would be held responsible if the great white shark that was in the swimming hole were to attack and injure the kids. They back pedal real quick and walk away, but opening that up to the public would mean that the Mayor would have to reimburse me for the money I spent to build him an area where he feels safe. In my opinion, they have an entire beach to use. They do no need to use the one spot that is used to house an injured shark so that he can be fed. Is that what you wanted to be told?"
"It was a little wordier than I liked, but I understand. I also brought the reimbursement up to the Mayor and he said no, but he also understood that since you used your own money to build the aquarium swimming hole for Scar, it would defeat the purpose of the hole. And I also agree. We will not open the swimming hole up. But I think maybe you should get your friends to help you put a roof on it so that when he comes to the beach on rainy days, you won't also get soaked. And you shouldn't have to pay out of pocket for it this time. A roof on the ocean aquarium swimming hole has been floating around Headquarters for a while and we took up a collection. Yes, you and Scar have a connection, but I think that everyone has become attached to him. I will let you go for now. He should be showing up soon for his morning feeding and I know you want to get out to the Oil Rig to do your cursory exam later in the day."
"Yes, I had Sgt. Grant bring two firefighters from the 118 with her this morning so that they would be able to help if anyone was stupid enough to go out to the Oil Rig and Party. It's been quiet the last couple days, but nobody really knows what could happen, especially since I heard back from the Navy EOD. A couple more bombs have become free from the chains they were attached to and floated to the surface. They were able to get those out of the water but I can only truly know what is going on once we are actually at the Oil Rig. And speaking of. I', going to lock Scar in the Ocean Aquarium while we are out there. I do not need him getting hurt if something goes wrong. I will assign Hobie and Summer to keep an eye on him and the Aquarium so that nobody is foolish enough to enter while he is in there. And I will keep a radio on me. A regular one and one that can be used underwater just in case."
"It's good that you have this all figured out. And I think I may just have the project for you to work on when this whole Oil Rig Situation is over. But at last, I shouldn't keep you from your duties for much longer. Radio when you are headed out to the Rig and I will send Hobie and Summer over to keep an eye on Scar."
"Will do sir, if that's all; I need to brief Diaz & Buckley on what we are going to be doing for the day. If anything goes wrong, I will let you know. And I have contact information for the Navy EOD members I've been in contact with on my desk. I will leave that out for you if you need to call the Navy for help for any reason."
"I appreciate that. And, no, there isn't anything else. You can go speak with the firefighters now."
With that, Kristina left the Captains office and headed for her own office. She knew that she would have to explain to Eddie and Buck what they were really going to be doing on the Rig but she figured that they would be okay with the days plan. They were going to have to spend the better part of the day at the Rig on watch. The Rig watches normally lasted all day and sometimes into the night, just to make sure nobody who wasn't supposed to be there showed up. She also needed to contact the owner of the Rig and let him know that there would be a day/night watch for the current day/night so that he didn't see the need to start the demolition earlier than planned and so that if he did want to start demo early, he would need to contact Lifeguard Headquarters and let them know so that they could radio those on watch and tell them to get off the Rig. As she walked into her office, three faces turned towards her, expecting some sort of explanation as to why Eddie & Buck had to be pulled away from the firehouse that day.
"So, I see that you are wondering what is going on."
"Athena didn't really tell us what we were going to be doing today at the beach. She only said that it had something to do with the Oil Rig. So what's going on that you needed to pull us from the firehouse on a work day?" Buck finished.
"We are going out to the Oil Rig to do a watch. Lifeguards got stuck with watch duty and since the 118 has been pulled into Oil Rig Duty, that means you will have to start pulling watch duty as well. As I want you to be prepared for what you may encounter, you will be going with me. I got a phone call from the owner of the Rig and he said he was pushing the demolition to the end of next week so you two plus the rest of the 118 will be helping with the Watches that we will have to do on a daily basis. Which is also why I should have told you to pack some food as well. We will be out there all day. I have enough for me, but I think the two of you need to stop by the small restaurant up the beach. Get some fruit, water bottles and some sandwiches. The place has always had some pretty good sandwiches. It used to be owned by Summer's mom Jackie."
"Well then, after the briefing, we will head to the restaurant and get us a days-worth of food and water. Before we do that, you mind telling us why we needed to bring full stocked first aid kits?"
"The last two night's people have been found to be partying on the Rig and some of them have been stupid enough to jump into the water. They were pushed up against the pylons and have been cut up pretty bad by the mussels that have attached to them. The first aid kits are for whoever we find out there. There are a couple lifeguards out there now and they should be back soon. We will take one scarab out there and we will be followed by another. We tend to anchor the scarab's about ten feet from the Oil Rig just in case something happens and our only way of escape isn't compromised."
"Makes sense. So other than making sure people don't come onto the Rig, what other duties do we have?"
"Well most of the important equipment has already been removed. But for safety reasons, phone service hasn't been cut from the Rig. We will have a way to communicate in case anything happens. But there are a few things that need to be secured to the floors of the Rig. Since the Rig is becoming a coral reef, there needs to be places fish and other ocean life can live within the Rig once it's on the ocean floor. We'll bring the necessary welding materials so that we can keep things from sliding around."
"And these backpacks that Athena told us about?" Eddie asked.
"I have them right here. There are about ten extra mini diving tanks in each backpack. And I also have the same amount of mini diving tanks. As a lifeguard, we are required to keep them on the scarabs so keeping them in our backpacks is just an added bonus. I already talked to my Captain about it. He agrees that having that many with us will help in case of anything going wrong."
"You keep saying that something could go wrong. What happened in the past for you all to be extra cautious around Oil Rigs?" Buck asked.
"The last time an Oil Rig was going to become a coral reef, a min got loose from its chain and managed to float up to the surface and right into the pylon of the rig. Two lifeguards and four civilians were trapped inside. This time, we are being extra cautious, but if it does happen, we will be very prepared. You can add to your backpacks what you want from the medical kits. We won't be able to have both medical kits with us in case anything goes wrong. One of the kits will need to stay on the scarab. So only the essentials from the first aid kits."
"Good to know. How long until we go out to the Oil Rig?" Eddie asked.
"We'll go out around noon. I have some things I need to get done first. First and foremost, I need to go feed Scar. He should be swimming in any time. He lives out at the Oil Rig."
"Who's Scar?" Buck asked.
"He's the great white shark that we have to tube feed. He was owned by a human who thought it a good idea to rip out all of his teeth when he was younger and then keep ripping out the teeth when they grew back. Eventually they stopped growing back. The human society stepped in and when he was healthy enough to be released into the ocean, he was placed near the Oil Rig. He swims in twice a day to get his food. I'll feed him his food once here. And when he's back at the Rig, I will feed him a second time. Hobie and Summer will watch him while we head out there and then I will radio to them for him to be let go."
"Are we able to see how you feed Scar?" Athena asked, now stepping into the conversation. She had been briefed on Scar two days before but hadn't really told the 118 about the pet Great White Shark that Lt. Beck apparently had.
"I don't see why not. As long as you don't enter the small Ocean Aquarium that was built for him. He only trusts me and he'll lash out at anyone he doesn't know. He doesn't mind Hobie or Summer much because they are always around me when I feed him, just in case I can't make it one day they know what to do and he won't attack them."
"That's good to know."
"I need to do some paperwork at the moment and make sure my Captain can get ahold of the Navy EOD if he needs to during the day. You can go get that food now if you want. And I know my Captain wanted to talk to Sgt. Grant before we all left for the day."
"Alright, you boys go see that restaurant and grab me some food while you're at it. And I will go see the Lifeguard Captain. We will meet back here when everyone is all done and get this day on the road."
At that, Athena, Buck and Eddie went in their separate decorations and I was able to get some paperwork done. I made a folder for the Captain that had all the contact information that he would need while we were at the Oil Rig. I put all the contact information for the Navy EOD, the Rig Owner and any and all others that he might need. In the folder also went the new revised demolition schedule along with the new Watch Schedule. Numbers for Capt. Nash at the 118 were also put in the folder as was the number for Chief Alonso of the LAFD, just in case the 118 was on a call when someone was trying to call them about Eddie & Buck. Sgt. Grant's number was also in the folder, just in case she wasn't in the office if my Captain needed to get ahold of her. The 911 call center number was also in the folder.
In the past week, multiple calls going to the 911 call center about the Oil Rig had been forwarded to the Lifeguard Headquarters. Most were harmless pranks but others had ended up being life threatening. Only three days prior a call had come in about a bomb that was seen floating towards the Oil Rig and Navy EOD had been called and the party goers on the Rig had been evacuated off just in time. The bomb was blown up only thirty feet from the Rig. That had been a close one. As I finished up the paperwork, I collaborated all the contact information into the folder on my desk and then labeled it as "Oil Rig Contact Information". I put the folder in the plastic holder next to the door above my file cabinet. On a piece of paper which I taped to the plastic holder, I wrote Oil Rig Information Only, so nobody put anything in the holder on accident. Just as I moved to grab Scar's food, Athena, Buck & Eddie came back. I nodded at them and grabbed the bag with Scar's food inside.
"I'm headed out to feed Scar if you want to follow me. There is a small refrigerator right there if you want to put your food in it until we leave for the Oil Rig. After I feed Scar and make sure he won't be able to get out of his Aquarium, we will head out to the Rig."
"Good to know. We'll be out in a minute."
And with that, Athena and I left my office. A few minutes later, Buck and Eddie were jogging up behind us to catch up as we made our way to Scar's Aquarium. The shark was indeed in the swimming hole. And a few beachgoers had decided to show up early. Before going to Scar, I turned towards the beachgoers.
"If you are waiting for the shark to be removed from the swimming hole, you're out of luck. As I paid for the Aquarium myself, this area will not be opened to the public like you so desperately want it to be. You all have an entire beach to swim in. This area is reserved. And yes, I know you complained about not being able to swim in it to my boss. He agrees with me. No humans in the shark swimming hole. Not now, not ever!"
I walked on towards Scar as the beachgoers dispersed. I had been right to assume they were the ones to complain to my boss about not being able to use the swimming hole. Some looked shocked that I even knew about the complaint. Others were just angry that they hadn't gotten their way. I got to Scar's tank around the time he came up for some air. He always came up when he saw feet approaching. When he saw me, he turned around and splashed me with his tail. It was his way of saying hi. I splashed him back as I put the bag containing his food on the small dock that had been built to get things ready. I put my feet into the water and Scar came up next to me. The way he ate was half in the water, half out. It was the only way we had figured out actually worked and the tube fit better that way. Summer and Hobie materialized from somewhere and got into the Aquarium to hold onto Scar to make sure he didn't slide while he was being fed and to keep water on the part of his body that was out of the water. They both had shark gloves on so that his skin didn't make them bleed.
Athena, Buck & Eddie watched with amazement. Buck & Eddie both had pulled out there phones and had started to film what was happening. Maddie would want to see this as would Christopher. Both liked sharks and thought they needed to be protected. I let them record because the more public awareness on what had happened to Scar the better. We had been tinkering with the idea of putting a camera in Scar's Aquarium for people to get to know him better and possibly attaching a camera to his dorsal fin so that people could see what he was up to when he wasn't at the beach, but we hadn't figured out exactly how to do that just yet. Scar was still a little people shy and he didn't really trust knew things around him so we stuck with what he knew. We would probably attach cameras to the Oil Rig once it was settled on the bottom of the ocean and keep a constant record of what was going on around the reef. But for now, I got in position to put the tube down Scar's throat so that he could have some food. When he was between feedings, he mostly filtered plankton like a whale would do. And since he tended to stay either in the Ocean Aquarium that I had built for him or near the Oil Rig, we could keep an eye on him.
As Scar ate, I talked about how we treated Scar and how he only trusted so few humans. I knew that Buck & Eddie were getting everything on video so there was no need of them to think me a little crazy. Scar stayed on my lap, barely moving as the fish smoothie made its way into his stomach. I scratched a little under his jaw and he relaxed some more. It was his favorite spot to be touched. And if I wasn't working, I was normally in the water swimming with him. It was almost like clockwork. Scar knew when my days off were or when I just needed a swim and would show up at the Ocean Aquarium I had built for him. When we swam together, I had my Go-Pro on so that I could record what we did together.
Once the feeding was done, I removed the tube and let Hobie & Summer get out of the swimming hole before gently pushing Scar back into the water. I kept my feet in the water a little longer and he swam around his hole. He saw that he couldn't get out and he seemed to understand that he was being kept in for now. I told Summer and Hobie we were headed for the Oil Rig and told them to stay near Scar. I told them that I would radio when it was okay for them to let him out. They said they understood and I gave Scar a scratch under his jaw one last time before I got out and headed for Headquarters. I had a few things to grab before we headed out for the day/night.
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It took the better part of an hour to get out to the Oil Rig. We'd had to stop and turn back because we forgot an extra canister of gas for the scarab. Just in case we ran out or had to sleep in the boat instead of on the Oil Rig. Eddie and Buck had the food that they had bought from the restaurant near Headquarters and both backpacks and first aid kits. I had my own backpack, a little bigger than theirs but all were waterproof up to 5,000ft underwater. We all had our phones in waterproof phone carriers and around our necks. I had two radios; one regular one and one that was waterproof. The waterproof one was in my backpack along with all the other needed things. My own food was in another waterproof backpack and I'd had the guys put the food that they had bought into the backpack as well so that all the food stayed as fresh as possible. A fifth waterproof backpack would hold whatever we grabbed from the first aid kits to take onto the Rig with us.
As I stopped the scarab, Eddie and Buck were busy deciding what was most important from the first aid kits that they would need to pack into the backpack. It was also around that time that I spotted the other boat. I shook my head as I grabbed the bullhorn and turned it on. Buck and Eddie looked up as I started to speak.
"THIS IS THE LA COUNTY LIFEGUARD UNIT. All party goers on this Oil Rig need to get off it immediately. You are trespassing on private property and if you do not vacate the premises, I will call in the coast guard and you will be arrested. You have ten minutes to gather your belongings and get off the Rig."
As soon as I stopped talking, people started exiting the areas that they had been at. One was a young man in maybe his early twenties. The look told me all I needed to know. But before I could say anything, he started to talk.
"Who are you to tell us what we can and can't do? This old Rig has been decommissioned for years. Nobody cares if we are here."
"Except that it is set to be demolished in two days. You need to get off. It is not safe for you to be here."
"This is the safest place out here."
"No, it's not. Shortly before coming out here, I got a call from the Navy EOD team that has been patrolling this area. There are at least five active mines floating in this area. If even one of those mines hits this Rig, you will all be trapped at the bottom of the ocean with no way of getting help. GET OFF THE RIG NOW!"
That last statement seemed to do the trick and the party goers headed for the boat that had brought them. Before leaving, they did a head count to make sure everyone was on board. When it was learned two people were still inside, I sent the smartass that had talked to me in to get them. Five minutes later, he came out with his friend and they got on their boat and left. I told them not to come back as the lifeguards were going to be doing 24hr watches on the Rig until demolition day and that if they came back and got hurt; it would be their own fault. I also showed them the "NO TRESSPASSING" signs that were posted all over the Oil Rig and that since they were "TRESSPASSING" they could be fined up to two thousand dollars each person. They seemed to understand that if they came back, they would be arrested and each person that had been at the party would be fined.
During all the talking, Buck and Eddie had managed to finish filling the fifth backpack with what might be needed if anything were to happen and zipped it up tight. Eddie carried his backpack and the first aid backpack. Buck carried his backpack and the welding materials that we would need to make sure nothing fell over once demolition day came. I grabbed my backpack, the food backpack and the three wetsuits that we would need if anything happened. Since I was going to be on watch for the next day/night, I had also brought Scar's second round of food. In two hours another group of lifeguards would be by to make sure everything was going alright. In case something did happen, the dock attached to the Oil Rig could be disconnected so nothing happened to the only form of help that we had.
As we headed up to the second floor of the Rig, I looked out towards where I knew Scar was swimming. He would be at the Rig soon; I'd radioed Hobie to let him out and that there was no need for them to look for him for his second feeding as I had brought his food with so that he didn't have to make the trip back towards land. And I planned on doing a little swimming with him when we were done welding. Buck turned towards me and asked why I stopped and I just said that I was looking out towards where Scar was. He asked if he should be jealous that I was more interested in a shark than him but I just laughed it off. Scar didn't really have anyone to look out for him like I was. Buck however had his friends and family to look out for him. I knew that he was joking. But between my work and his, we hadn't really been able to see each other much. I put Scar out of my mind for now and showed Eddie and Buck into the second floor where we needed to do some welding. We would also need to weld holes into the floors so creatures could get in and out with ease and not get stuck. I knew how large the holes had to be so I used a permanent marker and marked the first hole in wall and floor that we were on. I told Eddie to continue to mark the holes in the floors and walls all the way up and he grabbed the permanent marker and headed off with the picture in his mind.
As Eddie marked the floors and holes that needed to be cut, Buck helped me get everything settled for the day/night that we would be here. We would take shifts so that nobody got overly tired and so that we would all be refreshed when the next shift came in the morning. The second floor was the one that held the set of bunkbeds. If someone was asleep, the other person had to be awake. Since I had to train Eddie & Buck on what we had to do, it was easier for them to sleep while I took the first watch. Eddie came back about twenty minutes later and said that all the holes were marked. We ate lunch first, leaving enough food for dinner and maybe a small breakfast and then we got busy with the welding. The only protective gear we had was the wetsuits so I told the guys to get into them. I put my wet suit on as well and then grabbed the welder and we started in on the hole in the room that we were in before moving to the other floors. The first floor would not get any holes seeing as all the doors had been removed because they had been custom builds and the owner wanted them to be put in his house as decoration.
Our work kept us busy throughout the rest of the day. By the time all the holes had been cut into the floors and walls, it was time to settle down and eat some dinner. I also took the time to go feed Scar. So while Eddie & Buck ate their dinners, I grabbed Scar's food and headed for the dock. Scar was waiting when I showed up. It was different feeding him on the Oil Rig than it was in his Aquarium but I managed to feed him without incident. When his food was done, I removed the tube and massaged his throat and neck to make sure nothing came up. The guys came out right as I jumped into the water next to Scar. They looked at each other but didn't really say anything. Today, I needed to take a look at the pylons that were submerged to see if anything needed to be dealt with. I knew that there were C4 on each pylon waiting for demo day so I didn't really touch those for now. I did however, turn my phone on video mode and hit record.
Eddie gave me a mini dive tank & a pair of goggles and then Scar went underwater. I held onto his dorsal fin as he swam around the pylons. I looked at the pylons to make sure nothing was wrong and then Scar dove deeper. He knew that I was checking everything out because this wasn't the first time that he had helped with the underwater maintenance. He'd helped out plenty before which is why he was such an integral part of the operation. When we surfaced once more, Buck reached down and pulled me from the water. Scar stayed near me as I kept my feet in the water. I would replay the video once I was away from the water so I didn't drop my phone into the ocean by accident. I rubbed my feet against Scar's back and found out just how much he liked it. He rolled over on his back like he was a dog being petted. I rubbed my feet on his stomach and scratched his chin and then pulled my feet out of the water. Eddie decided to say something then.
"Who knew sharks were just giant water dogs?"
"You never do know how a shark will react until you interact with it. I knew that he liked his belly and chin rubbed with my feet but I never realized just how much he liked his back rubbed. Come on, we should get settled for the night."
"So what exactly will be doing during the night?" Buck asked.
"Four on four off; four hour shifts each. That's how the other lifeguards have been doing things. Since there are three of us, we will be able to keep a better eye on things and get a little bit of sleep as well. I need to have some dinner and then we'll save the rest for breakfast."
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Morning came with not interruptions. Eddie & Buck seemed to get along with the sleep schedule just fine and by the time we were all up and moving around, it was nearing 10am. The next shift was supposed to arrive until nearly 1pm so we had some time to check on things and make sure everything was in working order before the next shift showed up. We had a small breakfast, leaving the apples and oranges as a snack for later on. I went down to the dock but didn't see Scar so I figured he must have headed to the beach for his breakfast. I had only brought his dinner with us so he needed to go to the beach in order to get his breakfast. I radioed Hobie and asked about Scar. He said that he was in his Aquarium eating his food. Summer was in the process of feeding him so there was no need to worry. I reminded Hobie that it was my job to worry when it came to Scar and everything else that had to do with this Special Operation. Hobie reminded me that the 118 was supposed to be coming to pick Eddie & Buck up so I shouldn't dawdle when it came to switching shifts. He also said the next shift would show up on time because nobody wanted the wrath of Kristina Beck on them. I laughed at that and put the radio back on the boat.
I unhooked the dock from the Rig because I suddenly had a feeling that I didn't like. I also remembered that I hadn't looked at the footage I had taken the night before so I headed up towards where we had kept our belongings. I grabbed my phone and unlocked it. I sat on the bottom bunk and started the video. As I watched, I knew we were in danger. Eddie and Buck walked back into the room at the same time and looked at me. Before they could question the look on my face I spoke.
"Eddie, I need you to go up to the sixth floor and tell me what you see. I need to know what is in the ocean right this minute."
"Is everything okay?" Eddie asked.
"Some video that I don't really like. Please just go and tell me what you see. Use the phone so I know what's going on. To dial the phone just press 2 and the phone here will automatically ring. We designed it that way to make it easier. Take your backpack with you, just in case."
Eddie did as I asked and headed for the sixth floor with his backpack. I had Buck help me pack up our belongings into the backpacks and made sure that he had his backpack on his back. We'd all pretty much stayed in the wetsuits because it was easier than trying to take them off while we were still wet. I put my back pack on, but grabbed out the waterproof radio. I also attached the food bag to my backpack so it didn't disappear. Buck put the first aid backpack on his chest so that he didn't separate from it. When the phone rang I picked it up. Eddie had fear in his voice when he said that he could see mines moving towards the Oil Rig but he couldn't judge how far away they were from hitting the rig. I told him to brace for impact and then radioed for help.
"MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! Three city workers on the Oil Rig. Four mines headed for the Oil Rig. Bracing for impact. Send help immediately!"
Right as finished with the MAYDAY call, we felt the impact of one of the mines. I managed to put the radio into my backpack at the same time as grabbing a mini dive tank. Buck also grabbed a tank. I picked up the phone and told Eddie that he could either jump off the Oil Rig and into the water below or ride the impact down. He chose to ride the impact down. I told him to grab a dive tank and be ready to use it. He needed no further instructions. As soon as I hung up the phone with Eddie the other three mines struck the pylons and with each pylon having C4 attached to it, I knew we were in for a doozy.
We hit the floor as the Rig plummeted to the ocean…
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The 118 had just arrived and was outside talking to Athena when Capt. Arnold ran out of the building. Seeing the rescue workers talking with Sgt. Grant, he yelled in their direction to get to the scarabs immediately. Wondering what was going on, Athena looked at the Captain.
"What's going on Captain Arnold?"
"We just received a mayday call from the Oil Rig. Four mines broke loose sometime yesterday and floated up near the rig. There was an impact. We need to get out there as soon as possible. Bring all the gear that you can muster. The Navy has been notified as has the Coast Guard. We don't know what we are heading into. We just know that it Lt. Beck, Diaz and Buckley were all on the Rig when the mines made contact. We'll know more when we get out there."
The 118 and Athena needed no more motivation than that. Two of their family members were in danger and about to be swallowed alive by the ocean. They had to get out there in record time. They pulled everything off the Truck and Ambulance as fast as they could. Summer and Hobie had been with Scar when Capt. Arnold had radioed to let the shark out of the Aquarium. They had and Scar had swum at his full capacity straight towards the Oil Rig. He'd be able to help divers in looking for the three trapped on board the Rig. Chimney made a note to call Maddie and let her know what was going on. As soon as they and all of their gear were in one of the scarabs, Hobie and Summer jumped in and sped towards the Oil Rig. Scar would make it to the Rig first and since holes had been cut into the walls and floor to make it easier for him to have access, he'd be able to get to Eddie first before anyone else could.
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The scene was like no other as all available lifeguard scarabs headed out towards the Oil Rig and the trapped team onboard. The boats were dwarfed by the Navy carrier coming into view and then the Coast Guard rescue ship right behind that one. The Rig had been hit on all four pylons and had collapsed onto itself. It was still a little bit above water which meant that Scar couldn't get into it without hurting himself. Besides, seeing a shark swimming around the Oil Rig had gotten the Sailors of the Navy Carrier and the Coast Guard ship on high alert. They had guns out when the first scarab arrived with Capt. Arnold on board. He grabbed a bullhorn and used it to tell them not to shoot the shark. That it was a friendly shark and that it couldn't hurt anyone. The guns were lowered as Capt. Arnold and his team pulled alongside the Coast Guard ship and once on the ship, the Captain explained the situation with the shark and how it could help with the rescue.
Summer, Hobie and the 118 along with Athena were one of the last scarabs to arrive on the scene and by that time, the Rig was completely submerged. They noticed all the boats were converging on the Coast Guard ship and headed to them. Once the boat was secured, they all climbed aboard. Capt. Nash headed towards Capt. Arnold and asked him what the plan was and how they could help.
"Right now, we need to know if they are still alive. I have not been able to get ahold of Lt. Beck at the moment but I am still trying. Once the water pressure equalizes on that thing, it will sink faster and we need to get them out before we aren't able to. There is no telling how many access points are blocked. Besides the first floor, every hallway and room had doors attached to it. I know Lt. Beck had a plan to weld holes into the floors and walls of each floor to make it easier for Scar and other creatures to be able to get out with ease but I am not sure if she made it easier for any divers to get in or out as well."
"So, what you are saying is you aren't exactly sure how to get to them. How did the Rig fall? On its side, straight down?"
"As far as I know, once the pylons were gone, there was no way to keep the Rig on top of the water. So I'm assuming it fell straight down. If that happened, we may have an easier way to get them out. If it fell on its side, it's going to be harder to get them out. Now that the Rig is fully submerged, I want a few of my team to head in with Scar to see if he can get to those trapped inside. We'll work off the information we get as it comes in."
"Good. We'll monitor from the scarab we came in. We did bring as much supplies as we could fit on the boat that we could. Whatever we have that you need to use, it's at your disposal."
"Thank you Capt. Nash. I want you and your team in the scarab you came in, but Hobie and Summer will be in the water with Scar. He knows and trusts them more than he does anyone else at the moment. His favorite person ironically is inside the rig at the moment so he will do whatever he needs to, to get to her."
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Kristina woke slowly and noticed that Buck was nowhere near her. He was probably swept out and away when the water had hit them. She moved a little and was able to get the dive tank into her mouth before another rush of water surged in. She felt around for the welding materials and was thankful to be able to grab ahold of them. She pulled her goggles on and then looked around again. She was able to see that the door was still open so she made her way with the welding equipment and her two bags out the door and started to look for Buck. She knew that Eddie was higher up and would probably be rescued first. But knowing that Buck was still somewhere below, he would probably want to help with the rescue as well. She hoped that he would take his teams advice and stay on the boats that were bound to be heading towards the derelict Oil Rig.
As she left the room that she had originally been in, she saw that Buck was just out of arms reach from the door. But he was unconscious. She swam over to him and grabbed his arm. He'd dropped his mini dive tank and she grabbed it from where it had landed and put it into his mouth. As soon as the oxygen was flowing through his lips and to his lungs, he started to wake up, but she knew that he would definitely have a concussion. He was still groggy when he opened his eyes and saw her. The only mistake she had made that trip was to not bring Eddie and Buck any goggles for them to use. He'd have to keep his eyes open in the salt water if he wanted to see anything. She put her hand up in his face with the 'ok' sign and he gave her a thumb up. She then motioned for them to make their way towards the surface and find air pockets as they went. He nodded and they headed back towards one of the rooms that they knew had holes in it. They would start there; hopefully Eddie was having a better time than they were.
Meanwhile… Eddie came to as the Rig sank and his room filled with water. Trying to get to Buck and Kristina was out of the question at the moment, so he started trying to figure out how to get out of the rig. He'd been on one of the top levels when the Rig had plummeted into the ocean. He put the mini dive tank into his mouth and looked around and remembered the holes that Kristina had welded into each floor and wall. He swam towards the ceiling of the room that he was in and was able to go up without any problems. The problem came when he saw what he thought was a shark heading straight for him. That was until he saw two people holding onto the shark as it swam.
He made the conclusion that the shark was Scar and the two people with him were Hobie and Summer, the two lifeguards other than Kristina that the shark trusted. He swam towards them and was relieved to see that there were more people in the water. But he wasn't about to leave his best friend and Lt. Beck to die in the levels below him. He swam towards the shark and when Scar moved around him, Hobie let go first. Summer stayed with Scar as they circled and Hobie gave her an 'ok' sign that meant that she was okay to continue down by herself. She nodded and let go of Scar and headed into the hole that Eddie had just come out of. Scar followed her as soon as she was through.
Hobie held onto Eddie as they headed through one last hole and towards the surface. As soon as they broke the surface of the water, Hen called out that she saw them and Hobie and Eddie were swimming towards the boat that held the 118. Athena seemed relieved, if only a little. Two more people were still trapped. Eddie wanted to get back down to the Rig to help as he knew where all the holes had been welded into the building and he could be of better help than those who didn't know where the holes were. But he was content to let his team fret over him for a little while. He could always tell the teams where the holes were and how many there were.
As his team pulled him up to the boat, Hobie turned back towards the downed Rig and was about to head back down when Capt. Arnold called out to him and said to stay near the boat. Summer and Scar were still looking for the other two and the Coast Guard was sending down some professional Divers. So Hobie was forced to stay in the boat, but he stayed near enough to the water's edge to jump in if needed. Eddie was being looked at by Hen and Chimney. Hen told him he had a slight concussion but nothing major. She said that he was lucky that he'd had a mini breathing tank otherwise it would have been a different matter. Hobie looked over at that statement and just smirked. He grabbed Eddie's backpack and unzipped it, showing the firefighter that the bag was filled with mini dive tanks. Hen and Chimney both smirked at that.
"Kristina always comes fully stocked for whatever might happen. We knew that old war mines had been popping up near the Rig. We weren't taking any chances." Hobie said before turning back towards the water. Kristina Beck was well respected among the Lifeguards and she needed to be okay.
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Meanwhile…Kristina and Buck were slowly making their way out of the downed Rig. They were pushing doors open and using the welder when needed. A few more holes in the walls and floors would help any rescue teams that might be moving towards them. They were making good headway when Buck lagged behind a little. Kristina noticed immediately and turned back towards Buck to see what he was doing. She noticed immediately that he was trying to get into his backpack. She set the welder down and went back to help. They were able to get the bag opened and Buck reached in and grabbed one of the mini dive tanks and replaced the one in his mouth. Kristina pulled hers out and looked at it and noticed that she was low on air too. So before Buck zipped his bag up, she grabbed an extra tank and switched hers out too.
With an OK sign, they made their way back towards the welder and Kristina grabbed it up. They headed through the hole that had been cut earlier before the Rig had sunk. They were able to make more headway than some others might have if they weren't trained. When they came to a door that wouldn't budge on a floor that somehow had no holes in the walls or the floor above it, they knew that they were in trouble. The welder was running out of gas and Kristina didn't know if they would be able to get through the door or the wall with the welder. If not, they would need to go back the way that they had come.
At the same time they came to the door, Summer and Scar were also coming upon the door. With no way in, Summer grabbed an underwater pen and marked the door as closed. Summer tried to pull the door open which got the attention of those on the other side of the door. Buck and Kristina swam over to the door and started pounding on it, to let whoever was on the other side of the door know that they were there. Summer grabbed the pen and re-marked the door as having people behind it. Before she was able to turn around and swim back up to the surface to let the rescue team know that she'd found the trapped pair, four Navy divers were by her side. Summer grabbed the slate that they had and wrote that someone was behind the door but the door wouldn't budge.
The divers nodded and motioned for her to stay out of the way. Summer kept Scar out of the way as well, knowing that the Navy didn't trust him because he was a Great White. As the divers worked on getting the door opened, Kristina and Buck moved away from the door. They could see the sparks coming through the door from the welder that the divers were using. They didn't want to be burned from the sparks, even underwater it could hurt just not as bad. As the last hinge on the door was welded out, the door started to give, but it was falling towards the side where the rescue was. Buck and Kristina swam over to the door and pulled it inwards, so that their rescue wouldn't be hurt.
Once the door was on the ground, the divers held up 'OK' signs and both signaled back that they were okay. Kristina noticed the slate in Summer's hand and grabbed it saying they needed to cut a hole in the floor above them. The divers noticed how big the other holes were and cut the same size out of the floor above them. Then they headed for the surface with the two. Buck held onto Scar's dorsal fin while Summer and Kristina held onto his pectoral fins. Each hole they came, they let go so Scar could go first and then they grabbed on. Once they were free of the Rig, they let go all together and swam for the surface. Once all three of them broke the surface of the water, a cheer went up. Eddie wanted to get back in the water, but stayed in the boat as Hobie dove off the back of the Scarab and swam over to the three. Summer and Hobie helped Buck and Kristina into the Scarab and then let out a breath. Scar stayed swimming next to the boat as he waited for the extra people to leave.
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Four hours later and Buck, Kristina and Eddie were in the hospital. They'd all been checked out and all three had concussions so they would have to stay at least a day in the hospital. But all were alive and ready to get out of the hospital after only an hour. Buck credited Kristina for keeping him calm the entire time they were below. Eddie credited Kristina to her quick thinking about sending him up to try and spot the mines heading for the Rig and that if it hadn't been for her, they all three would have been stuck in same spot together. Captain Nash said that it was hard for the team not to get into the water and help but they knew that they weren't qualified to help with that kind of rescue. He did say they were qualified enough to help with medical and he credited Captain Arnold for letting them help with the rescue, even though they didn't really get to do any rescuing.
They all laughed at that and Kristina told them it was just another day on the job and she wouldn't trade her job for anything. But Buck and Maddie knew the truth in her statement. She loved her job and she wouldn't change it for anything, even her horse ranch. But she knew she'd eventually have to go back up there one day or another to deal with her family.
But that was an adventure for another day. For now, they were just content in lying in their hospital beds and letting their families and friends fret over them.