CHAPTER 15
At Fishnet Station nearby the construction sight, the workers were trying to fix a manhole but were having some difficulties doing so. It didn't help that the station was busier than usual, more buses were driving by wanting to get passengers. Unaware that a disaster was about to strike at any moment.
Marlin held his ticket in his hand as he began to walk to the right bus stop. During so he couldn't help but look around and caught glances of his surroundings, he can see couples walking hand in hand and a father and mother with their child holding their hands as the family shared a heartful laugh amongst another. Seeing these people around him brought more sadness in Marlin's heart, it was a painful reminder of what Marlin had and lost.
"Hey! Watch it buddy!" Marlin unknowingly accidently walked into someone "Sorry, I'm just trying to get home" Marlin sadly apologized.
Marlin waited and looked to see the bus heading for Ocean City have arrived. He let other people into the bus before him. He gave a sad sigh and began to head on in.
"Dad...!"
Marlin stopped for a moment, he heard a voice calling from the distance of a young child calling for his father. Marlin shook his head, figuring that he must be hearing things and kept on moving to step into the bus.
"Dad...!"
There it was again. Marlin stopped again, having to hear this voice clearly. It sounded familiar...too familiar.
Marlin slowly turned around where the voice was coming from "Nemo...?"
"Daddy!" that cry grew louder. And there out in the sea of crowded people Marlin spotted a familiar reddish orange colored hair "Nemo?" Marlin was sure he must be really hearing and seeing things.
"Dad!" "Marlin! Nemo's alive!" Marlin looked to see a blue haired woman and a young boy waving and calling to him. "Dory..." Marlin stared at the boy, he could feel himself shaking, tears appearing in his eyes and a smile appearing on his face and took off in a run "NEMO!"
"DADDY!" Nemo ran ahead of Dory trying to get to his father.
"Nemo! I'm coming Nemo!" Marlin sprinted towards his son, dodging people doing so.
"Dad!" "Nemo!" Nemo stretched his arms and Marlin scooped his son into his arms. Both spinning around the spot "Nemo!" "Dad!" "Oh thank goodness!" Marlin's legs finally gave out and he sank to the ground on his knees, still holding his son in his arms.
Marlin looked down at his son, wanting to be sure he was real until he pulled him closer as he shed the most happiest tears in his life.
Nemo cried into his father before looking up. Nemo could hardly recognized his dad, being that his glasses were gone and his clothes looked a bit dirty.
It didn't matter, Nemo was finally back with his dad.
"Daddy..." Nemo cried into his father's chest, Marlin shushed the boy trying to calm him down before pulling the boy back "Nemo...I thought you were dead!" "I was just pretending, so they would cancel the operation and wheel me down to the morgue to make my escape" Nemo told his father, trying to wipe all his tears but more tears formed in his eyes. "But then I heard you and...Daddy!" Nemo continued to cry and hugged his father not wanting to let go of him.
"Shh Shh it's alright son...It's gonna be okay" Marlin whispered, wiping his son's eyes, holding him tighter in his arms.
"Aww!" Dory couldn't help but gush at the sight of a father and son being reunited. She smiled and held her hands to hold them close to her.
Suddenly she felt the ground beneath her starting to shake.
"Run! Everybody run!" Dory heard yelling, she turned to see the construction workers frantically waving their hands and running. "Sinkhole!" they yelled, in which made everyone to run and panic. "Ah! Look out!" Dory ran to Marlin and Nemo, both getting up and run.
The ground finally broke apart and destroyed, as a large hole was being formed. Many people from passengers, bus drivers and the construction sight workers ran for their lives trying to get away but some fell through the hole. The buses even fell down the sinkhole getting totally wrecked and destroyed in the process.
Marlin and Nemo ran to a safe distance and looked at the giant sinkhole before them, trying to help many people lucky enough to get far away before they get fallen in too. They looked to see many innocent people down in the sinkhole, crying and screaming for help and to get them out of there.
"Help! Help!" Marlin and Dory looked to see Dory hanging on for dear life "Dory!" Marlin and Nemo ran to save her. "Help! Help!" Dory cried again, just as Dory tried to grab Marlin's hand, she couldn't hold on much longer and fell into the sinkhole with the rest of the innocent people.
"Dory! Dory!" Marlin called out, looking down trying to find her in the sea of screaming scared crowd. But he couldn't find her.
Nemo stood with his father as he looked down at the people below, he looked to see some people trying to climb their way out but were having difficulty. Some slid back into the crowd, and some were pulling onto eachother for themselves to escape.
Nemo continued to stare down until he thought of something.
"Dad, I know what to do!" Nemo turned to his father before carefully going to climb down into the sinkhole "Nemo no!" Marlin saw what his son was doing and grabbed his good hand. "Dad, we have to tell people to try to climb up together!" "You get back up here right now!" "I know this will work!" both father and son argued, Marlin still holding onto his son's hand not letting him go as Nemo tried to get out of his father's grip.
"No I am not gonna lose you again!" "Dad, there's no time! It's the only way to save Dory!" Nemo looked up at his father, knowing his plan has to work but his dad will have to trust him.
Marlin looked into his son's eyes, seeing his son asking, no, wanting him to trust this plan. Looking deep into his son's eyes he began to think back of all the things he have learned over this adventure. It was all coming back to him seeing that he had to trust his son and let him do what's right.
"I can do this!" Nemo said, pleading to let him do it. Nemo felt his father slowly let go of his hand, looking up to see Marlin smile down at him "You're right...I know you can!"
Nemo smiled up at his dad before holding out his 'Lucky Hand' towards him "Lucky Hand!" and with that both Nemo and Marlin shared a high five. "Now go! Hurry!" "You have to tell everybody to stay close and climb up together!" Nemo instructed his father before climbing down into the sinkhole.
Marlin smiled and nodded, he turned to the screaming people below with a determind look "Well you heard my son! Come on, try to climb up together!" Marlin shouted, trying to get everyone to listen and cooperate together.
Nemo made down where many people were panicking and screaming. Nemo ran through the crowd until he found Dory "Dory!" "Nemo!" both boy and woman ran to eachother "Dory, we have to tell everyone to work together in order to climb out!" Nemo told the blue haired woman. Dory nodded and both began to try to get everyone to calm down and listen.
"Try to work together and climb up! Do you understand what I'm saying to you? You can do it!" Marlin shouted, trying to encourage people to start climbing together. Some who heard him began to do, as one started climbing they would turn and grab arms and form a chain to climb back up.
"Everybody climb up together!" "Come on! You have to climb up together!" "Try to climb up together, okay?" Dory and Nemo tried to tell everyone to work together to climb who stood nearby heard and began to do so as they headed where the human chain was and helped them.
"You almost got it! Just keep climbing up together!" Marlin continued to shout to the people down below, getting his hands out and ready to reach. One person tried to reach out to him but lost his footing a slipped.
Meanwhile with Nemo and Dory, they began to feel the ground underneath them shake, with the weight of the people the ground will give out and make the sinkhole even deeper. Dory grabbed Nemo in her arms held onto eachother, afraid the ground will give out any given moment.
Marlin watched from above, he began to remember something and turned back to the crowd below "Don't give up! Keep going! Just keep going!" Marlin yelled to them, and so many people began to try to climb up in a chain once again, this time helping one another "That's it!" Marlin smiled and began to help them "Just keep going!" he kept shouting for encouragement.
Hearing those words encouraged many of the people down below and began to chant those words 'Keep going!' along with Marlin.
Nemo and Dory looked to see that many people were beginning to climb up together "It's working!" Nemo smiled to Dory and both began to climb and help eachother up.
They managed to climb up to the head of the crowd to see Marlin still chanting to keep on going "Just keep going! Keep going!" "Come on, Dad!" Nemo called out to him "You're doing great, son!" Marlin called out back, both sharing a proud smile on their faces.
"That's my dad!" Nemo turned to a man helping him up before turning back at his father, seeing the man he heard so much from the story of his journey to find him. Feeling so proud of his father being brave and helping others.
"Come on! Almost to the top! Keep going!" Marlin still encouraged shouting as the crowd continued to chant 'Keep going!' "Just keep going. Just keep going." Dory sang along and joined the crowd.
"Almost there! Keep going!" Marlin began to reach his hand out once again, waiting for a hand to grab it.
"Keep going!" the crowd chanted.
One man was almost close to the top, reaching out to grab Marlin's hand.
Without knowing Nemo was beginning to slip in his place.
"Keep going!" the crowd continued to chant.
The man and Marlin reach for all their might until they finally mange to grab hold.
At the moment with no eyes watching Nemo slipped down.
Once Marlin pulled the man out everyone cheered and started to pull themselves out.
All around everyone cried and cheered as they all managed to save themselves from that sinkhole. And it was all thanks to a father and son helping them to work together.
Dory pulled herself out and looked around, seeing many people reunited with friends and loved ones as they continued to cheer and celebrate their victory. Seeing these people reunited she couldn't help but smile, that was until she bumped into someone. "Hey!" "Dory!" Marlin and Dory shared a hug, glad they were safe and together again.
Marlin let go of Dory and looked around "Where's Nemo?" Marlin continued to look around for his son. Both tried to look around in the crowd, but didn't see any sign of him, worried if he had managed to escape the sinkhole with the rest. Dory looking around, until she turned back to the sinkhole "There!" she pointed.
Marlin turned to where Dory was pointing, back into the sinkhole. He squinted his eyes to catch and familiar orange color.
"Nemo!" Marlin and Dory began climbing back down into the sinkhole.
Once they got to the ground both ran to where the boy was. They stopped to see Nemo on the ground unconscious. At first Marlin thought Nemo was playing dead once again, however in his heart something told him he wasn't "Nemo...Nemo..."
Marlin sank onto his knees and carefully picked up his son, cradling him in his arms. Marlin brushed the boy's hair out of his face as tears fell from his eyes.
At first glance Marlin looked to see his little boy was the same crying and frighten baby he first met and held in his arms. He held him close and whispered "It's okay Daddy's here...Daddy's got you."
Nemo moaned, moved a bit and let out a cough. Surprising Marlin a bit and smiled to see his son slowly opening his eyes "Daddy..." "Thank goodness" Marlin carefully held him close to hug him.
"Dad...I don't hate you" Nemo said, looking up into his father's eyes "No, no no no, I'm so sorry Nemo" Marlin said, giving his son and apologetic look. Marlin looked down at his son, Nemo smiled at him understanding what his father was apologizing for.
Marlin smiled back at him, seeing that he has finally see what Nemo wanted him to see and show him, that he can do things despite his disabled hand. And that made both father and son so proud of eachother.
Nemo opened his disabled hand, Marlin gently took it and held it in his own, rubbing his thumb over his regular and prosthetic fingers. Marlin smiled as he reached for something, pulling out to show Nemo he still kept his favorite stuffed clownfish toy. Nemo was happily surprised to see his cherished stuffed clownfish once again and held his favorite toy close to him.
Both father and son shared this moment of peace and silence together. Before Marlin remembered what he wanted to tell his son.
"Hey, guess what?" Marlin whispered "What?" Nemo looked up at his father "About the Sea Romani, I met one" Marlin told him, making Nemo smile "He told me that his Spirit Brother is a sea turtle. A 150 year old sea turtle" Marlin added with a smile. Nemo looked up surprised "150?" "Yep" his father nodded softly, hearing this information confused Nemo a tiny bit "But, Sandy Plankton said that sea turtles only lived to be 100?"
Marlin just smiled as his son looked at him "Sandy Plankton? Do you think I would cross the entire world and not know as much as Sandy Plankton!" Marlin stated his argument, making his son giggle and laugh "The sea turtle was a 150! Not 100! Who is this Sandy Plankton who knows everything wrong?" Nemo continued to laugh at his father. Sharing this wonderous moment together.
Marlin and Nemo slowly got up, they turned to Dory as she smiled at the two. The 3 looked back up and nodded to eachother as they began to climb up, working together to get out of the sinkhole once more.
Once they were out, the 3 just stared at the sinkhole before the sun came shining through the clouds. They looked up to see the sun was setting, all taking a breath in.
"Come on...let's go home!" Marlin looked down and told his son. Marlin and Nemo were about to leave when Marlin turned back "All of us!" he added, addressing to Dory.
Dory smiled at the man she had grown so attached to that she ran over to Marlin and Nemo, and they began their way.
Marlin walked along side his friend and son, when suddenly he felt his hand being grabbed. He looked down to see Nemo gripping his hand, Marlin smiled at his son, knowing the feeling his son was exactly feeling and gripped his son's hand tight, not wanting to let go.
The father and son continued holding onto their hands as they continued on their way.
Their journey has ended and now they were finally going back home to Ocean City.
To Be Continued...
