Terrors of the High Seas

“I’ve gotten better since then.” Dar interrupted him.

“So Kerry was saying.” Andy slid over and offered her the pilot’s seat. “G’wan.”

Dar took the controls and settled into the chair, still warm from her father’s body. She curled her fingers around the throttles and adjusted them, focusing her attention on the dark sea before her. On ether side of them the channel markers bobbled wildly, barely visible in the high surf.

Slowly the engines overcame the chop, and they were moving forward through the cluster of boats on either side.  “Kerry’s got coffee downstairs if you’re interested.” Dar remarked, keeping her eyes flicking over the patch of water just in front of them.

Andrew grunted. “Ah’d rather not.” He answered, surprising Dar. “Them boys below got some issues with me.”

Dar spared a quick glance at him. “Ah.” She murmured. “Yeah, we kinda figured that out.”

Her father snorted, and shook his head. “Done thought we’d cleared that all up way back when.” He half stood, peering out through the plexiglass. “Ain’t this a mess.”

It was. Dar concentrated on navigating the obstacles, guiding the big craft through the channel littered with smaller boats. Some were trying to get or stay out of their way, but others were being tossed by the weather to a point of losing control.

Dar half stood as well, her weight coming up onto her thighs as she gave the engines a little more diesel. “Damn.” The rain came down harder, almost obscuring her view and making the surface near indistinguishable.  She could feel the wind rising at her back, and a gust fluttered her slicker hard against her body.

And yet, she felt no fear. “You ever been scared out in weather like this, dad?” Dar asked , in sudden curiosity.

“Naw.” Andrew replied absently. “Part of bein a seaman is knowing you’re a part of all that.” He said. “Can’t control it, no sense in being scared of it.”

Mm. Dar felt the rhythm of the sea under her and understood what he meant. She followed the riffle of the waves, carving a careful path through them. 

A sailboat heeled with sickening suddenness – it arced into their path not a length in front of the bow. Dar reacted, swinging to her right and gunning the engines. The wind shoved the sailboat just shy of their hull, the spar scraping lightly against them before falling free.

In the rain, she could just barely see it’s crew frantically working to regain control of their sheets, and was more than glad to have the secure power of her engines under her. The seawall loomed ahead, and Dar was glad to see most of the boats keeping well clear of it.

“Careful there, Dar.” Andrew murmured. “Got a strong rip tide coming in.”

“I feel it.” Dar answered, and did, through her legs. “Hold on.”  She turned the boat into the wind and increased the engines, hearing their rumble above the weather now. The boat surged against the waves, cresting them and fighting against the strong current.

She gave the engines full power, and they surged past the jetty, heading full on into the cluster of boats beyond it. Dar heard her father inhale, and she grinned privately as she cut the throttles and swung the bow around. The current picked them up and turned them very neatly into the center of the marina channel. Dar edged the throttles forward again slightly, and headed for the concrete docks.

“Son of a biscuit.” Andrew chuckled.

Dar approached the docks and swung around to the larger ones. She could see a cluster of people waiting at the empty slip they’d been assigned and she thought she saw medical personnel.  The waves were rushing up against the docks, breaking over them and dousing the watchers, though.

Usually, she would let the boat drift gently in, but the tide was running the wrong way. Dar swung the boat into line, then set the engines into reverse, allowing the water to pull them very grudgingly into the slip. The dockmasters had already thrown bumpers over the side, and she skillfully maneuvered into place until her hull just touched them.

Two of the men on the dock hopped on board and grabbed their lines. Dar cut the engines and sat back, cocking her head and giving her father a questioning look.  “Better than when I was ten?”

Andy ruffled her damp hair affectionately. “Good job.” He complimented her seriously. “You made a damn good sailor, Dar.”

Dar crossed her arms and smiled. “Thanks.”  She glanced behind her. “Guess we’d better get moving. Kerry and I have a room up at one of the hotels, if it’s still open in this mess. We can probably get you in there.”  She stood up, and eased around the console chair.

“Ah do think I can scrabble up my own bunk.” Andrew remarked. “Let’s get Bud and Charlie settled down first off, and then find us some shelter.”  

Sounded very good to Dar.  Someplace dry, and quiet, and ideally supplied with lots of ice cream.

**

 Kerry had finally dozed off, nestled into the bed in the Dixie’s bedroom. She hadn’t thought she’d be able to, owing to the boat’s motion and the stress of the day, but her body had simply taken over and demanded she close her eyes and shut the world out for a while.

She opened her eyes, gazing at her surroundings in momentary confusion before memory kicked in. “Urmf.” Kerry rubbed her face with one hand and rolled over, missing Dar’s presence.  She spent a moment wondering where her partner was, then realized the boat was relatively still and the engines were off.

“Jesus. We must be in dock.” Kerry rolled out of the bed and straightened, holding on to the chest of drawers for balance as they rolled with the waves.  “Why the hell didn’t she come get me?”  She flipped the lamp on and stretched, feeling aches along the entire length of her body.

Her arms hurt. Kerry leaned against the drawers and flexed her hands. They were stiff and felt slightly swollen and there were bruises across the heels and knuckles of them. For a brief moment her stomach churned, and then she remembered Dar’s hands after Dar had saved her from a pack of scrungy carjackers.

Painfully bruised. But in a good cause.

Her cause. Kerry lifted her head and gazed into the dimness of the stateroom. “You know what, Stuart?” She addressed herself. “You don’t have a damn thing to be sorry about. That guy was a scum sucking whore pig, and he deserved to have his clock cleaned.”

She let the echo of the words die. It made her feel a little better. She twitched her shirt straight and ran her fingers through her hair, then left the bedroom and slipped into the head.  It was quiet on the boat. She listened for sounds of Dar’s presence as she splashed water on her face.

The cabin door opened and she stuck her head out, a smile appearing as she spotted her lover entering. “Hey.”

Dar pushed her slicker hood back and walked over to her. “Hey.”

“What did I sleep through?” Kerry asked.

“Some brilliant maneuvering on my part, and a lot of men taking Bud out to the hospital.” Dar told her. “How are you feeling? I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“Better.” Kerry announced briskly. “What’s our plan now? Stay here?”

“We can’t.” Dar told her. “That damn storm’s due here in two hours, and they’re evacuating the marina. Winds are up to seventy miles per hour, and I’m damn glad we’re tied up.”  She rubbed Kerry’s back. “Dad went with them up to the hospital.”

“Mm.” Kerry drew in a breath, and released it. “So… are we going up to the hotel?”

“Would you like that?” Dar asked. “Is that what you want to do?”

It seemed to Kerry to be a strange question. She finished brushing her teeth and rinsed her mouth out, then she turned and faced her partner. “You know what I want to do?”  She asked Dar, who had been standing and patiently waiting for her.

“What?”

“Be with you.” Kerry replied, simply.

Dar smiled, and nodded. “Right back at you.”  She said.

“You look really tired.” The blond woman moved a bit of Dar’s hair out of her visibly bloodshot eyes. “Let’s go find us a nice bed on dry land.”

“I am really tired.” Dar admitted. “And, um…” She shifted slightly. “Sore I think I twisted a couple things in the fight.”

Kerry could see the drawn lines in her face. “You sure you don’t want to get yourself checked out?” She asked fruitlessly, already knowing the answer.

“Nah.” Dar dismissed the idea. “I just need some rest, and maybe some aspirin.” She said. “And you.”

“And that Jacuzzi.” Kerry reminded her. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

Dar put her arm around Kerry’s shoulders and they headed out into the storm.

**

They entered the hotel lobby, to be greeted with the sight of a mass of humanity, jostling for space. “Jesus, I hope they kept our room.” Kerry whispered.

Kerry followed Dar as they walked up the stairs and made the turn towards their assigned room. The upstairs hallway was busy also, and they had to edge past several groups of arguing people to get to the end of it.  Dar removed the key from her jeans pocket and tried it, opening the door cautiously and sticking her head inside.

Silence.  Dar flipped the light on and entered, waiting for Kerry to follow her before she closed the door after them and leaned against it. “This room isn’t moving, is it?”

Kerry explored the room briefly, then returned to take the bag from Dar’s hands. “Thank god, no.” She unbuckled her rain jacket and removed it. “Those windows look kind of scar…oh.” She’d drawn aside the drapes to reveal wood planking protecting the plate glass. “Nifty. They work fast.”

“You get used to it after a while.” Dar remarked, removing her rain gear and trudging over to the bed. She collapsed onto it and lay there looking up at the ceiling. “Getting ready for storms, I mean. Especially out here.”

“Yeah, I guess you would.” Kerry let the drapes close. “Will the boat be all right out in the marina?”

Dar’s eyes had closed. “As it would be anywhere.” She said. “They’ve got it tied down and bolstered pretty good. I feel bad for those little guys they don’t have space for.”

Kerry set the bag down and opened it, pulling out their pajamas. She set them on the table and walked over to the bed, sitting down and picking up one of Dar’s feet. “What will they do?” She rested the foot on her knee and started to unlace the sneaker on it.

“You don’t want to do that. They’re wet.” Dar warned her.

“And?” Kerry shot her an amused look.

“You know what wet sneakers and socks smell like.”

“Like our dog when she gets wet. Yes, honey, I do.” Kerry pulled off the sneaker, and the damp sock under it.  “What’s your point?” She tickled the bottom of Dar’s foot and felt the leg under her hands twitch.

Dar just smiled.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to get room service right now.” Kerry went on, putting Dar’s foot down and picking up the other one. “I’m going to see what they left us here in our palatial abode, other than rum.”

‘That works too.” Dar murmured. “But it’s better over ice cream.”

Kerry rubbed Dar’s ankle, feeling the joint flex under her touch. “Isn’t everything?” She tossed the footgear towards the door, and kicked off her own to join it. Then she eased down on her side next to Dar, and started working on the top button of her lover’s jeans. “You know, something really profound just occurred to me.”

Dar rolled her head to one side and opened an eye. “What’s that?”

“Button fly jeans are much sexier than zippered ones.” Kerry told her seriously.

A tired snicker shook Dar’s belly.

“No, really.”  Kerry examined Dar’s waist as she undid the second button. “Think about it. With zippers, you undo one, then boop! It’s done. This way, you have to take your time.”

“Kerry, I think you’re overtired.” Her partner advised her.

“Hey, I got a nap. You didn’t.”  Kerry smiled, continuing her task. “It’s like gloves.”

“Gloves?”

“Yeah. Back in the days when women wore gloves. Like the ones that went all the way up your arm?”  Kerry glanced over, seeing an extremely puzzled expression on Dar’s face. “C’mon, Dar. You watch the History Channel. Don’t give me that ‘what the heck is the WASP talking about now?’ look.”

Dar’s brows scrunched together. “Oh.” She rubbed her temple. “You mean the evening dress things.”

“Right.” Kerry agreed. “They had buttons all the way up, and they even had little hook things they used to button them. It was considered very sexy back then to watch a woman take off her kid leather glove. Some of them had a hundred buttons.”

There was a bit of silence, as Dar contemplated that. “Really?”

“Uh huh.” Kerry undid the last button and plucked at the waistband of Dar’s underwear. “You know something else?”

“You’re glad you were born in the latter half of the twentieth century after gloves went out of style?” Dar suggested. “Because if I had to wait for you to unbutton a hundred buttons, I’d come after you with a pair of leather cutters.”

Kerry chortled, and leaned her head against Dar’s hip.

“Well, I would.”  Dar said.

“I bet you never sucked your Tootsie pop down to the candy, did you?” Kerry continued the silliness. “You chewed it.”

“No.” Dar replied with a dignified sniff. “I just bought Tootsie Rolls to begin with.”

Kerry squirmed up a little and started working on Dar’s shirt. “I knew that.” She watched the gentle rise and fall of Dar’s chest under her hand. The wind outside rattled the wooden shutters against the building, and they could hear a rumble through the walls. “Are we safe here?”

Dar glanced around the room. “This place has been here for a hundred years.” She stated. “I think we’re fine.” 

“Okay.” Kerry laid Dar’s shirt open and put gentle fingers on the bruises dotting her chest. “Are you hurting, sweetheart?”  Her tone went from playful to serious. “You’re kinda scraped up here.”

“I’m too tired to hurt right now.” Dar admitted. “Maybe later I will be.”  She sat up slowly and stripped her shirt off, then stood up to remove her jeans. “You joining me in this strip show, or are you snoozing in your clothes?”

“You think we’re going to get a chance to sleep?” Kerry remained where she was, watching Dar cross the room in her underwear to put her now folded clothing near their bag. The soft lamp light erased the marks of the fight from her body and rendered it in golden shadows for Kerry’s appreciative eyes.

She loved the strength of her. The grace and solid power evident in every move. Nothing about Dar was for show – it was all real, and all functional.

And all hers. Kerry smiled to herself at the thought. She spared a moment to revel in the knowledge of what it felt like to love someone like this – and to be loved – to the very core. It was a true gift, and she knew it, and in that one moment, it humbled her.

“God, I hope so.”  Dar sighed, as she pulled on her pajamas.  She turned and looked at Kerry, sprawled on the bed in casual disarray. “I’ve had enough adventures for today.” She peered closer at the woman watching her. “Ker?”

It was like wading through the mists of time. Kerry suddenly sensed the depth of what was between them, sensed the ancientness of it and heard the faint echoes from lives beyond their own.  It was weird, and scary and her eyes widened as she stared into Dar’s.

Curious, Dar came over to her and sat on the bed. “Ker?” She asked again, her brow furrowing with concern. “You okay?”

Kerry took a breath. “Yeah.” She murmured. “Just had some weird déjà vu thing happen.” She said. “I think it’s been too long a day for both of us.”

Dar patted her cheek. “Get undressed, and let’s hope the storm doesn’t…”

The lights flickered, then went out.

A sigh. “Knock the power out.”  Dar turned and peered around the now completely pitch black room. “Shoulda gotten candles out. What a bonehead move that was.”

“I’ve got a flashlight in the bag.” Kerry chuckled wearily, rolling off the bed and getting to her feet. She felt her way over to the table and fished for it, removing the slim item and turning it on. “Are there candles in here?”

Dar joined her and took the light, making her way over to the cabinet that held the television. She poked inside, and discovered a few hurricane candles – some already started. “Here.”

Kerry took the candles from her, and they lit them, putting them around the room in strategic places.

Under candlelight, the interior took on a new look, the tiny flickering flames bouncing shadows off the ceiling and lending a quaintness to the old fashioned bed.   Kerry found the courtesy bar by accident, and raided it after she changed into her pajamas.

Dar listened to her rummaging for a moment, then brought a last candle over to the bed, setting it on the side table. She pulled down the top sheet and got into bed, fluffing up the pillows and settling back against them.

Kerry appeared shortly thereafter from the shadows, her pale hair now dry and collecting glints of the candlelight as she joined her partner.  She handed Dar a mug and set a basket of goodies between them. Then she crawled into bed and relaxed, letting out a heartfelt sigh.

The storm raged outside. They could hear things slamming against the windows, and far off the sound of siren.  “Dar?” Kerry asked suddenly. “What do you think happened to DeSalliers?”

Dar sipped from her mug, finding an agreeable mixture of rum and pineapple juice in it. “You mean, out there?”

Kerry broke a cookie in half and put a portion in Dar’s mouth. “Yeah. Could he… I mean, it’s a pretty bad storm even if that is a big boat. What if it goes down?”

Let it.  Dar found herself shocked to hear that thought echo coolly in her subconscious, but after a moments review she continued chewing her cookie and swallowed it. “The bastards kidnapped Bud, made our lives miserable, and almost killed both of us not to mention my father. I don’t give a rats ass what happens to them.”

Kerry nibbled on her cookie thoughtfully.  “Really?”

Dar considered pretending otherwise. She decided she was just too damn tired. “Really.”

“Mm.” The blond woman leaned her head against Dar’s shoulder. “I hope they don’t sink.”

Dar looked at her.

“Dying’s too easy. Having him live with the knowledge he got beaten is a lot more fitting.” Kerry wiggled her toes contentedly and split another cookie.

“Except that he did get what he wanted.” Dar reminded her wryly.

“No he didn’t.” Kerry lifted her hand and tossed something onto Dar’s chest. “Damned if I was going to let him get away with this.”

Dar stared at the plastic covered sheet sitting in the center of her chest. “Son of a bitch.”

“Daughter of a bastard, actually.” Kerry corrected her.  “One of the things you and I don’t have in common.”  She took a sip of her own rum and swallowed it, then leaned against Dar again. “So.”

“So.” Dar repeated, turning the sheet over in her fingers.

“Death is a high price to pay for stupidity.” Kerry said. “And I... don’t want that on my conscience.  Is there any way we can help them if they’re in trouble?”  She asked in a serious tone.

Dar’s lips twitched. “I called the Coast Guard for them on the way in.” She admitted.  “So yeah, I don’t give a damn if they sink, but I wasn’t about to abandon a maritime law I had drummed into me from the age of four.”

 Kerry pulled herself up and gave Dar a kiss. She licked her lips as they parted and gazed into her lover’s eyes. “I feel… really strange about what we did tonight, Dar.”  She said. “Part of me is freaking out, but part of me…”

“Liked fighting for the greater good?” Dar replied in a casual tone.

A little silence fell. Kerry dropped back against the pillows without taking her eyes off Dar. She inhaled audibly . “Greater good.”  The words felt interesting in her mouth and she played with them a little, tasting their meaning.  “Is that what we did?”

Dar shrugged. “I don’t know.  It’s something my father used to talk about all the time. Doing things for other people or acting when it’s not in your best interests just because it’s the right thing to do.”  She reached over and combed through Kerry’s disheveled hair with her fingers. “It’s what the folks in the military do, if you think about it.”

“Depending on who’s defining ‘right’ this year.” Kerry replied, with a touch of wry skepticism. “But I know what you mean.” She put her arms around Dar. “Did you like doing that?”

Dar returned the embrace as they listened to the wind howl. “I’m not very good at it.” She said. “I’d much rather take care of my own best interests than anyone else’s.”

Kerry raised up on her elbow and looked at her with both eyebrows raised. “Dar, that is such a lie.” She stated flatly. “You put yourself on the line for me before we’d barely even met!”

“That’s because you *are* my best interest.” Dar put a fingertip on Kerry’s nose.

Wasn’t really much she could say to that.  Kerry curled back up next to Dar and shook her head. The wind was getting stronger outside, and she heard a loud bang as something hit the building. She put thoughts of the greater good out of her mind for the moment. “Are you scared?”

“No.” Dar told her. “Just tired.”

Kerry took the hint and pulled the covers up over Dar’s long frame, tucking them in around the two of them. She put her arms back around Dar and laid her head on her partner’s shoulder. She felt Dar’s muscles relax almost immediately, despite the raging noise outside.  The heartbeat under her ear evened out and slowed and she concentrated to count its rhythm.

They would weather the storm.

They always had, a muzzy internal voice reminded her.

Kerry thought about that, losing herself in the flicker of the nearby candle as the winds blew over them.

**

The hotel was warm, and clammy inside as Kerry ventured into the lobby. The power was still out, but the staff had stepped up to the challenge and put out a table full of relatively tasty looking foods for the guests to pick through.

Andrew looked up at her. “Morning, there, kumquat.” He greeted her, as his eyes drifted past her shoulder. “Where’s mah kid?”

“Sleeping.” Kerry sat down and nibbled her muffin. “She was so tired last night. I thought it would be better if I let her get some rest while I scrounged breakfast for us.”

Andy nodded in agreement. “She done things to be tired from.” He said. “She okay?”

“I think so.”

“Took them fellers up to the hospital, then came back down here and bunked out with some of the marina folk.” Andrew volunteered. “Looks like they put a few cracks in Bud’s head. Be there a few days.”

“You could have come up to our room.” Kerry scolded him. “We had plenty of room up there.”

“Nah.” Andrew took a swallow of whatever was in his mug. “You two young ladies deserve your privacy.”

Kerry propped her chin up on her fist. “Dad, we were just sleeping.” She grinned at him. “I’m glad Bud’s going to be okay. Did he wake up?”

“Yeap.”

“Yeap.”

“No ma’am, he was not.” Andrew turned, and looked at her. “But how would you be knowing about that?”  He set his cup down and studied his tablemate. “They say something to you?”