Under

by Diana Knightley

  “Luna! It’s me!” His breath was coming fast and shallow. He was close to panicking.

  Dan said, “Jeez, do you see how much she’s shivering?”

  “Yeah, I see.” Her arm swung out and Beckett dove under it, struggling to keep her close.

  “Look man, try to hold her. Try and get her calm.”

  “I’m trying, I’m freaking —“

  Dan moved into Beckett’s focus. “Look at me, in the eyes—don’t freak, you can do this. I’m going for the blanket thingy and the kit.” Dan raced to the boat.

  Beckett said, “Shhhhh, shhhh, Luna, shhhh.”

  Her eyes were wild. “I have to go, I promised. I have to—” Her eyes fell on her broken twisted tent. She blinked. “I have to—” She looked over her shoulder in the direction of the water. “I have to get my boards. I have to — I need to—”

  She collapsed and cowered, low and frightened, covered in mud from head to toe, twigs in her hair. Beckett reached out for her shoulder. “Luna, I—”

  She screamed.

  “Luna!”

  “Stop touching me, I need to go! To Heighton Port, Beckett is meet—” She faltered and looked around confused.

  Dan rushed into the clearing and dropped to his knees. He ripped a vacuum sealed bag with his teeth and a blanket erupted with a puff. Beckett scrambled forward, grasped Luna by the shoulders, and pulled her to his chest, “Shhhh, shhhh. Don’t be scared.”

  Dan threw the blanket over Luna and wordlessly tucked it tightly around her body.

  She stared around, blank eyed and trembling. “I don’t — I have to get to Beckett—” Suddenly, she pulled her head up. “Why are you here?”

  “I came to get you, because—”

  She shoved away hard on his chest, her eyes wild and confused again. “I told you I got this, I said I was coming, I promised, I said I got this—” She scrambled against a tree trunk, like she wanted to escape.

  “I came because I was worried about the—”

  “I — I — I don’t need to be rescued.”

  Dan said, “Hey Luna, it’s cool, we didn’t come to rescue you, we just happened to be in the neighborhood. Checking to see if you wanted a ride.”

  Luna said, “I have to pack up. I have to paddle to meet Beckett. I have to—”

  Beckett crawled over and pulled her close. He rubbed the back of her head and down her shoulders. “Shhhh. Shhhh. It’s going to be okay.” He draped the blanket and tucked it around her body.

  She said, “It’s not — it won’t.”

  Dan pulled a package out of the medical kit and unwrapped a syringe.

  Luna clutched Beckett’s shirt, sobbing into his chest. “I tied the knot. I did. I tied it and — it was a good knot. I promised. I know it was — I—”

  Dan pushed up the bottom of the blanket exposing Luna’s leg and counted, wordlessly, “One two three.” Beckett wrapped his arms around Luna’s arms. “Shhhhh. Shhhh.”

  Dan jabbed the needle in Luna’s thigh.

  Luna looked shocked then burrowed deeper into Beckett’s arms, whimpering.

  Beckett repeated softly, “Shhhhh. Shhhhh.” Until finally Luna’s eyes rolled back in her head. She grew heavy, and her head lolled forward, asleep.

  Dan said, “Phew.” He gestured to the syringe. “I asked Dr Mags why sedatives were in the kit. If it was for me when I get belligerent and horny with Sarah, and she said I would need it if I needed it. I guess this is what she meant, huh?”

  Beckett nodded and carefully shifted Luna to the ferns at his side. He wrapped the blanket tightly around her and sat for a second staring at her face. He shook his head slowly. “Man, this sucks.”

  “I thought you were going to lose it.”

  Beckett clutched his chest. “I thought so too, it was hard to breathe.” He felt his cheek.

  “You’ve got a big scratch. It’ll mar your good looks for a while, keep you humble.”

  Beckett let out another big gust of air.

  Dan asked, “You know what she meant about that knot?”

  “Nope.”

  Dan clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, you’ve got a lot to learn, huh?”

  “We need to pack up all this stuff and get her to the ship.”

  Chapter 17

  Luna’s tent was broken and torn, her paddleboard had only sustained some dings, but her trailer board, Boosy, was cracked almost in two. Tree needed to be repotted or it wouldn’t survive. Luna’s desalinization kit was a muddy wreck. Her food was soggy. Most of it they piled on the deck of the H2OPE so that Luna and Beckett could make sense of it all once she woke up.

  Luna was carried into a room off the lab and deposited onto a cot. Dr Mags and Sarah bathed her. Dr Mags said, “We have to let her sleep it off. When she wakes up, we’ll see what we shall see.”

  Beckett asked, “What time will she wake up?”

  “Probably morning. But I’ll stay here with her for a few hours and—”

  “I’ll stay here tonight.” Beckett glanced around the cramped storage room. He’d be on the floor.

  Beckett returned to the upper deck where the crew were appraising the pile of stuff that Luna used to paddle the ocean. It was small. Pitiful in its broken state. As was Luna, pitiful, broken. Beckett shook at the memory of her wild eyes. He ran his hands around and around on top of his head.

  Sarah gave him a pitying smile.

  Rebecca asked Dan, “Isn’t it time for dinner?”

  Dan said, “I’ll whip up something in a moment.”

  Rebecca, Jeffrey, and Sarah headed to the lab to get some more work done.

  Dan and Beckett stood staring at Luna’s stuff. Dan said, “How you holding together, that was pretty brutal back there.”

  “Not good.”

  “The good news is your instincts were correct. You had to come. She was not going to live through this. Her board is wrecked. She couldn’t figure that all out in her state.”

  “Yep, I rescued her fair and square, so why do I feel like shit?”

  Dan nodded. “I know. Is she pretty forgiving?”

  Beckett shrugged. “We’ll see when she wakes up.”

  Dan clapped his hand on Beckett’s shoulder. “She’s incredibly brave to head out on the ocean with only this, alone. So you have to trust that she’ll make it out of wherever she just was. You did the right thing.”

  “It’s the alone part, that’s what did it.”

  “She’s not alone anymore, she has us. And speaking of us, come help me in the kitchen, I have to feed everyone.”

  Chapter 18

  Beckett whispered, “Is she still sleeping?”

  Dr Mags nodded, stood, and stretched. “Did Dan whip up one of his gourmet dinners?”

  “Beans and weenies. He kept a plate warm for you.”

  “Can’t wait to get back to shore for some steak. How about you?”

  “Pizza.”

  Dr Mags said, “Use the intercom if she wakes up. Needs anything.”

  “Absolutely.” Dr Mags switched off the overhead light, leaving the room bathed in the glow of moonlight, and left. Beckett dropped to a cramped space beside the cot.

  Luna was flat on her back. Her mouth hung open, and damp hair was pasted to her forehead. She looked pale. Her eyes had dark rings around them. Beckett found her hand under the blanket and clutched it in both of his. He whispered, “Hey Luna, it’s me Beckett.”

  He listened to her soft breath — in and out and in and out.

  “You scared the hell out of me back there. Seriously.” He dropped his forehead to the back of her hand. “I need you to come back. Okay? Be Luna, be ocean goddess. The kind of person who will paddle across the ocean, but you don’t have to anymore. Okay? Not unless you want to. But you don’t have to.”

  She stirred for a second. He watched her face, but she resumed her soft breathing. “And if you want to tell me about the knot, you can. It’s okay. You can tell me anything.”

  _________________

 
; A few hours later Luna shifted and moaned startling Beckett awake. She was still sleeping, but moaned again. He stretched out his sore back. He had been sleeping sitting up, on a towel folded on the metal floor. His back was killing him, making him miss his bunk, a mattress that until tonight had been the most uncomfortable mattress he had ever slept on. “Luna?”

  No answer. He said, “Luna I’m here. It’s me, Beckett.”

  Her fingers tightened around his hand so he kissed her knuckles and tried to go back to sleep.

  _________________

  More hours passed and Luna had grown restless. Beckett watched her shift and move. She seemed like she was waking, but unable to open her eyes, as if she was stuck in a half sleep. He imagined what it would be like to wake up here now after the day (Week? Month? Year?) she had lived through. In the dark, on a boat, surrounded by strangers. Beckett leering at her. Did she hate him now?

  Luna rolled to her side, still sleeping, but facing him. That seemed hopeful, more comfortable, more like sleep, instead of the medicated forced-pass-out of before. He put his head back down on his arms on the edge of her cot and tried to sleep some more.

  _________________

  “Beckett?”

  He jerked awake. “Luna? You’re awake.”

  “Beckett?”

  Her eyes were open, but unfocused — she sounded disoriented.

  He said, “Yes, I’m right here.”

  “Beckett?” Her face screwed up, tears flowed down her cheek onto her fingertips. “I’m so sorry, I was going to come.”

  “I know you were.” She stilled, as if she hadn’t expected him to speak.

  He rose up on his knees and wrapped his hands around her hands. “You were coming and you were halfway there but there was a storm. And none of it was your fault, but now you’re on my ship. With me. Safe.”

  He yawned, a giant convulsive yawn.

  She said, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “About what?”

  She said, “The knot. I didn’t—” Her voice sounded desperately sad. “I should have been better. I should have—” she covered her face with her hands and her shoulder shook with sobs.

  “But now you’re safe. And you need to sleep now, and when you wake up, you’ll feel better.” Beckett hoped it was true. Her confusion and tears frightened him to his core.

  “Can you hold me?”

  He nodded, pushed her a bit to the side and slid onto the cot. He slipped his arm under her body and pulled her head to his chest. Her fingers twisted in his shirt, and she cried there for a long long time.

  Chapter 19

  Beckett woke, there was a heavyweight on his chest, a strange light, and a disorienting vibe. Where was he? Oh, right, he was with — he lifted his head and Luna was lying on his chest, looking up.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  He lifted her arm to shift her weight. His left side had gone numb.

  She said, “Beckett.”

  He smiled. “Yep. It’s me.”

  She nodded her chin rubbing on his chest. “I thought so, but I wasn’t sure if you were a dream.”

  He propped his head up with an arm. “One hundred percent.”

  “Good.” She put her head on his chest and nestled in for a moment. Her fingers traced lazy circles on his t-shirt. Then her head came up and she asked, “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Just that after you disappeared from the radio, I went to find you, and here you are.”

  She blinked a couple of times. “The longer version, please.”

  “Dan and I were in the Zodiac, searching inlets until we saw your boards, we found your tent, then you, and we transported you to the ship. You’ve been sleeping since yesterday.”

  She reached up and touched his cheek. “This scratch on your cheek? I think I need the very, possibly excruciating, longer version.”

  He stared at the ceiling, choosing his words. “You were really scared, screaming, you struggled to get away. I thought you were going to—” He looked down at her face. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”

  She nodded.

  “I tried to calm you down, to hold you still so you could hear me, but you were screaming and talking about me — to me.”

  “I did this?”

  Beckett touched his cheek. “This is nothing Luna, don’t worry about it.” He said, “We administered a sedative to calm you down, so we could get you to the boat. There was no other way.”

  She squinted her eyes. “You darted me? That’s why my thigh is sore?”

  Beckett nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of what else…”

  Luna smiled a slow sad smile. “Well, one thing, it makes our love story really weird. So that’s cool.”

  Beckett smiled with relief, flashing her a dimple. “You aren’t pissed? I thought you would be pissed.”

  “No. But let’s not allow it to become a precedent.”

  “Deal.”

  “The whole story please.”

  “You collapsed, and Dan and I packed up your things. Or rather, not packed but bundled and carried them. Then I carried you. You were bathed.” Luna held up a hand, investigating the mud caked around her nails and her wrist. “Not necessarily well, and you were checked by Dr Mags, and now you’ve been sleeping for hours and hours.”

  “While you waited to see if I would wake up like a screaming banshee again?”

  “The possibility crossed my mind.”

  Luna nodded slowly and stared into his eyes. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

  Luna put her head back down and resumed the spinning fingers on his shirt. “And Steve? Boosy? Tree? Did they make it?”

  Beckett gulped. “Steve seems fine. But you’ll — Boosy is—”

  “Don’t tell me, I’ll see it. It’s fine.”

  She sniffled and lay quietly for a few minutes.

  Quietly she said, “I think I’m more trouble than I’m worth.”

  Beckett’s head jerked up. “What?”

  “I’m too much trouble for you that you—”

  “Luna.” He stroked a finger down her cheek. “Look at me.”

  She hid her face in his side. “I don’t want to. You’re going to say nice things because you have to, but I’m not worth it. You don’t know me. I’m just nobody.”

  “Oh god, Luna, you’re saying this to me? You aren’t nobody, you’re everything — look at me, please.”

  She raised her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “You have caused me a tremendous amount of trouble, that much is true. But I’ve caused you trouble too. You would have been safe if you’d stayed with Sky, but I asked you to leave. The two of us, so far, one big wreck. For each other.”

  “Kind of like the little boy and the tiger when they crash the wagon?”

  Beckett nodded and smiled. “Exactly like that, like Calvin and Hobbes. We crashed our wagon into a tree and we’re sitting up and looking around and agreeing that mistakes were made, but guess what we’re going to do?”

  “Roll the wagon back up the hill?”

  “My house is waiting for us. And I’m Calvin by the way. Ask Calvin how he would feel living without the tiger.”

  “Thank you.” She shifted up Beckett’s body, steadied his cheeks and kissed him sweetly. Her cheeks were wet with tears and her lips were salty and she smelled like earth and fear and he wanted to hold her forever, but also, he needed to get up and use the bathroom. So he said, “Dr Mags wants to give you a look. I’ll send her in.”

  Chapter 20

  Luna arrived in the galley before Beckett. She was showered clean, dewy damp, and wrapped in Beckett’s great great-great-great grandmother’s quilt.

  Sarah was sitting in one of the booths, stacks of paper in front of her. She looked up. “Oh, good morning, come have a seat. Dan!”

  Dan appeared around the corner. “Hi, um, Luna, I’m Dan, we met when I gave you the radio?”

  Luna smiled. “Also when you helped Becke
tt dart me with a sedative.”

  He grimaced, “Oh, um yeah.”

  Sarah raised her brows. “I told him you were going to give him hell about that. I’m Sarah.” She held out a hand.

  “I would, they definitely deserve it, but also they saved my life, so it’s hard to give them the grief they deserve. Instead Beckett and I have agreed that going forward — no tranquilizer darts.”

  Dan chuckled, “Hear that, baby? Beckett’s girl forgave him for the dart. I told you. What do — um, Nomads, like to drink for breakfast?”

  Luna said, “We prefer to be called Waterfolk, and I’ll have dolphin milk if you have it.” She plopped down in the empty booth. “But if you’re out of dolphin milk then coffee. Three scoops of sugar please. And do you have chocolate?”

  Dan grinned. “Now see, I did not know you had a sense of humor. We’ll have fun me and you.” He disappeared into the kitchen.

  Sarah said, “That’s awesome Luna, you made him falter. That’s pretty rare.”

  Rebecca clattered down the steps.

  Sarah said, “Happy Birthday Rebecca!”

  “Why thank you kindly. Are we going to celebrate later? Dinner?”

  Sarah nodded.

  Dan stuck his head around the corner. “Party! Party! Party!”

  Rebecca said, “Hi Luna, you’re up? I’m Rebecca.” She held out her hand and they shook.

  Luna said, “Happy birthday.”

  “Thanks, you’ll have to come to my party of course. It’s literally the only thing happening.”

  Sarah said, “Our new friend Luna here, caused Dan to become speechless earlier.”

  “Seriously?” Rebecca smiled widely. “I’m going to sit and enjoy the show, but also, Luna, I want to ask you a million questions—”

  Dan returned with her coffee and a plate piled with cheesy eggs and 6 pieces of toast. “Rebecca how about you let her eat first?”