Then it hit her. I couldn’t be but…
“Commander Forest?”
“Still here, Ms. Campbell.”
“Do you have a picture of the whale’s tail?” Syd asked.
“Why on earth -.”
“Yes or no, Commander?”
“Wait one,” Forest said as he put Syd on hold. Harold had now joined Sydney in the bathroom.
“Harold, he’s alive. Tom is alive!”
“That explains it then,” Harold said.
“Explains what?” Syd asked.
“Why there are a dozen reporters on the lawn waiting for you to come out and make a statement,” Harold explained.
“Ms. Campbell?” Forest said as he came back on the line.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“We do in fact have a shot of the whale’s tail. What is it that -.”
“Is there a bite mark on the whale’s fluke? Something that a shark would make if it took a hunk out of him?”
“Yes there is,” Forest answered.
“I know that whale, Commander, and so does Tom.”
Chapter Thirty One
Henry continued to swim at a steady pace in the same direction. Tom, on the other hand, was doing his best to dial it down and control his emotions. His mind was churning with various scenarios – even if the helicopter went down before it reached shore surely they called in the sighting. That had to be quite the radio transmission, Tom laughed to himself. “I’d like to report a man riding on a sperm whale. It looks like he might need some help.”
He hoped that Syd and the kids had been told that he was alive. What an ordeal they’ve been through, Tom thought. He was also sure they were coming down to San Diego meet him.
It was all clear to Tom now. When he saw “Helms Flying School, San Diego California” printed on the chopper door everything clicked. Henry was taking him back to the beach where they’d first met two decades ago. It made perfect sense. From Henry’s point of view that was Tom’s home. Where else would he take him?
“I so wish I could talk with you,” Tom said as he watched the ocean pass by at a gentle pace. “What you’ve done is… It may change things, Henry. My species has gotten a lot better about how we treat whales, but we need to do more.
“But ya know what? None of that really matters right now, does it my friend. You brought me home. That’s stunning. I wish you could meet my kids. You’d love Jonas and he would absolutely go nuts over you. Jess, that’s my girl, she might take a while to warm up to you, but -.”
He wasn’t sure how he missed it, but Tom had not heard the seaplane approach. Actually there were two seaplanes. They circled the whale a couple of times and then landed ten yards to Henry’s port. The whale stopped swimming, as if he knew what was up.
“They’ve come to get me Henry,” Tom said. “They want to take me the rest of the way home? What do you think?”
Henry spouted a large blast. Was he listening? Surely the whale had to know something important was happening.
A raft with two frogmen aboard motored over from one of the planes. They paddled in the final two hundred feet in an attempt, Tom assumed, not to startle the whale. At least five separate camera and video operators were filming the whole thing from the other plane.
“Hi there!” the frogman said. “I’m Ensign Harper and this is Chief Warrant Officer Palmer. You must be Thomas Campbell.”
“Gentlemen you have no idea how happy I am to see you,” Tom said.
“Who is your friend there?” Palmer asked.
“This is Henry. I’ll bet were quite a sight.”
“You might say that. Half the planet is waiting to watch the video those guys are shooting right now,” Ensign Harper said, pointing back at the plane.
“Can you just slide right off?” Palmer asked. “I have no idea how you dismount from a sperm whale.”
Tom took a deep breath. His leg was throbbing harder than ever before. His ribs felt like they were going to explode out of his chest. Every part of him was sore, burnt or bleeding. He had no business being in anywhere but in the ICU.
“How much father is it to San Diego?” Tom asked.
“You got about thirty miles to go, sir. Is that where… ah... Henry was taking you?” Palmer answered.
“Yep. Hey, you fellas got any medical supplies on those planes?” Tom asked.
“We brought along a doctor just for you, sir.”
“He bring any meds along with him?”
“Yes sir,” Palmer answered.
“Yea well… hey, this may sound strange but –.”
Palmer and Harper started laughing. “No sir, nothing you could say right now would sound in the least bit strange.”
“Give us a minute, will ya?” Tom asked.
“Take all the time you need,” Palmer said.
Tom turned and faced Henry’s huge head. He wanted to take in every wrinkle of his skin, every curve of his body, every sound and every smell. He loved this whale. The truth was he’d loved this whale for twenty years. To see him again and for Henry to do what he’d done for him was… it would take the rest of Tom’s life to try and figure out just what it was.
“Old boy, what if I were to ask you to take me the rest of the way in? Do you want to finish what you started, or are you starving to death, my friend? I hate the thought of you going hungry on my account. I wish you could hear me, or understand what I’m trying to -.”
Henry spouted through his blowhole and gently flapped his tail.
“Maybe you do understand… On a level I can’t even imagine. Maybe you and your whale friends have always understood far more than we ever gave you credit for. Anyway, I’m with you big guy.”
“Ensign Harper!” Tom shouted. “Would it be asking too much if I requested some supplies from you folks and an escort in rather than a plane ride home?”
“Are you serious, sir?” Harper asked.
“This whale has taken me a thousand miles on his back. I think he wants to finish the job. I know right where he’s going, to Pacific Beach near where Balboa Road ends. He’ll get as close as he can without beaching himself and then he’ll let me off. You guys can pick me up there.”
“How do you know that sir?” Palmer asked.
“Because twenty years ago he beached himself there and I found him. We got him back in the water and he remembered our kindness. He’s paying back a debt to a friend. Who am I to stop him from doing that?”
“What do you need sir?” Harper asked.
“An IV drip of saline, another of morphine, treatment for severe burns and emergency surgery on my leg before I lose the damn thing. But for now I’ll take ten bottles of water, whatever food you’ve got, a roast beef sandwich, I’ve been dreaming about those damn things, the strongest painkillers in the world and plenty of penicillin.”
“Sir, my commanding officer is not going to like this at all,” Ensign Harper said as he prepared to radio the plane with Tom’s request.
“I’ll be off the whale and on my way to the hospital in four hours or so. That’s all it will take for Henry to cover thirty miles, Ensign. I’m afraid I have to insist,” Tom said.
“Okay sir, but what if my CO orders me to remove you from the whale?”
“Look around, Harper,” Tom said. Three news helicopters were now hovering around them and boats a plenty were headed their way. “I really don’t think the Coast Guard wants to pull me off this whale. But, hey, let’s be clear. If Henry changes his mind or gets spooked, I’m all yours.”
Chapter Thirty Two
“I have no comment,” Syd said as she and Gabriel, Jonah and Jess arrived at San Francisco International Airport to board a plane to San Diego. From the moment they stepped out of the cab they were mobbed by the media.
“Is this the same whale your ex-husband rescued twenty years ago?” a reporter shouted.
“Why was he out there all by himself?” another reporter barked.
“Is your divorce final? Does this change anythi
ng between you and Tom?” a third news hound yelled.
“That’s enough,” Gabriel said. Turning to Syd he whispered in her ear, “Airport security is headed our way. They’ll take care of this pack of wolves.”
Security quickly whisked them off to their gate. When they arrived other security personnel were posted to keep people at bay. Everyone wanted to know more about Tom and the amazing whale. It was the top news story worldwide. The latest wrinkle made a phenomenal story even more delicious.
“Oh my God,” Gabriel said, looking at his smart phone. “Tom is riding the whale into shore. Look at this.”
Gabriel handed Syd his phone. She watched in disbelief as a flotilla of ships and half a dozen helicopters surrounded Tom and the whale as Henry swam at his steady pace towards the shore.
“I have no explanation for any of this,” Syd said. “But I’m so thankful he’s alive.”
“I have the coolest dad in the world,” Jonas said.
Jessica didn’t say a word, but her eyes were glued to her phone. She was absorbing everything the world was saying about her father.
^^^^^^
Tom felt good, really good. The Coast Guard boys brought him out a wash rag and soap. He gave himself a sponge bath perched on Henry’s back. A toothbrush too! He never wanted to stop brushing his teeth and gums, it felt so good. They handed him a new swimsuit and wet suit top; gone was the silver cape and handmade head gear.
He spent almost fifteen minutes treating his leg wound with antibiotic ointments and burn creams. He properly bandaged it and then put a waterproof sleeve over the bandage. Ensign Harper gave him a pair of Oakley shades and a Coast Guard ball cap. He even got two roast beef sandwiches, both of which disappeared in less than a minute. Instead of water they gave him Gatorade to try and restore his electrolyte balance.
The pain meds and the penicillin were the real prizes. He took a couple hundred milligrams of Tylenol with codeine. He had five more of the little gems in a waterproof pill box in his wet suit pocket if he needed them.
Only one question remained. Would Henry go along with the program?
After Tom had finished preparing himself, the two seaplanes moved off. There were a dozen other small vessels around Henry now, but they were keeping a semi-respectable distance from the whale.
“Alright my friend, it’s up to you. If you wanna take me home, let’s go. Otherwise, you should go get something to eat.”
Henry was waiting for this signal. “You are safe, you are safe” is what the whale heard. He spouted and the whale was moving again. There was just about four hours left before sunset. Tom knew exactly what time it was, 4:05 p.m., because the Coast Guard frogman had given him his dive watch to use for the trip.
“A little different than the first nine hundred and seventy miles huh, old boy,” Tom yelled. “You’re a media superstar now. Wanna go on The Tonight Show with me?”
For whatever reason, Henry picked up his pace a bit. Tom no longer had the emergency packs on Henry’s back, but he did have a portable, waterproof ship to shore radio. The headset he was wearing was secured very tightly. If he fell off of the whale the headset would stay on. The life vest he had strapped on over his wetsuit top also gave him an added sense of security.
Tom could see land in the distance so he knew they were getting close. Boats pulled up next to Henry and people snapped photos and shot video. They shouted out things like, “We love you Henry!” and “Way to go Tom!” and “You’re nearly there!”
An hour and a half into the final leg of his journey Tom heard a buzz in his headset. That meant he had a call so he tapped the earpiece.
“Hello,” Tom said.
“Thank God you’re alive,” Sydney said.
“What do I look like on TV?”
“Like some kind of comic book superhero. ‘Whale Man’ maybe.”
Tom laughed. “I’m sorry that I put you through this, Syd. I really am.”
“I thought you might…” Syd started to cry. She didn’t want to do that, but when Tom apologized like he’d done something wrong, she just lost it.
“Hey, I’m okay. How are the kids?” Tom asked.
“They’re right here. They want to talk to you, but they have to wait their turn; me first.”
“Okay. It’s beyond wonderful to hear your voice.”
“What happened out there?”
“Damn propane leak caused an explosion. The only thing I can figure is that the gas line was cracked. Propane must have pooled up in the bilge and when I went to light the oven…boom! The outfitters and I are going to have a word, believe that.”
“So Sydney just blew up?”
“She just blew up. All that was left was me and a six by six foot piece of fiberglass. I nearly went down in the cabin. I thought I was dead and then Henry showed up. This trip has been one miracle after another.”
“I called the Coast Guard in Hawaii. I made a real pest out of myself. Even got a Senator and a Congresswoman involved. I wanted to find you, I needed to find you.”
“They just missed me.”
“Who just missed you?”
“The search plane. It turned away at the last second, it just missed me.”
“I love you, Tom.”
“I love you too, Syd. How’s Harold?”
“He’s strong like you, in his own way. He’s been my rock through all this.”
“You should marry that guy.”
“I plan to now that you’re no longer a candidate for fish food.”
“I want an invite to the wedding,” Tom said.
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously,” Tom confirmed.
“Jonas first. Here he is.” Syd handed the phone to her son.
“Dad! I was so... I thought for sure you were dead,” Jonas said.
“I guess I’m kinda like Jonah in the Bible. Remember that story?” Tom asked.
“You mean the whale swallowed you?” Jonas asked, astonished.
“No, but the whale did save me. He’s dumping me out on the beach too, just like the whale did for Jonah,” Tom said.
“I want to meet Henry,” Jonas said.
“That’s probably not possible, but all these people are taking a ton of pictures. We’ll have plenty of memories.”
“When you were missing… all I wanted to be was to be with you.”
“So glad you weren’t son. I nearly didn’t make it. I want you to live a long and happy life.”
“Mom says I have to give the phone to Jessica. Love you Dad! See you when you get to shore.”
“Love you son.”
“Daddy.”
“Jess.”
“If you ever do something as stupid as this again, I’ll kill you,” Jessica said.
“Yes ma’am.”
“Something else.”
“Okay,” Tom said, smiling from ear to ear.
“I think you’re the best dad in the whole world.” With that Jess was gone. Tom heard rustling in the background and then, “I guess I’m the last guy on the phone train my brother,” Gabriel said.
“Gabe! I thought you’d be there. Thanks for taking care of my family,” Tom said.
“Freakin’ trial got cancelled. A day too late. Sorry, man. I should have been out there with ya.”
“Nah. You never were much of an animal guy. Henry is one huge, smelly beast.”
“What’s the story with that whale?” Gabriel asked.
“He saved my life, literally. I don’t know how he found me or why he did what he did, but the only reason we’re talking right now is because of Henry.”
“I could kiss that whale.”
“He’d probably like that, but no. I’ll kiss you though. I can’t tell you how much…” Now Tom was losing it.
“Hey, concentrate brother. I’m watching you on live TV. You’ve got ten miles to go.”
“See you at the hospital?” Tom asked.
“I’ll make sure you get a pretty nurse,” Gabriel said.
C
hapter Thirty Three
“I could walk in from here, Henry,” Tom said as he looked around. They were less than a mile from the beach and rapidly approaching the shoreline. The water around Henry and Tom was filled with small vessels. There was literally no room between these watercraft; they were stacked three and four deep as if they were lining a parade route. Half a dozen helicopters were hovering above the beach. A blimp and several hot air balloons were jockeying for airspace just off shore.
All of the networks and cable news stations stopped broadcasting their regular programming and were carrying Henry and Tom’s arrival live. Every whale expert on the planet and more than a few who were pretending to be were now the chief talking heads on the airwaves. Each of them had a theory as to why Henry was doing what he was doing.
On the extremes, one commentator said that he was sure that Henry was an alien intelligence from another galaxy and this was his way of saying hello; another argued that the whale was “following an elaborate stimulus and response scenario” that had been imprinted on him when he was rescued twenty years earlier and that to assume the existence of a higher, reasoning intelligence from “what we can observe and measure” was “pure folly”.
“Now, don’t go too far in, my friend. I don’t think we could pull you off the sand a second time,” Tom said.
“Mr. Campbell,” a voice in his headset said.
“Roger that. I’m here,” Tom answered.
“Uh, how far is Henry going to take you? Water depth at your current position is fifty feet and it’s swallowing very quickly.” A Coast Guard officer had been in constant communication with Tom since he and Henry took off on the final segment of their journey.
“I dunno. Should I ask him?” Tom joked.
“Sorry, lame question. Look behind you,” the voice said.
Trailing a few yards behind Henry were two Coast Guard rescue rafts. The officer piloting the lead raft waved when Tom turned to look at him.
“Stay close. I think he’s slowing down,” Tom said.
Henry was indeed slowing, but he had not yet stopped. It appeared that Henry was determined to get as close to shore as possible before he dropped off Tom. Looking ahead, Tom saw that the beach was packed for as far as he could see with people and vehicles. Satellite TV trucks had driven on to the sand and giant boom lifts as well. A huge banner was hanging between two of the boom cranes which read, “Welcome Home Henry and Tom”.
Henry and Tom: Ocean Adventure Series Book 1: Rescue (Ocean Adventures Series) Page 14
