Read Online The Boat by Christine Dougherty - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christine Dougherty
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community on Flyboy . She preferred it, anyway. Although ThreeBees was substantially smaller, it seemed to her less claustrophobic.
“Okay,” she said and sat back. She stripped off the latex gloves. “Denny, would you and Brian grab a blanket? I want to get him out of the sun.”
As they trotted away, she looked at Steve, bringing a hand up to shade her eyes. “Do you think we should restrict him in some way? Restrict his access to the boat?”
“Why do you say that?” Steve was surprised that she seemed to have the same mixed feelings about the survivor, especially since his own misgivings were so vague.
She shrugged, glancing at the man. His eyelids fluttered slightly. He could be coming out of his faint. Or he could be faking unconsciousness. Maggie looked back at Steve, shaking her head.
She stood and her voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t know why I say that. There’s just something…” She put her hands on her hips, staring with consternation at the man she’d just stitched up.
“Off,” Steve said, supplying the word she needed. She turned to him and smiled briefly. She nodded.
“Off, yeah. Something just isn’t quite right,” she said.
Now it was Steve’s turn to shrug. “Yes, I felt it, too. But I don’t know how much of that is just us…I mean, nothing feels exactly right, does it?”
She nodded her head in acknowledgement and sighed. The boys were back with the blanket and they rolled him onto it.
“No restrictions, then?” Maggie said.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that. We don’t know him. The circumstances of him being here are odd. Better to be safe than sorry especially with…” he trailed off and nodded toward the salon doors where Babygirl stood holding Jade’s hand. Baby’s angelic lightness was in sharp contrast to Jade’s jet-black hair and black eyes. Both were beautiful. And vulnerable.
Maggie hated that being female, being young, made them vulnerable.
“Can you take him to Big Daddy ?”
“Yeah, we’ll do that. It would be for the best. Let me get over there and get a bigger jet…yours are all one seaters, right?”
“We’ll come with you,” Denny said, standing. “Me and Brian. We’ll help you keep an eye on him.”
Steve laughed, not unkindly. “That’s okay, Denny, we need you here, on ThreeBees. If you and Brian left, who would protect her?”
Another dig of annoyance jabbed Maggie, made worse because she knew it was true. She also knew she’d be much more fearful if she didn’t have Denny and Brian on the boat. She liked that they were in the salon. Anyone coming aboard would have to go through them, and they were young, strong and fit.
Singer, Jade’s brother, was young, too, but he didn’t come across as strong and fit. He was almost as thin as his sister with the same lithe, graceful body type. The two of them could pass for twins.
Maggie’s smile was tight, rueful. “Come on, Den, you don’t really want to leave us do you? For Big Daddy ? I hear it smells like dirty socks over there. Besides, who would I train? If you guys left?”
Maggie had been giving the two of them what she called EMT training. Both Denny and Brian enjoyed it and not just because it passed the time. Because it made them valuable. Denny was smart and he was starting to see that ‘valuable’ would be an outstanding commodity in their new world. Just look at that guy Adam. He was a total tool, but he ran the show because he’d been able to figure out some of the things on that big boat, Flyboy . Now he douched it up and everyone just said yes sir to him all the time.
Not that Denny wanted to be a tool or a douche. He just didn’t want to be one of the shuffling multitudes like most of the people on Flyboy . When he found his parents someday, they’d be really proud of him. Especially his dad. Denny never admitted to himself that he might not find his parents. But his bad dreams were ones where he found them floating (inexplicably together) next to the
“Okay,” she said and sat back. She stripped off the latex gloves. “Denny, would you and Brian grab a blanket? I want to get him out of the sun.”
As they trotted away, she looked at Steve, bringing a hand up to shade her eyes. “Do you think we should restrict him in some way? Restrict his access to the boat?”
“Why do you say that?” Steve was surprised that she seemed to have the same mixed feelings about the survivor, especially since his own misgivings were so vague.
She shrugged, glancing at the man. His eyelids fluttered slightly. He could be coming out of his faint. Or he could be faking unconsciousness. Maggie looked back at Steve, shaking her head.
She stood and her voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t know why I say that. There’s just something…” She put her hands on her hips, staring with consternation at the man she’d just stitched up.
“Off,” Steve said, supplying the word she needed. She turned to him and smiled briefly. She nodded.
“Off, yeah. Something just isn’t quite right,” she said.
Now it was Steve’s turn to shrug. “Yes, I felt it, too. But I don’t know how much of that is just us…I mean, nothing feels exactly right, does it?”
She nodded her head in acknowledgement and sighed. The boys were back with the blanket and they rolled him onto it.
“No restrictions, then?” Maggie said.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that. We don’t know him. The circumstances of him being here are odd. Better to be safe than sorry especially with…” he trailed off and nodded toward the salon doors where Babygirl stood holding Jade’s hand. Baby’s angelic lightness was in sharp contrast to Jade’s jet-black hair and black eyes. Both were beautiful. And vulnerable.
Maggie hated that being female, being young, made them vulnerable.
“Can you take him to Big Daddy ?”
“Yeah, we’ll do that. It would be for the best. Let me get over there and get a bigger jet…yours are all one seaters, right?”
“We’ll come with you,” Denny said, standing. “Me and Brian. We’ll help you keep an eye on him.”
Steve laughed, not unkindly. “That’s okay, Denny, we need you here, on ThreeBees. If you and Brian left, who would protect her?”
Another dig of annoyance jabbed Maggie, made worse because she knew it was true. She also knew she’d be much more fearful if she didn’t have Denny and Brian on the boat. She liked that they were in the salon. Anyone coming aboard would have to go through them, and they were young, strong and fit.
Singer, Jade’s brother, was young, too, but he didn’t come across as strong and fit. He was almost as thin as his sister with the same lithe, graceful body type. The two of them could pass for twins.
Maggie’s smile was tight, rueful. “Come on, Den, you don’t really want to leave us do you? For Big Daddy ? I hear it smells like dirty socks over there. Besides, who would I train? If you guys left?”
Maggie had been giving the two of them what she called EMT training. Both Denny and Brian enjoyed it and not just because it passed the time. Because it made them valuable. Denny was smart and he was starting to see that ‘valuable’ would be an outstanding commodity in their new world. Just look at that guy Adam. He was a total tool, but he ran the show because he’d been able to figure out some of the things on that big boat, Flyboy . Now he douched it up and everyone just said yes sir to him all the time.
Not that Denny wanted to be a tool or a douche. He just didn’t want to be one of the shuffling multitudes like most of the people on Flyboy . When he found his parents someday, they’d be really proud of him. Especially his dad. Denny never admitted to himself that he might not find his parents. But his bad dreams were ones where he found them floating (inexplicably together) next to the
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