S. Welles - To Ocean's End

“Amphitrite… she’s planning… get away… that smile.”

“Stop talking, Captain,” Rammus said gently. “You’re delirious from blood loss and such.”

Captain’s head drooped forward and his voice grew faint. “No I’m not. My curse. Oh, god, I hurt all over.”

Sam opened the container door and held it wide. They carried the captain inside and lay him on the cot Jacobi had been chained to. Scully switched on a hanging solar lantern, casting a silvery light inside the container. Sam stood inside the doorway and the rest of the crew watched on from over his shoulders.

“Where’s Cancer?” Dyne whispered hoarsely.

Jessie went to Mido’s side since there was nothing else she could do for Captain, for now at least. She slipped a hand in Mido’s and he pulled her into a hug. Cancer squeezed past Rammus with a large sack slung over a shoulder. He hefted it onto the ground with a grunt and it landed with a thud. Everyone else started filing inside.

Cancer turned around. “All of you out. Let me work in peace.”

Dyne stirred. “Put me out, Cancer. Please. So muhh…”

The good doctor shushed him. “You’re a mess, Captain. Don’t waste energy talking, unless I need information from you.”

“Juss gotta get through one nigh’. Thassit.”

Cancer said to Rammus, “You can go back to the wheelhouse. I’ll be fine with a bit of help from Scully.”

Rammus headed for the door and shooed the rest of the crew. “Now all of you get. You heard the doc. We’ll all see Captain after lockdown, when he’s feeling better.” He filled up the doorway with his modest frame and motioned for Sam to close the door. Sam threw the locks inside and swung the door shut. The last thing Jessie saw inside was Cancer hanging up two plastic bags near the lantern, one a clear bag of IV, and the other a bag of blood.

Mido guided Jessie to the railing and held her in his arms, relief all over his handsome face. Jessie leaned into him, equally happy to be reunited.

“I told you so,” Jacobi said loud enough for everyone outside the container to hear. The rest of the crew paused in their trek to the nearest hatch.

“What are you talking about?” Sam snapped and the rest of the crew verbally exploded on Jacobi.

He fixed Jessie with a smug grin. “What did you do to come back unharmed with Captain looking like that? You selfish b—”

Jessie tore away from Mido. “I just freed him from the fate I protected you from! Don’t you dare give me shit!” Scully, Sam, and Ted lunged for him, but Rammus, Sauna, and Ed held them back.

“You take that back, Jacobi!” Ted yelled. The others shouted at Jacobi in Jessie’s defense.

He ignored the rest of the crew. “I will give you as much as you deserve. You’ve clearly got him under some sort of spell to allow him to get so beat up for your sake.”

Jessie lunged for him, studded gloves leading the way. Mido grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back as Scully, Sam, and Ted tried to get at Jacobi again.

Rammus yelled, “Everyone stop fighting right now! ”

Jacobi held up his hands and took a step closer, still grinning. “Let her go, Mido. I’d even let her take the first swing. I’d love to see how garbage fights.”

“Let me go!” Jessie yelled, as she struggled to break free. Mido grabbed her by the wrists.

Rammus said, “Call her that again and you’ll be fighting me, Jacobi. I’m warning you. Shut up. Put up. And open your damn eyes to the truth. She’s not the enemy. I’m this close to firing you.” He held up a thumb and forefinger millimeters apart, then lowered his hand and turned to Jessie. “And you: don’t sink to his level.” He glared at the rest of the crew. “And that goes for all of you.”

Jessie stopped struggling but didn’t stop leaning towards Jacobi. He stood just outside of kicking range. She silently willed him to take one more step, even though she’d been warned, and even though she knew he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

“Fine, fine,” Jacobi said, completely at ease. “I’ll let Captain take care of her. I’m just sayin’ I told all of you so.” He plowed a path through the crew and headed below deck.

Ed said, “I am liking that man less and less.”

Ted said, “Me, too, sadly. He’s usually so cool.”

“Everyone clear the deck,” Rammus said. The techies started leading the way down, and Rammus started heading for the wheelhouse, but not before kissing Jessie on the forehead. “Thanks for bringing him back, kiddo. We owe you big time.”

Mido said, “How about some private time in the cabins?”

Rammus looked at the two, then smirked. “After a feat like that? Deal. But only today. Ed and Ted can make lunch for us.” He left for the wheelhouse.

Jessie and Mido followed everyone else. Once they reached the hatch, Jessie tugged Mido aside. He pulled up beside her.

“What?”

“Why didn’t you let me hurt him?”

He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Besides the fact that you obviously would’ve ended up worse off than him?”

“It would’ve been worth it.”

“You have better things to do than listen to the crap he says.” He leaned into her, massaging her hips with his hands.

And that’s when Jessie noticed the hunger in his eyes, and that he was trembling. She finally came down enough from her angry outburst to let the private time request sink in.

“I need you so bad right now,” he whispered in her ear. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you back in one piece.” His hands rubbed up and down her sides.

She grazed her fingers through his hair and admired his lips and the contours of his face. What a wonderful sight after all that craziness. Yes, this sort of thing was way better than dealing with stupid. “Oh, I think I have an idea.” She ground her hips against him, making him inhale deeply. To be honest, she was in dire need of a pleasant distraction. “Let’s go take a shower.”

“I don’t think I can wait.” He kissed her once on the lips, then undid her pants button and zipper and kneeled.

Jessie grabbed the sides of head and forced him to look up. “I was stuck inside the mouth of a sea monster for who knows how long. I think you’ll want to wait.”

Mido filed through his memories, then zipped her back up. “I think you’re right.” He scooped her into his strong arms and carried her to the showers.

I sat in the wheelhouse, piloting my ship. For the life of me I couldn’t seem to find land. I could’ve sworn Brazil had been right there before lockdown, but there was only water surrounding me. I started going in circles, hoping to spot land wherever I’d missed, but the horizon remained flat and featureless. I was lost and I couldn’t find my charts. They weren’t in their drawers or anywhere in the wheelhouse. I stuck the ship in neutral and tried to think of where I’d gone wrong, instead of continuing to waste fuel.

The second I shifted out of gear, the ship began to disintegrate. Flakes of metal broke off like it was one big crumbling iceberg. The ship disintegrated from the outside inwards. I watched helplessly as every last square food of deck broke away and the wheelhouse fell apart last, leaving a pocket of air between me and the ocean. Why wasn’t I falling? The ocean rose up and swallowed me, and my ears filled with the rumble of roiling water.

I opened my eyes yet felt no sting from the salt content. The ocean pulled me deeper and deeper. I didn’t bother flailing. I just let it take me all the way to the bottom, where Newport in all its patched-up glory rose to meet me. I landed on my feet on what I recognized as the small beach south of Castle Hill Cove. Flat terrain splayed out before me, along with overgrown fields, and huge houses in the distance that looked part castle. Those houses were older than me. The ocean turned to air and waves crashed at my feet, soaking my pants and trench coat. The town came into sharp focus, and then I realized I was dreaming.