Spindrift

Chapter Two

1092

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"The short answer is I haven't even heard from the day nursing company about whether Wade is going to come back or not," Ariel said, as she and Lee unmade the bed.

"Did she outright say she's not coming back?" Lee asked, tossing a decorative pillow onto the dresser for the night.

"I gave her an out. She's a friend, but Lee, to a certain degree, she is right. His outbursts are getting worse," Ariel said. "I can barely get him to the doctor for his basic medicines, never mind getting a further diagnosis or – I can't even get him off this fecking houseboat."

"Maybe my dad coming out will be a good thing. At least it would get Searlas fishing," Lee said.

Ariel grabbed her day calendar off her nightstand. She sighed, crawling onto her side of the bed.

"The short answer is that if we can't get any day help at all, I can't work," Ariel said, opening her calendar to the day. "Which is frustrating in and of itself – the only time I haven't had a job of some kind is when I was in the hole."

Lee joined her, and they sat, crossed legged and knee to knee, peering over her book.

"How many shells did you get today?" Lee asked.

"Two, before Wade called. Where I dive at, I am going to have to stop fishing for a couple of years," Ariel said.

"Pearls?" Lee asked.

"I'm not sure on that one. Ian put them in a bucket of water for me when I wasn't looking. I will have to crack them open tomorrow."

"Maybe there will be a couple black pearls. Fetch you a nice sum," Lee said.

They smooched.

"I know what you want, and if you give me a few more minutes to figure out the rest of the week you can have your way," Ariel said.

"Deal," Lee said.

Ariel returned to her notes, flipping to tomorrow's schedule. She originally planned on being in the flight office tomorrow, the day blocked out with red and black letters.

"If I don't have a nurse tomorrow, will you be find in the office?" Ariel asked.

"I should be. Isn't Katrina scheduled?" Lee asked, as Ariel pulled the flight schedule.

"She is. She won't like it," Ariel said.

"Tough. Technicalities aside, I'm the boss." Lee dragged her schedule from Ariel's lap and pushed her onto her back.

He kissed her again, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Can you promise me something?" Ariel asked, scratching his head.

"Within reason," Lee said.

She nipped his bottom lip. "Can you take Ian tomorrow?" she asked.

Lee balanced himself over her.

"Or do you have a plane that needs to be worked on?"

"Yeah, Boom-Boom has work he needs to do on the C-duck," Lee said. "And I have five tours that are currently scheduled – but if he behaves, we should be fine."

Ariel smirked.

"What's that for?" Lee asked.

"Some would have the notion to say that I'm bribing the boss with sexual favors," Ariel said.

"Remind me to make sure you pay attention during the sexual harassment videos," Lee said.

"Where's the nurse?" the old man asked, as Ariel handed him his morning pills. "She's normally here by now, ready to rain havoc on the day."

"You chased another one off, Dad," Ariel said, as she prepared to take away her father's breakfast plate.

"I'm not done," the old man said. "In fact, I'm so hungry I feel like I've been getting nothing but skimped rations. What are you feeding me?"

"Harpy seal bacon and chicken eggs," Ariel said. "You had two pieces of einkorn toast, too. Lots of butter. Lots of lard. The doctor is going to love me when its comes time for your cholesterol check."

"Make me another piece of toast, and if there's bacon, load it up."

"Yes, Dad."

The kitchen area was only separated from the main living area by a low half wall. Respectable sailors called it a galley. It had basic amenities and that they all worked with the right finesse was all that mattered to Ariel.

"More toast, coming up," she said, popping the piece into the toaster.

"Where'd Lee go with Ian," Sealas asked.

"Ian went with Lee to work today," Ariel said, shifting the bacon on the plate.

He turned to look at her. "Why didn't you go?"

"I can't work if you are having these kinds of episodes," Ariel said.

"What do you mean, you can't work?" Sealas asked her. "Of course, you can work. I'm fine."

"You say that now, you said that yesterday," Ariel said. "If I left with Lee, who knows what I would come home to. After the last suicide attempt -."

"That was years ago. You weren't even here for that one."

She looked a breath, trying to count in her head to calm herself down. She made it to twenty before loosing count and having to start over. But she did remember to butter the toast and load it with bacon and avocado.

She set the sandwich on the plate, and took a seat at the table beside her father.

"Dad, the last time I found you, there was enough blood and vomit in your bed that I had to throw the mattress out and I wasn't sure the doctors would be able to save you," Ariel said, taking his hand in both of hers. "I went away, and paid for a crime I didn't commit. I never confessed to, and I am sorry that I wasn't here for the last attempt."

"There ain't nothing you can do to help what happened," Sealas said. "You are a different person since you've come back. I don't know how it is you got mixed up with that Marisol girl anyway. The important fact is that you did what the court ordered you to do, and you rebuilt your life through that program after your sentence, and part of that means working if need me. Now why are you here if you aren't helping that husband of yours?"

"Because -." The communicator in her pocket vibrated, and Ariel checked the caller. "I have to take this, Dad. It's the nursing service. Calling, no doubt, to tell me that they are terminating the contract with us."

"Take it," Searlas said, waving his hand at her. "We don't need it anyway."

Ariel turned her back to him and took a breath. "Except we need some kind of help," she muttered.