Chapter 37 Blood In The Water
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Blood In The Water
Alex
Davin!” Alex’s guttural cry ripped from her throat as he fell. Shuffling along the railing, she scanned the water for any sign of him. The thrashing of other victims made it hard for her to determine where he had gone under. Had he surfaced? Was he injured in the fall? Oh Gods, please be ok.
Her mind raced, her heart beating so fast it hurt.
Suddenly, she caught sight of his auburn hair as he swam towards the wreckage where a small boy was barely hanging onto a piece of debris, struggling to keep his head above water.
Davin’s steady strokes cut through the water, his path clear.
Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Reckless asshole.
As Davin approached, the boy lost his hold on the plank, his head dipping below the water once more.
This time, he did not resurface. Davin dove, submerging himself in the bloodied water.
Alex held her breath, waiting. They’ve been under too long.
He should have surfaced by now. Fear gripped her heart in a vice. She couldn’t lose him like this.
An audible gasp rose in the air as Davin broke the surface of the water with the little boy cradled in his arms. Securing the boy to his chest, he began towing him towards the closest jolly boat. Alex didn’t know how to deal with the turmoil of emotions swirling inside her.
When she had finally dragged herself up to the main deck, Davin had been nowhere to be found.
She had barely made it to the railing, the pain of her injury greater than any she had ever known.
The horror of the badly damaged M.M.S. Iris spread out before her; the blue of the water was tinged with dark red.
She had moved steadily down the railing towards the bow of the ship, and had come upon a group of men, hurriedly shifting boxes away from a giant mounted harpoon gun.
Davin was crouched, cranking the spring back, his muscles rippling with the effort.
Straightening, Alex saw his focus sharpen and the tension in his shoulders ease.
He caught sight of the beast and, without even a hint of hesitation, let the harpoon fly, hitting his mark.
Cheers had arisen around them, but he had never moved, never lost focus.
And Alex? She couldn’t tear her eyes from him.
She had started to call out to him, but the ship had pitched, catching her off guard, causing her to fall. Her wound had throbbed from the impact.
It had taken her a few moments to regain her feet.
But she did so, just in time to see Davin go over the railing to save the boy from drowning.
Now she stood, watching as he swam to victim after victim, helping them to the safety of the jolly boats, with no regard for his own well-being.
How he managed to continue at the pace he kept was beyond her.
He seemed tireless. Gods, how she wished she could be down there helping.
It was killing her to be just a fucking onlooker.
Alex turned, seeing a deckhand and a healer pulling a waterlogged passenger from a rope ladder hanging a few feet from her.
She moved instinctively, grabbing the passenger under their arms, lifting them with the assistance of the other two.
Pain coursed through her, but she ignored it.
Somehow, in all the chaos, the ship’s med crew had organized cots and an emergent sick bay on deck to care for the passengers of the M.M.S. Iris.
She planted herself there, helping to drag passenger after passenger aboard, waving away any healer who tried to make her stop. The cries of the victims still in the water lessened with each load the jolly boats made. Time passed quickly, the sky darkening as dusk fell, but she never wavered.
Davin
Davin was utterly and completely drained.
The numbness in his fingers and toes was troublesome on the rope ladder, each rung sagging under his weight as he pulled himself up, his breathing labored and shallow.
He didn’t know how much water he had swallowed with each dive, but it must have been considerable.
His lungs ached with each breath he took.
The top of the ship’s rail loomed just a few feet above him, and he prayed that his strength would hold, that he wouldn’t fall.
McConnell had made the call to end the rescue efforts and wouldn’t entertain any argument.
While he agreed with the call, the decision weighed heavily on him.
They had saved as many as they could, but far too many were lost on the M.M.S. Iris.
He threw an elbow over the side of the rail as three sets of hands grabbed him and hauled him the rest of the way over.
Pale gray eyes met his, and Davin realized that he did indeed still have some strength left, as anger consumed him.
Gods above, she didn’t even allow him a moment of recovery before she was causing him trouble!
His legs hit the deck and, much to his dismay, wobbled, forcing him to fall forward a step, directly into her arms as she tried to steady him.
Automatically, his hands reached out to brace for a fall, landing low on her hips.
He watched as pain lanced over her features before she could cover her reaction.
Finding his footing, he went to release her, slowly, prolonging their contact. His fingertips grazed her bare skin. Taking a small step back, he took in her sweat soaked face, her damp hair, and the Gods damned thin as fuck white dressing gown she still wore.
Instead of letting her go, he spun her in his arms and pulled her flush up against his chest, a surprised squeal her only reaction.
Not giving her a moment to respond, he leaned down and growled in her ear, “Why the fuck did you think parading around half naked was a smart idea? Your bare ass is in full view.”
Alex struggled against his hold, but even as weak as he was, she was just as exhausted and couldn't break free. The deck hand and healer who had helped him on board quickly found somewhere else to be.
Davin continued, not giving her the chance to interject. “I told you to stay put. I told you to wait for me. Why do you insist on putting your life on the line?” That got her attention. He felt her freeze and slightly loosened his hold.
“Me? You dare talk about me risking my life! I saw you leap off the ship!”
Surprise momentarily shook him out of his anger.
He hadn’t seen her on deck during the chaos earlier.
He knew she was baiting him, and he wasn’t going to play her games.
Shifting his hands to her back, he carefully pulled the gaping fabric of her gown tightly together.
Lowering his voice, he asked, “How badly are you hurting?” She didn’t answer right away, and he knew she was trying to hold on to her anger, but her actions said enough as she leaned back into his embrace.
“I can take care of myself.” She responded weakly.
He gave her a moment to let her pride war with her truth, before he softly repeated his previous question.
“Are you hurting, Alex?”
She sighed, giving in. A small nod was the only answer he received. He moved to her side, looping his arm around her waist, while keeping the gown securely closed.
Alex attempted a step, but faltered. The spike of adrenaline must have kept her going for the past few hours, but now she had nothing left.
Not even the strength of her undeniable willpower was enough to keep her moving forward.
Without so much as a word, Davin bent, gently scooping her into his arms, holding her securely against his chest.
Silently, he moved toward her cabin, keeping his steps slow and even.
Exhaustion ate at him, begging him to lie down, but he wasn’t ready to let her go.
He needed her comfort just as much as she needed his in this moment, even if she would never admit it.
Today had been horrendous for everyone, and he knew that there was still more to be done before he could rest, so he would take his solace where he could get it.