Chapter Twelve
Present: Day Three at Sea
Transfixed with horror, I watch Adam swim after Gigi through the rough ocean, my breath stagnant in my lungs. Captain Nojan steers us closer to the two in the water, and the boat tilts.
“Keep eyes on them,” Nojan orders.
Beth joins Emma and me on the edge of the deck.
“We’re coming for you, Gigi, just hold on!” Beth yells as Nojan turns sharply in their direction.
Gigi disappears under a swell. Beth squeezes my hand, and I grip the shroud beside me to keep my balance as we watch Adam dive to reach her.
As the swell rolls beneath our boat, I spot Adam surface with Gigi tucked under his arm.
“There they are!” Emma stands, pointing.
Adam turns onto his back and swims toward the boat while Gigi coughs, spurting water before gulping for air. A wave nearly tears her out of Adam’s grasp. He stops swimming to grab hold of her with his other arm. Gigi chokes as a whitecap hits her face.
“Hang on, Gigi,” I call.
“Throw another line out for Gigi in case Adam loses her,” Nojan shouts.
When they get a few feet from the boat, I toss a second rope over the side. Adam snatches the line and helps Gigi loop it around her hand. Nojan moves beside Emma, and together they pull Adam and Gigi closer.
“Come around the stern,” Nojan tells Adam as he guides the rope over the stern platform.
We move to help as Nojan lowers the ladder. Nojan and Emma pull Gigi up first. On her hands and knees on the rear deck, she sputters salt water.
Beth and I help Gigi to her feet while Emma and the captain pull Adam on board.
When I wrap my arm around her wet waist, Gigi’s entire body shivers.
“We need to get you dry,” I say.
“I’ll grab towels.” Emma lets go of Adam’s arm once he’s on deck and untethers her life vest before turning and heading down the companionway. Beth and I slowly lead Gigi toward the lower deck, careful not to let her feet slip.
Emma emerges from her stateroom with two white towels as Beth and I guide Gigi down the companionway steps. Emma wraps one around Gigi’s shoulders while I help her sit down.
“That scared the shit out of me,” Emma says, her eyes on Gigi.
I take a seat beside Gigi and assess her drenched, trembling form. “Do you think you lost consciousness at all out there?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
Her large eyes are raccooned with mascara, and her quivering lips have taken on a blueish hue.
Nojan’s voice drifts down from the cockpit. “An accidental jibe is one of the most dangerous things that can happen on a sailboat, especially if the boom preventer wasn’t installed properly. You were supposed to check it before we departed.”
“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” Adam says.
“Hell, she could’ve died!”
We all turn toward the sound of the captain’s shout.
“Go get changed,” Nojan says, the calm returning to his voice. “After I make sure Gigi is okay, I want to go over some things with you.”
Our gazes are already fixed on the companionway when Adam comes below, dripping wet, followed by the captain.
“Are you all right?” Adam asks Gigi after taking the towel Emma extends to him.
“I am now. Thank you.” Her lips shiver. “For saving me.”
The captain shoots Adam a sharp look.
“Don’t thank me,” Adam says, dropping his gaze to the floor as he rubs the towel against the back of his head. “That was my fault that we jibed. And I should’ve made sure you had a tether on.”
I place my palm against Gigi’s shivering back as Adam gives Gigi a remorseful glance, then disappears inside his stateroom.
The captain holds an uninflated life vest in his hands. He folds his arms, his face grim when Beth sits next to Gigi.
“You could’ve drowned,” Nojan says.
“I’m fine.” Gigi’s voice trembles. She lifts her gaze to the captain’s. “Really.”
Nojan frowns. “We should go back to port so you can get proper medical attention. Have you assessed for injuries.”
“No!” Gigi sits tall. “I have to finish this trip, or I’ll lose my sponsorship. Please. I promise I’ll be more careful.”
The captain holds her stare without responding.
“I can’t go back now,” Gigi continues, her eyes brimming with tears. “I need this.”
I turn to her as she shivers beside me, surprised by the desperation in her tone. From the lifestyle she’s living, I doubt she’s much in need of anything.
“I’m a nurse,” I offer. “I can make sure she gets warmed up and that she’s okay.”
The captain’s chest heaves with a sigh. He looks from me to Gigi.
“All right,” he finally says. He extends the life vest toward Gigi. “Here. You can wear this PFD for now. The one you have on is going to need to be repacked and rearmed with a new CO2 canister before it will work again.”
He wags his finger toward Gigi after she accepts the life vest. “I want everyone clipping a tether to their life vest anytime they’re on deck. And always make sure you’re out of the way of the boom. And no leaving the cockpit unless you’ve asked my permission to go forward. Understood?”
Gigi nods eagerly. “Understood.”
The captain grunts before going upstairs, and Emma moves toward Gigi.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I know.” Beth places a hand on her chest. “It reminded me of—” She stops, her gaze falling to the floor. “Well, you know.”
Gigi doesn’t move, doesn’t stop shivering, but her gaze slides up to meet Emma’s, and what I see there makes me draw back. It’s the same look I’ve given Beth countless times since Courtney’s disappearance—she’s hiding something.