Treasure for All

28. Niagara

As Dahae helped Celestia feel comfortable until they could get paramedics on the scene, San ran around the ship in a joyful dance and chanting, "I have a little princess!" as soon as the ship landed in Niagara Falls, New York. The crew was anxious to meet the new baby ever since they heard her cries break through the walls, and their navigator was celebrating like a child who received a puppy for Christmas.

"Her little feet are so cute," San excitedly told the crew as he described his little daughter to them, "even her toes are so tiny and precious."

"I bet!" Taeran smiled. "Is Celestia okay?"

"She's fine as far as we know, but we're just hoping a doctor can confirm it."

"I don't think you have to wait much longer," Yunho said as he came around the corner. "The ambulance just pulled up, so they're bringing the gurney up."

Within a few minutes, two paramedics climbed aboard the ship, pulling the said gurney up with them. They carefully lifted Celestia, who was still holding a swaddled and crying Emerald, onto it and asked her important questions such as "How is your pain?" "What did the baby's crying sound like?" "What time was she born?" and much more. Mother, baby, and father (who had quickly grabbed the hospital bag) loaded up into the ambulance outside and drove away towards the hospital, the loud silence disrupting the joyous early morning.

Dahae then busied herself in cleaning up the bloody bed sheets and towels and any mess that was made in the room during the birth. She couldn't help but cry tears of joy for her friends' new addition as she tidied up the room for them when they returned. Images of her and Hongjoong hopefully having their own children were swimming around in her head at the same time, and she felt so warm inside.

"Are you okay?" Hongjoong poked his head in noticing the blood-stained sheets.

"Yeah," she sniffed with a nervous chuckle and wiped her eyes. "I don't mean to be so emotional. I'm just super happy for them, and Emerald is just so cute."

Hongjoong smiled and replied, "She is, and you got to help bring her into the world. I'm so proud of you."

"It was exhausting, and I wasn't the one giving birth. But the important thing is that Celestia and the baby are okay for the most part."

The captain kissed his fiancée's forehead.

"Since you've been helping the Choi's, how about you stay and rest for this one?" he suggested.

"Are you sure?" Dahae asked with a yawn.

"Positive. Plus, you'll have the cat to keep you company."

"Rest and on cat duty. Got it."

Hongjoong chuckled at her joke. "I promise we'll be back soon. The Falls aren't that far at all, so we'll come running if needed."

Dahae steps forward and cups his face. "Please, be careful, my love," she begged.

"I'll try," he nods.

With one more kiss, Hongjoong puts his hat back on and heads out of the room.

Gathering the rest of the crew and Dalia up, he goes over the plan to get inside the cave behind the waterfall. They would be out of view of the tourists who would be coming in that morning, so they didn't have to worry about sneaking past security. There was a path in the nearby woods that would lead them to the waterfall, in which they would have to press up against in order to carefully walk the narrow ledge to reach the entrance of the cave behind the wall.

Seonghwa's face turned pale. His own mother had perished from falling off of a cliff, and ever since then he'd had a bit of a phobia of heights. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle the ledge when none of them would be wearing any climbing gear. He managed to stay calm knowing he was secure on the ship while thousands of feet in the air, but when there's nothing there to catch you, it sent chills down his back.

"You okay, babe?" Grace-Anne whispers, her hand gently resting on his tricep.

He snaps out of his daze. "I guess," he replies. "It's the cliff part..."

"None of us are gonna let you fall. Just look at me or the wall we hold on to."

As encouraged as he was, he felt his heart drop into his stomach as they prepared to leave the ship. He did some breathing exercises on the hike to the waterfall, but it didn't help his pounding heart. Images of his mother's final moments replayed in his mind the second he saw Niagara, and he gulped when he saw the path down to the cave.

The captain stepped down first and whipped out the climbing claws Taeran and Yunho had brainstormed at the last minute. It wasn't exactly climbing gear, but it would help them reach the cave. Seonghwa went next, mainly to try to conquer the phobia, and Grace-Anne followed behind him. One by one the others followed suit with their own climbing claws.

"Isn't this the part where you say 'Don't look down?'" Seonghwa whimpers as everyone carefully crossed the ledge. The roaring of the water didn't make it any better.

"You'll just look down anyway," Yeosang responds.

"Look at me, the wall, or Hongjoong," Grace-Anne reminded her fiancé.

It took about two minutes of scooting, but the crew made it to the cave. Seonghwa breathed a huge sigh of relief before getting on his knees and kissing the ground.

"You did it!" Grace-Anne praised him. "I'm so proud of you."

"Catch your breath," Hongjoong instructs, handing him a water bottle. "And then we'll keep moving."

Once Seonghwa felt okay to walk, the crew turned on their flashlights to explore the dark cave. This one didn't have any traps, but it did have a few twists and turns here and there with some cave paintings splashed onto the walls. It felt almost peaceful from the chaos they had endured at the other locations. No one said a word during the walk as if afraid to disturb the peace, the only noise being the muffled sounds of Niagara Falls.

The cave soon opened up into a pocket, where something glittered in the wall ahead. Taking a pick ax, Jongho shattered the wall and picked up the piece they were looking for.

"Okay, the Rockies are next," Hongjoong nods as the diamond was placed into Grace-Anne's pouch.

"What about San and Celestia and the baby?" Wooyoung asks.

"We'll come back for them. Right now, we have to leave the cave and plan a course to Colorado."