Uncharted Waters || A Jiara Story

Chapter Seven

The waking sun illuminates the beach while a steady, warm breeze hugs the trees. Some would call this the calm after the storm. The tide has descended, leaving washed up and stranded fish ashore, flopping about on the glistening sand.

(JJ POV)

I stare out at the morning sun breaking through the small cracks of the unsteady structure we slept under. It kept us dry enough and safe from the howling wind that kept me up most of the night. That and the constant worry that ate away at me. I look over at Kie who is asleep on the ground beside me - I haven't left her side since she passed out and I caught her before she hit the ground. She seems peaceful.

I look at her beautiful, curly hair, damp from the ground below her but entangled with sand and dirt. Her skin seems to glow, reflecting the small beams of sun and my eyes follow down her face, her neck, to her arm. I see the makeshift bandage we had made last night, covering the medicine Cleo and Pope had whipped up using a mixture of plants they found and coconut water.

I see her chest rising and falling with each breath. I then begin to see her legs move slowly and her body begin to shift. She lets out a small sigh. I lean over to her.

"Kie." I whisper.

"Hey Kie..."I whisper again leaning closer to her.

She lets out another sigh and her eyes begin to open. She raises her uninjured arm and rubs it against her forehead.

"What happened?" she lets out.

I continue to whisper as everyone else is still asleep. "You passed out on us last night," I respond. "Think you might've lost too much blood."

There's a small pause. She looks down at her arm and sees the bandage we had wrapped around it.

"Who did this?" she asks.

"Me of course....call me Dr. Maybank." I whisper, this time a little louder. I place my hand over my heart in allegiance.

Kie lets out a small laugh.

"I'm gonna guess it was Pope then?" She says while smiling and turning her head towards me .

I rub the back of my head. "Uh..yeah" I laugh. "It was Cleo and Pope...but I uh caught your ass so you can thank me later." I smile and wink.

Kie lets out another quiet laugh and exhales.

"Well thank you" she utters.

"Call us even!" I smile.

She rolls her eyes. "Hey I saved you from drowning....you saved me from hitting the soft ground....that I was already sitting on." Her words are laced with laughter and sarcasm.

"Tomato Tamato!" I say while shrugging with a sly smile.

She lays there silent for a second, I see exhaustion setting across her face once again.

"Potato patato!" She says through a soft smile, while her eyes lay shut.

I sit there for a moment watching her once again, quickly examining her beautiful face.

"Hey Kie....you should drink some water and eat something. You lost a lot of blood" I say while shifting my body in search of a broken coconut I could use as a water cup. Once I find it I get up to head towards the system Pope and Cleo had created. It had caught a lot of water overnight. I fill up the coconut half and head back towards the structure. I see Kie had opened her eyes once again and she was fiddling with the stray ends of the bandage.

"Here." I say, crouching down beside her.

She shifts her bodyweight upwards but she seems too weak. I immediately place the water down and help prop her up into a sitting position. Her face is just as glowy and pale as it was last night, concerning me. She places strands of hair that hang in her face behind her ears and she reaches out for the water. I place it in her hand and watch her take small sips, gasping after each sip as if she hadn't had water in years.

"Thank you J." She lets out in between desperate sips.

"Course," I respond, giving her a small nod.

"Now," she takes a bigger gulp. "We're even!"

I let out a laugh and we share a small glance and smile.

"Oh Kie you're up!" I hear Sarah exclaim as she and the others begin to wake up.