Our Bruised Bodies | Bradley Bradshaw

ACT FIVE - PART ONE

The sea was restless, just as she was. Her father always used to say that it needed rather large waves to rock a carrier, to move something side to side when it was only meant to move forward. But Grace had experienced her fair share of storms, of hurricanes and tropical monsoon. It took a lot to rock a carrier, but every now and then, a wave came, larger than anticipated, breaking against the side of the carrier, its spray washing over the flight deck. Leaving everything in its wake bathed in salt water.

Grace stood on the expansive deck of the aircraft carrier, her slender fingers lightly gripping the cool metal of the railing. The rose gold metal of her wedding band such a vast contrast to the grey steel of the Trafalgar. The ocean stretched out before her, an endless blue expanse that melded seamlessly with the horizon. She leaned forward slightly, the gentle breeze playing with the loose strands of her hair, as her eyes traced the rolling waves.

The wind was picking up, bringing the promise of rain, a storm even that might manage to lull her to sleep for the very first time since she was forced to part from her husband. The very first time since Cain did the unspeakable to Lincoln and got away with it.

Reaching up to let her fingers trace over her lips gently, they were still tingling from the last kiss she had shared with Bradley. One full of sadness and worry, the approaching departure affecting them before she was gone. The promise of return uncertain on the tip of her tongue. Grace wondered if she would ever come back home, if home was still waiting for her then.

Glancing down at the waves and the rhythmic motion of the sea below, Grace wished it could wash away all guilt, all shame, all sin. Purifying her, baptising her in something else than the blood of the people she loved.

Her gaze was distant, lost somewhere between the azure waters and the boundless sky. She watched as the sunlight danced on the surface of the water, creating a shimmering path that led to the horizon. The air was crisp and salty, despite the season, filling her lungs with every deep breath she took.

The soft crashing sound of the waves was a soothing lullaby, finally bringing her heartbeat down again. Letting it beat calmly. For one who claimed to not love the sea, to even have a distaste for it, Grace had missed this a great deal. She always thought that flying was the greatest freedom there was but flying over the ocean with nothing but endless water beneath, that was real freedom.

As the carrier cut through the water, leaving a frothy wake in its path, Grace felt a sense of peace wash over her. Here, on the edge of the world, so far away from everything that had happened, she felt a sense of security and peace. As if Cain would never find them here on the Trafalgar.

Lost in her musing, Grace barely noticed the distant hum of the ship's engines or the absence of seagulls, so far away from all land. She was absorbed by the plainness of the moment, the rare quiet that allowed her mind to wander freely. She pondered over the decisions that had brought her here and the unknown future that lay ahead of her now.

The hard-to-accept certainty that she would only see Bradley again when things had calmed down, when enough time had passed and the imitate danger was over. It could be a few months, or years. Swallowing thickly, Grace reached for her necklace, the airplane charm easily found.

Grace hasn't married Bradley to be half a world away from him again. She had vowed to be at his side, to support and to love him. Now she just had to figure out how she was supposed to be a good wife from so far away.

The worry and fear, that it would turn out like the last time they were separated for so long sneakily installed itself in her heart. The aftermath of the attack on the Baltimore had left them estranged and forlorn. Drifted apart, and under the impression that they might be better off apart. That's nothing Grace ever again wanted to risk, but she still obeyed her father and left for the Trafalgar while Bradley had no other choice than to stay in Miramar.