Rescued

Chapter 1

"How's it look?" Matt asked Gabe as they stood on top of the wheel house.

"Not sure," Gabe replied as he squinted into the binoculars. He was the designated lookout. He kept an eye on the water, looking for landmarks on shore, and for the place they needed to dock to make the delivery once they got closer.

"Radio says it'll start snowing soon," Matt muttered. "We have to hurry and make this last delivery. Three hours at most." Besides that, it was getting late. It would be getting dark soon, too dark to navigate the straight safely. Especially with the storm coming.

"Bam's got it," Gabe said. "We'll make it, don't worry."

"I hope you're right--" Matt was saying but was cut off.

"What's that?" Gabe asked and passed the binoculars to Matt. "Over there." He pointed. Matt nodded and followed, he tracked the binoculars around in the water until he found something in the water.

"A person?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," he said. "Let me see them again. You go down and tell Bam."

"Yeah," Matt nodded and hurried down the stairs.

"We saw something out in the water," he said a few moments later as he opened the wheel house door.

"What?" Bam asked and frowned.

"A person," Matt replied. "Sound the horn, or something. We have to see if they're alive."

Meanhwile, Bear had run out of the wheel house to take a look over the bow of the ship.

Matt soon joined him, the two of them leaning over they shouted at the person.

"We'll have to take the skiff," Gabe said down to Matt.

"Ya, we'll be in some rocky water in a bit," Bam said from the window almost at the same time as Gabe. "Best not to get closer."

"Yeah," Bear said and nodded. Matt was already leading the way to the skiff that was tied off at the back of the ship.

It seemed like forever until her rescuers got close enough to pull her on board their smaller boat. She smiled to herself, relieved that she wasn't going to die today. Or maybe not just yet. She closed her eyes and shivered violently in the cold water.

Hands on her and she was quickly raised up. Her wet sweater was peeled off and a towel placed around her. She shivered and buried her head in the dry towel.

"We'll get you up on the Integrity and get you warm," the one closest to her said. She was shivering too hard. They exchanged worried glances, not knowing what to do.

"Hurry," he said to the one that was sitting in the back.

He turned back to her, without warning she toppled over. Quick thinking and fast reflexes were the only things that kept her from going in the water again. He hauled her onto his lap and held her, soaking himself in the process. But he didn't matter right now, he wasn't the one that had been in that cold water.

He hadn't realized she'd been so bad off. She hadn't shown any signs of shock, and now this.

He leaned her head against his shoulder. His hand came away bloody.

Gabe saw this and frowned. "She's hurt?" he asked.

"Yeah, seems so," Matt replied and frowned. "She's got a shiner and something's wrong with her neck." Though the newly forming bruise was just on her cheek bone and not surrounding her eye. So she'd likely been punched, and possibly choked if the redness on her throat was any indication.