Can't Love You {Sequel to "Not Sherlock Holmes"}

Chapter Six

Veronica's POV

Ben's boat is soon completely out of sight, lost in the thick clouds. I sigh.

Don't worry about it, I tell myself. He and Steven will be fine.

Ian is at the door, calling me to come below.

"You didn't eat breakfast. I think you should come in, at least for this meal." I sigh again.

"Be right there," I call, and I hear him close the door behind him. I let go of the railing and I take several long, drawn out breaths, filling my lungs with the clean, cool air.

You've got this, Nica. You can stay strong.

One last look over the waters, and I turn on my heel and walk inside.

-------------------

A day and a half later...

We've been out on the water for what feels like forever. I know it's only been 2 days, but it's excruciating, especially since I still haven't seen Benedict's boat.

"He's fine, Veronica. Don't worry about them," Martin reassures me, massaging my shoulders.

"I know, I know," I insist, when, in fact, I'm so anxious I can hardly do anything else. I'm always fidgeting.

At one point, Ian finally grabbed my hands and held them firmly in his own.

"Hey, hey," he said commandingly. I looked into his green eyes. "It's okay." I just shook my head.

"I just have this feeling, you know? I know I'm being paranoid, but I can't help it." He nodded sadly.

"Attention," a soldier yells, and we all look to him. We're in the middle of the evening meal, so we are all gathered in the kitchen. "We will be arriving in the next few minutes. Everyone, please gather all of your things and be ready above deck." There's bustling excitement around us as everyone rises and goes down to the bunks. I remain seated with Martin and Ian because I have no belongings.

"Aren't you excited?" Ian asks me, shaking me lightly by the shoulders, grinning. I smile softly up at him.

"Yeah! Guess I'm just tired," I say, making a show of rubbing my eyes.

"Let's go wait above," Martin suggests, and I nod and stand with him.

I'm surprised, when Ian opens the door in front of me, by the sun. It shines so brightly on my face that I have to squint.

"Beautiful!" Martin cries, his arms outstretched. He laughs happily, and it's contagious.

Once my eyes have adjusted to the light, I see the huge military boat. It seems to be a much, much larger version of the boat that we are on now, and I can't help but gape.

"I wonder how many people they've already saved," I wonder aloud.

Soon, people are crowded with us. I see Kelly, who's been ignoring us since we began our voyage, and she's flirting intensely with a young man

That crush on Ben sure didn't last long, I think bitterly.

We get up as close as we can to the boat, and a ladder is dropped down to us. We climb quickly, one at a time. I get to the top, and the deck is bustling with both civilians and soldiers.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome aboard. A guard will escort you all to your quarters," a man informs us. "We're glad to have you with us," he finishes, smiling. I approach him when he's finished.

"Sir? Sir!" I call, chasing after him. He turns, surprise etched on his face.

"Yes, ma'am?" I catch my breath.

"Sir, I was wondering... The other boat? Where is it? When will it be here?" The soldier's face falls a bit, and he looks me in the eye, sympathy evident in his features.

"Did you have loved ones on board?" he asks quietly. I fight the growing panic in my chest and I ignore his question.

"Where is the boat?" I ask firmly. He pulls me aside.

"Ma'am, listen. We don't want you to make a scene. We don't want to scare the other passengers." I shake my head.

"Tell me where they are."

"We lost contact with the boat yesterday morning, miss. When I sent patrols to search for them, they found the boat crashed. Some of the soldiers survived, but the passengers were all found dead. The survivors explained that someone went mad with a gun and shot at everybody." My breath is coming out in short gasps. My mind is getting fuzzy. "We aren't surprised to hear this. Considering all that has happened, I have no doubt that someone would be crazy enough to do something this awful."

"You're lying," I whisper. "They can't all be dead." He lays a hand on my shoulder.

"They are. I'm so sorry."

"How do you know they're all dead?!" I scream, and he tries to calm me.

"Ma'am..."

"No, how do you know?! I want to see the bodies. I need to see, I need to know..." It takes all that is within me to remain standing.

"That's impossible, miss. We can't allow you to see. It's a truly horrific sight."

"I don't care!" I blurt. "I have to see! I have to know if he's there..."

I have no willpower left. I collapse onto the deck.

"Ma'am!"

"Miss!"

"Veronica!" I hear Ian's voice amidst all the unfamiliar ones, but I can't bring myself to respond.

He can't be dead. He can't be.

Benedict can't be dead.

All these people they were able to save, and they weren't able to save my Benedict.