THE BOAT TRIP: Stampy And Squid

Home?

--STAMPYS POV--
I sat in my cabin, alone. Texting Sqaishey.
Hey Stampy, I'm home safe with Ori & Alyx xx

Glad, how long was the flight?

About 7 hours, crying baby right in front of me 😭

God, you must be exhausted!

Yep, it's 4am here 😴

It's 10am here, had an all nighter because Dave took ill.

Is he okay?

Unconscious, but stable. Although that's what they said before..

I'm sure he'll be alright. Xx

Hope so, anyway, you must be tired, talk to you later x

Night/morning :) xx

The door knocked as I said goodbye to Beth.
"Come in." I said, still looking down at my phone, waiting for a cleaner to come in.
Instead the door jutted open and I saw the pale drowsy outline of David.
"Sorry they said this was your room-" he collapsed with his hand on the door. I dropped everything and ran over to him and held him up,
"Dave, are you okay?!" I asked, putting my arms around him, and lifting him onto the bed. "What are you doing here?"
"Just.. Having a stroll."

My radio buzzed, "Mr Garrett do you copy?" I put a finger in front of David as if to say one second.
"Go ahead."
"Have you seen Mr Spencer."
"Yep, he's with me." I responded, holding the button.
"Is he alright?"
"He's okay, I'll tell you if otherwise. I'm room 76."
"Gotcha, thanks."
"Not a problem."

David raised a split eyebrow at me, "so, Mister Garrett." He mocked,
"What's with the grandiloquent accent Mister Spencer?" I imitated.
He smiled, too out of breath to speak.
I put my arm around his back and gently supported him with some pillows.
"So.. Have you been speaking to Nicole." I asked him.
"Yeh. I little." He said, smiling.
"I was gonna go and speak to you after your op but.. You were a little preoccupied."
"Okay I was asleep!"
"What she just kissed you and you passed out?!" I laughed,
He rolled his eyes, "rich coming from you,"
"What do you mean?"
"Well.. Since when did you own a size 8 pair of white skinny jeans?" He asked. My mouth opened and I closed my eyes trying to contain my smile.
"Well.. Maybe some good did come out of this all." He sighed, looking out the window.

We were silent for for the best part of five minutes. Just taking it all in. These last couple months had been crazy..

--SQUIDS POV--
"Somethings still wrong." Stampy deduced, sitting beside me as I looked out to the sea.
"That kid from Somalia shouldn't have died, Stamps." I said, ashamed that I couldn't have done anything to help the poor child.
"Would it have been any better if he lived? He'd be in prison for the rest of his life."
I spent a long time thinking about that.
Till I broke the ice and gave a large exhale, "well, I'm not sure if this is exactly what we signed up for but.."
"David, I have to tell you something, I'm not sure how you'll take this.."
I raised an eyebrow. Glancing over at Joe.
"What?" I asked.
"You know the way Courtney died.."
"Yes."
"No."
"No?" I was confused.
"She's not dead, David. She came and saw me and-"
My eyes widened and my breathing quickened.
"Just stay calm, David. Stay calm.." He soothed, but I already felt my heart rate rising.
"Doesn't she know this is serious?! Doesn't she know anything!?" I yelled, how could she do this to us?! How dare she?!
"She.. She made a mistake.. A huge mistake." Joe said.
"Well that's obvious! What about us?"
"What about us? We carry on like always."
"To let her get paid and paid and become wealthier because.. Because.." I felt myself becoming light headed so I stopped and put my head back.
"She faked her death.. She faked her bloody death.." I sighed with annoyance and disbelief.
Joe put his arm around me and leaned close beside me. I felt sick with confusion.
"So.." I began, "so you saw her..?"
"Yeh.. Yeh at the worst time." He said. I understood, putting my arm around him.
"What the hell has happened to us Joe?" I sighed, shaking my head, "like seriously, what the hell is going on?"
"Not a clue.. Not a clue..."

"So you fancy going back?"
"On the Stamping Squid?"
"Yeah, when you're better, of course."
I smiled, "God Joe if I could be back on that boat, just us two, continuing the trip.."
"They said they'd drop us off in Madagascar in a couple days, they're just cleaning out the boat for us." Joe said.
"Stamps, is it just me or is everyone trying to get me to go back to England?"
"It's not just you, I- I think there's something wrong back home, I think there's a reason Beth asked you to stop recording with me and Nicole hooked up with Tom."
"She didn't hook up with Tom." I moaned, "they were asked to do that. By someone I apparently do not hate at all. They haven't seen each other in months."
"Wow.. But how is Sqaishey related to this?" Joe asked. Then he bit his lip, until he found a conclusion,
"We assumed Beth wanted me to stop recording with you so that I would record with her more, but what if it's so you don't record with me on your channel so that you record with Ash more."
"No, Joseph, Ash wouldn't do that." I said, sternly.
"Then what about if Ash doesn't record with you.. Then he records more with-"
"Tom." I said. It all went back to Tom.
"But why would Tom want you to come home?" Joe asked, "and Nicole said that both her and Tom were forced to take that picture."
"David, I think the only reason I was asked to go home was that you would come home with me. They don't want me, they want you."

Who, of whom Tom and I both know very well and admire would want me to come home? Who would love me enough...

"It's my parents."

--STAMPYS POV--
Davids parents? Well I suppose that was actually a very logical explanation.. But why do they want him to come home so much?
"Is.. Is my mum okay?" David asked, his eyes wide with worry. "I need to know if she's okay."
I gripped his hand, "give me one second." I said, grabbing my phone and ringing Nicole.
"Hey, you might want to come in here right now." I said, a minute later the door opened and Nicole walked in to see David on the bed and me sitting on the edge, staring at her.
"D-Dave.." She walked over to him and took his hands.
"Nicole.. Are.. Are my parents okay?" He asked her.
"How- how-"
"Please just tell me the truth." David said. "Why do my parents want me to come home?"
I felt physically sick.. As if I knew the answer already.
"Your.. Your mother has fallen very ill.. I'm not supposed to tell you this. Your mother, of course, doesn't want you to come home, she wants you to have fun but your dad does, they say she's only got about a year left and they don't think you'll be home before then."
I saw Davids eyes water, and I almost felt his heart break and his mouth drop.
He looked down, then sat up, "excuse me." He said, before walking into the bathroom.
Nicole and I looked at each other, I had no idea what to do.