Five Sisters (17 page)

After an hour or so of trying to read her novel, Sara decided she just couldn't concentrate and presently left the room. She walked to the top of the staircase, taking a seat on the uppermost step, and placed her ear near the crack of the door. The sailors were shouting back and forth to each other, struggling to let their voices be heard over the fierce wind, rain, and clattering thunder.

It all sounded so exciting that that Sara considered going up herself, but soon realized what a silly idea that was. Going up on deck would only mean that Sara would end up cold and wet and the men most certainly wouldn't it allow it. They'd fear her health and send her straight back downstairs. So instead, Sara sat sadly on the step and listened to the excitement from afar.

And then she heard it.
A voice calling madly from high, high above.
It was the lookout, Rory, calling from the crow's nest.

"Wave!" he shouted, "Wave on the starboard side!"

"Wave!
Wave on the starboard side!"
Rory screamed, his voice breaking, "Wave!"

For a few eerie moments, the world was completely calm. The wind stopped howling, the rain weakened to a drizzle, and all of the sailors stood still in shock as they saw it approach.

In all of their years on the ocean, none of the men had ever seen a wave like this one before. It must have been at least fifty feet high.
At least.
And unlike the other waves, dark and black, this one was white, made up entirely of foam as if it had just broken. As it rolled forward, it gained height, growing bigger and bigger.

In awe of the magnificent wave, the men stood staring at it with blank expressions. It seemed to have hypnotized them, for they couldn't move, much less think, in its presence.

Zooey shook his head in disbelief, but when he realized that this wasn't a dream and that the wave was real, he shouted, "Down!" before proceeding to crouch on the ground and brace himself.

Most of the other men followed suit and kneeled down, but about half were still so amazed they hadn't even heard Zooey's warning. Charlie was one of these men. He was standing in the little area above his office, with his hands on the steering wheel, mouth hanging open in wonder.

And then it arrived, swelling to such a great height that the entirety of Violet was in its shadow. Most waves would break behind the ship and roll beneath the stern, but this wave was different. It had a very distinct high curl that continued to rise higher and higher until it couldn't go any further.

Then, all at once, it came crashing down. Thousands of gallons of water, pounding down upon the ship and its sailors like a giant fist, desperate to crush anything in its path.

Charlie, now looking so small and feeble when compared to the great wave, was the first in its way. It came down upon him like a million bricks, hammering onto his head and shoulders and slamming him into the steering wheel.

The sailors' limbs flailed around, desperate to find something to hang on to. Like a giant wall, the water came crashing down and all the men were thrown against the floor. And when it left, they were left looking like lifeless, overturned turtles- their arms and legs still shaking madly as they struggled to get to their feet after the massive blow.

The rain fell lightly and lightning struck in the distance, but it seemed as though the storm was over. That was it. That wave, that great, magnificent wave, was the grand finale, leaving all the sailors dumb and speechless. Many were hurt, but they hadn't even realized it yet. Their minds were still reeling over the great wave.

Sara, sitting on the topmost step, was clutching onto the shaky rail with a white hand. She'd heard the sailor's shouts of warning, followed by that eerie silence, and then, all at once, there was the sound of water slamming down upon the deck. The entire ship rocked violently back and forth, and Sara could barely keep her balance on the stairs. From somewhere downstairs, a girl screamed, but Sara didn't know which of her sisters it was.

The wave caused Sara to slip down a few steps and bang her bottom on the wood, but other than that and the initial shock, she was fine. Water burst through the cracks of the door and dripped down the stairs. With uncertain steps, Sara got to her feet and made her way downstairs and into the girls' room.

Mary was as pale as a ghost, peeking out from beneath her quilt like a mouse, while Emy and Nora were crouching on the floor with their hands over their heads as though a tornado had hit.

"Are you alright?" Sara
asked,
her voice breathless.

Nora gulped and looked around at her sisters, "I think so."

Sara didn't wait another moment, but rushed over to Nathaniel's room.

Gail had slipped off the bed and was lying on the floor, rubbing her throbbing forehead. Nathaniel appeared fine for the most part, besides his shaky hands and increasingly white face. He was leaning over his bedside to look down at Gail and see if she was hurt.

"Are you alright?" Sara repeated quickly.

Gail nodded, "Fine. Just a little shaken, is all."

"And your head?"

"Well it was hit, but I shouldn't have more than a bump. I'm fine, really."

Sara nodded, taking quick breaths, "Alright then. I'm going upstairs."

As she headed back into the hall, Sara saw Nora and Emy following Sawyer up the stairs. All three were gripping the staircase so tightly the muscles in their arms were flexed, but they moved quickly. Sara fell in step behind Emy.

When Sawyer and the girls arrived on deck, they felt as though they were looking out onto a battlefield. The sailors were sprawled around in various positions, moaning and gingerly touching their aching joints and cuts. They were soaked to the bone, shivering, and the girls instantly felt the need to act as nurses.

Sawyer headed to the kitchen, where Charlie kept the stock of bandages and other first aid supplies. Nora ran over to Zooey and Jess, kneeling beside them and checking for cuts or broken bones, while Emy headed over to Michael and Jacob. She sat down on the ground beside them, petting their heads as though they were children and asking what hurt.

Sara didn't know what to do first. There were so many men and they all seemed to be in need of some help. When Sawyer returned, she took some bandages from him and began helping Buddy with a cut on his arm. He'd scraped it against a sharp corner during the wave and it was now bleeding quite badly.

Once Buddy was taken care of, Sara was just about to move on to Noah when she heard someone calling from up above. Their voice was hoarse.

Sara quickly got to her feet and followed the voice to the space above the office. Half of the ladder had been torn off during the storm, but Sara was able to make her way up after a bit of struggling.

Charlie was lying on the ground and trying, without success, to stand up. The force of the great wave had thrown him straight into the steering wheel. A large gash ran from the corner of his eye and up through his left eyebrow to the middle of his forehead. Blood, bright red, was running down from it, mixed with salty ocean water from the wave. The arm of his raincoat had been shredded and his right arm was cut as well.

Sara didn't know what to do when she saw him. Instantly, a feeling of regret and remorse ran over her. She wished she'd thought of him as soon as she arrived on deck. She wished she hadn't forgotten about him.

"Charlie," she murmured, kneeling down beside him, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Charlie said quickly, trying again to get to his feet, "How are the men?
And your sisters?
And Nathaniel?
And you?"

Sara set her hand on Charlie's shoulder and forced him to stay seated, "But your head . . . Charlie, you're bleeding."

"It's only a scratch," Charlie replied, brushing her away, "Is everyone alright? Is anyone hurt?"

"
You're
hurt!"

"I'm fine, Sara.
Really."

Sara tore the corner off of one of her underskirts and wiped it onto his forehead, on the cut. Then she held it up for him to see. The scrap of white cotton was now a deep scarlet, covered in Charlie's blood.

Charlie reached up a hand to feel how bad it was, but winced in pain when his fingers touched the inside of the cut.

"If you don't have that cleaned out properly you're going to get an infection," Sara murmured.

Charlie nodded silently, and when Sara stood up he did the same. She took a rag and pail of cool water from the kitchen and they headed to Charlie's office, which was warm and dry.

"You don't have to stay, I can take care of it from here," Charlie said, reaching out for the rag.

But Sara quickly held it out of reach and asked, "How are you supposed to clean a cut you can't even see?"

"I'll manage."

"You'll hurt yourself! You're not supposed to touch the inside of the cut with the rag, and that'll be impossible if you can't even see it."

Charlie sighed, "Alright. Go ahead."

They sat down on the sofa- Charlie, on one side, sitting rather stiffly, and Sara, on the other, with her feet curled up beneath her. Like a little nurse, she gingerly dabbed away the blood around the cut and cleaned it out.

Charlie sat silently, a sparkle in those green eyes of his. A small smile crept across his face as he watched Sara work. She was so gentle with him, yet every so often he'd cringe as she touched the rag to his forehead.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" she asking softly.

Charlie shook his head, "No.
Never."

Gail sat down on the end of Nathaniel's bed and rubbed her head wearily. She'd taken a bit of a fall when the wave hit and her forehead was red. A bump had already begun to form in the center.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nathaniel asked for what seemed like the twentieth time.

"I'm perfectly alright," Gail assured, "And you?"

"Just a little shaken, is all." Nathaniel replied. He was still a bit whiter than usual and his hands were shaking more than they ought, but he wasn't too concerned. This sort of thing happened quite often when Nathaniel was given a shock. He scratched his head, "Shouldn't you be getting upstairs to help though? I'm sure the men aren't doing too well after that wave."

"Yes," Gail nodded slowly, "Yes, you're probably right."

She didn't leave though. With the speed of a snail, she stood up and brushed her skirt, but she didn't leave the room.

"I'm fine," Nathaniel added quickly, thinking she felt inclined to stay because of him and his health, "Really, I am."

"I know, I know," Gail replied in a soft voice, staring at the floor.

"Will you come back down when you're finished?" Nathaniel continued, "We could play another game if you like."

Gail nodded, finally meeting his eyes. She gave a small smile and headed towards the door. Before she left, she looked up once more and said, "Yes. Of course I'll come back down."

From her warm bed downstairs, Mary could hear all the commotion occurring on deck. The sailors were limping about like dazed mummies, holding onto their bruised arms or aching knees. Mary's four sisters were rushing around as the four nurses: cleaning cuts, setting arms in slings, and bandaging legs.

Mary knew she should be upstairs helping and doing her part. She knew she shouldn't be lying in her bed, moaning and complaining of her troubled mind and restless heart. She knew she was being silly and completely useless down here, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to get out of bed.