PULAU MATI (25 page)

Gray was on the flying bridge and the sun peeking over the eastern horizon when he spotted the superstructure of the frigate to the south.  With the combined speed of the two ships at about 45 knots, they would rendezvous in less than a half hour.   He went below and found Melanie awake.  Anna was trying to get her to drink some broth.

“Melanie, the
HMAS Coonawarra is about a half hour away.  It’s a big Australian navy ship that has a female doctor and medical facilities aboard.  Within an hour you are going to be in a clean bed and full of antibiotics.”

Melanie gave the brightest smile she had made since the pirates had arrived on the island but did not say anything.

As Gray turned to head back to the bridge, he said, “The commander recognized your name, Melanie.  He say’s he’s anxious to meet you although he wishes the circumstances were different.”

Before the frigate
was along side, Anna collected everyone’s name, address, email addresses and phone numbers, copied them to six small pieces of paper and handed them out to the other survivors.  When the frigate and the yacht had slowed and dropped anchor within two hundred yards of each other, the naval vessel lowered a large launch into the water and four men motored over to the yacht’s fantail.  They threw out fenders and two mooring lines.  The sea was calm so they had no difficulty coming aboard.

When the
commander and his men, all clean shaven and wearing crisp white uniforms stood on the fantail, it was only then that Gray realized how he and his companions must look to them, the men bearded, everyone gaunt and sun darkened, wearing ragged clothing and with scratches and wounds still healing.  At least they all had a chance to bathe.

The commander greeted them with a broad grin but w
hen he saw the anti-shipping mines lying in wooden cradles along the deck, his eye brows raised.  Fortunately Gray had briefed him on their struggles and how they came about the yacht.  Gray took him to the fore deck and lifted the panels concealing the Oerlikon cannon and the commander let out a long whistle.

Gray and Shinobu talked with the
commander and it was decided all the survivors but Melanie would continue on with the yacht to Darwin.  Two of the sailors, one with a handheld radio, stayed aboard and as soon as the launch departed, the yacht weighed anchor and was underway again.  The frigate made a big arc and slowly caught up with them but stayed off their starboard the rest of the way.

  Early in the afternoon, about the same time the slower pirate ship would have arrived had it not sunk, they passed Bathurst Island and spotted the city of Darwin. 

Gray asked Anna to come with him to the
stern.  “Meine Liebe, things may get hectic in the next few days.  We may be interviewed, interrogated, examined, poked and prodded.  I’m not sure what to expect.”

“Me either.  I’m getting butterflies worse than I had on my first tee
off on tour.”

“When we were on the plane you had me promise to ask you why you were crying.  Should I ask now or when things settle down?”

“Will we be together when things settle down?”

“That is a good question, Anna.  When I leave here I have some work to do in Cairns. 
I was arriving early so I will only be a few days late. They knew I was on the Emirates flight so I believe they will have waited for me.  But that is all beside the point.  Am I wise or being a fool if I ask you to come to Cairns with me?”

“I
’d love to go with you to Cairns but maybe you should ask me why I was crying and then decide if you are a fool or wise.”  She raised a hand to his arm.  “But first… I think you are wise for asking me to come… because I love you.”

“I love you too, Anna. 
I might as well say it because you already knew I did.  But you know nothing has changed.”

An expression that he could not read came and went
from her face. He said, “If you do not want to tell me why you were crying, you do not have to.”

“I think it best.”

“Alright, then tell me.”

“It was not out of fear.  Oh
, I was very scared, but that was not the reason.  My being on the flight was not serendipity.  You may call it fraud.  Alyson told me you were going to be on the flight after you had breakfast with us Saturday morning.  I knew then I was going to have to pull out of the Taiwan.  She suggested I take the flight because she knew I liked you and you liked me.”

“
She did that, huh?  Alyson, Alyson,” he said, shaking his head.

Anna just nodded and gazed at him.  He grinned and shook his head
again.  “I was completely oblivious to the fraud as you call it.  We do sometimes talk about who we think would appeal to each other when we are trying to undo what we blindly started.  She said I would probably like you and I told her you would be on the top of my list if you were five years older.”

Anna
poked his ribs and gave him a miffed look but it passed.  As Anna started to speak again it dawned on Gray what she was going to say and it made him groan in anguish for Alyson.

“The thing that
hit me so hard, the thing that made me cry on the airplane, was that Alyson put us both on that flight.  She is probably a basket case because of what she did.  She may have dropped out of the Taiwan.”

Gray
shook his head in dismay.  “She has had plenty of time to learn of the flight’s disappearance, besides not being able to contact either of us.  It breaks my heart to think of the pain this has caused her.”

“And she did it for
my and your benefit, trying to do a good thing like she always does.”

“
One of the many reasons I love her.”

“I know, Gray,” Anna said, her eyes moistening.

“Since the crash, the first thing on my agenda has been to get to someplace where I can call her.  I guess it will be very early morning in Santa Barbara but she will not care.”

“What will you say to her?”

“Sorry I couldn’t have called sooner.”

“Gray!”

“I will tell her I love her.  And then I will thank her for suggesting you take that flight.”

                                 
The End

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