Page 57 of Where the Waves Kiss the Shore
“I thinkwe should call the Coast Guard back to take you to the hospital for a checkup after your fall overboard.”
Kasia was putting every fraction of her energy into lifting one foot after the other to get off the lifeboat without dropping to the ground. She didn’t care how well-meaning Joey was, they were annoying her. “Don’t be ridiculous. They’ll have plenty to do with actual emergencies and casualties. I need to get warm and dry. A few hours of sleep, and I’ll be fine.”
Joey helped her down the last step. Aoife jumped down after them.
“Good work, all of you,” Seán said. “The Tyrell brothers might have been one short without your help.” He stepped up and wrapped his arms around Aoife. “Those were scary seas.”
“Tony should’ve known better than to have stayed out that long as the weather built,” Joey said. “He put us all at risk. I’ll talk to him tomorrow when everyone’s had some sleep.” They pulled off their wet weather gear and threw it on the bench in front of their locker.
Ordinarily, each crewmember would take care of their own kit, hanging it in the drying room, and making sure it was readyfor the next time. But tonight, after the call they’d been on, one of the ground crew was gathering their wet items.
Kasia stood there, wrapping her arms around her body. Despite being soaking wet, she didn’t want to take off her layers. The air would be icy cold because the gas heater that warmed the office didn’t reach the locker room.
Joey turned, already stripped down to their thermals. Their brow furrowed. “Hey, you need to get out of those. Let me help you.”
Kasia pulled away. She didn’t want help; she just wanted to go to sleep. But Joey was insistent and started unzipping her coat.
“Your lips are blue, and the shaking is getting worse. If you don’t want to end up in that Coast Guard helicopter, you’re going to have to help me.”
Kasia tried to help, but her arms felt like lead. She finally just let Joey take care of her. They stripped her and pushed her into the shower, where Aoife was already standing under the steaming jet. She grabbed a towel from the rack and stepped out of the way so Joey could guide Kasia under the water.
Kasia watched as though from behind a thick glass wall. Only the cold was real. The heat from the water shocked her back to reality, and she lifted her head. The hot stream ran through her hair and warmed her scalp. Gradually, she felt more alive, but a skull-splitting headache developed along with deep pain in her shoulder. She reached up to her head and couldn’t hold back a hiss when her shoulder objected.
Joey rushed close. “I knew I’d hurt you when I grabbed you. Let me call Dr. Scott, please?”
She leaned back against the wall of the shower. “I’m fine. Just find me some painkillers for when I get out and leave me in peace for five minutes.”
Aoife stopped drying her hair with a towel and guided Joey out. “Five minutes, then we’re coming to get you. Seán will check you over when you’re done.”
Kasia sighed and pushed upright. Her shaking was subsiding. She was probably mildly hypothermic. Her speech had been slurred on the boat, and she’d seen the concern in Joey’s eyes, but the hot water was helping.
Her fall from the lifeboat into the freezing water had been the most terrifying moment of her life. Her instinct to fight and survive had battled with the shock of the cold sea. Her life jacket had helped her avoid swallowing much water, and Joey had forced her to cough it up the moment she was on board. The feeling of their strong hand catching hers just before the waves drove her away from the lifeboat was something she’d never forget. She washed her hair and cleaned herself with her good arm and had wrapped a towel around her body before Aoife marched in at her deadline.
“How are you feeling?”
Concern filled her voice, and Kasia knew she should be grateful people cared about her, but the feeling of irritation just kept growing. “I told you I’m okay. I just want to be left alone to get dressed and go home.”
“Okay, but Seán just needs to check you out.”
Her expression must’ve reflected her mood because Aoife raised her hands. “Hey, give us a break, Kasia. It’s Seán’s responsibility to check you’re okay.” She stepped back. “Then Joey will take you home.”
“Okay, but he’d better be quick.” She was grateful Aoife had brought her clothes and helped her into them.
“Joey said to get you as warm as possible. Come on now, and Seán will make it quick. I promise.”
She allowed herself to be pulled out into the main room and sat down on a bench.
Seán knelt on the floor in front of her and took her wrist. “How are you feeling? Please be honest.”
“I feel like shit, but nothing I can’t handle. My head aches, I can’t move my shoulder, and my extremities are still tingling, but I’m regaining some feeling. Let me go home, please.”
Joey held out a glass and some tablets she swallowed without question, then she gulped down the water. Her throat also hurt. She wished she could just teleport directly into her bed.
After a couple of minutes of poking and asking questions about what hurt, Seán stood. “I’m going to get Dr. Scott to come first thing and give you a proper check over, especially that shoulder. You can go home if there’s someone there to keep an eye on you. Is Tierney at the hotel tonight?”
Joey stood. “I’ll take her home and make sure Tierney’s around.” They pulled Kasia gently to her feet. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
Kasia stood with care, though she was swaying. The priority was getting home. She’d get to Tierney, who would make it all okay once she was wrapped up tight in her arms. Joey put her coat on her and zipped it up around her injured arm. Then she allowed them to guide her out and nodded vaguely to Aoife and Seán as she passed.
