[Staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance- so close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions]
--- Lyrics to 'Unwritten' by Natasha Bedingfield
Ray of Hope Part 33
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Sally asked with a concerned frown as she closely followed Heero towards the marina at the water's edge ahead of them. The chilling breeze picked up and with a shuddered, she wrapped her light, white coat tighter around her.
With a deep sigh, she muttered, "We would have to go the weekend of a cold snap." It was still early enough in the morning that the sun was not high enough to warm the air the few degrees difference that would have helped.
Looking over his shoulder to meet her gaze, Heero replied, "I'm sure. We don't have another option that might help me get my memory back. I can't wait for it to finally return, so I have to try and force it."
Quickly walking ahead of the sailor, Sally stopped before him and rested her hands on his shoulders to still him. The worry growing in her eyes, she stated quietly, "The only reason I did not suggest this is because I am afraid that if it works and your memory is forced back, you could go into shock-if not worse. I'm sure that I don't need to remind you that you collapsed once already, and you were not attempting to make yourself remember anything."
Much as he wanted his ordeal to finally end, Heero had to admit to himself that he was slightly hesitant just for that reason. Having to deal with the pain of waves of nausea that came with his slow recovery were not things that he looked on fondly. And Sally was right to be concerned as those instances were not induced in any way.
What would happen if this attempt worked and everything came flooding back at once?
After a long moment of consideration, he knew that his decision affected more than just himself. Straightening, Heero nodded firmly, "Duo's worth the risk. As much as I want the answers to my own questions, he deserves to know the answers to his."
Her eyes widening at the response, the braided doctor lowered her arms to her sides. A small, satisfied smile tugged her lips and with a small nod of her own head, she said softly, "All right." Adjusting the strap of her medical bag on her shoulder, Sally smirked, "Let's get this over with, then." She turned on her heels and lead the way to the marina.
Opening one of the large, wooden double doors to the enclosed building, the pair slipped inside. With it being a Saturday, the Sweepers were no where to be found within the large facility. Along the three long piers, however, the many ships they cared for remained as they bobbed gently on the low tide.
From the end of the center pier, Howard's voice called, "I was beginning to think that you changed your mind!" The white-haired man walked down the long stretch with a wide smile as his guests approached to meet in the middle of the dock.
"It's my fault we're a bit late," Sally admitted with a shrug. "I did slow him down a bit to try and talk him out of this." Looking to her Japanese friend, she shook her head, "But he's pretty determined to try this." At the old man's deep chuckle, she grinned and kissed his cheek, "It's good to see you, Howard."
Gently patting the doctor's back, the white-haired sailor rested his sunglasses atop his head and winked, "You too, Sal."
After the warm reunion, Heero stepped forward and extended his hand as he said sincerely, "I can't thank you enough for doing this, Howard. To be honest, I don't think that I would have blamed you for turning me away."
With a sharp puff of air, Howard waved off the comment before exchanging a firm hand shake with the Japanese young man. "I understand where you were coming from when it came to keeping your lip buttoned," he replied. "Much as I consider Duo family, I can't be mad at you for that. Besides, I promised that I would take you out for a sail, and I'm not about to go back on my word."
Chuckling deeply, the old man pointed a thumb to Sally and smirked, "I'm glad that you brought the good doc along. I might like 'ya and your guts for going through with this, but I ain't about to give you mouth-to-mouth if you needed it out there."
The heavy tension building up to the excursion broke instantly. Both Heero and Sally laughed as Howard turned to lead them back down the pier. When they stopped before the three boats belonging to the Yuy family, the white-haired sailor gestured to the largest and stated, "I figured that you would want to take the Atlantis out, so I just finished prepping it."
At the sight of the craft, Heero swallowed hard. The innocent, white vessel bobbed lightly on the tide with its deep blur-tipped sails hanging against their posts. Taking a deep breath, he forced a wide smile and turned to his friends. To their uncertain expressions, he nodded firmly, "We'll lose the daylight if we just stand around here like this. Let's go."
* * * * * *
Bouncing over the waves, the Atlantis continued on its course with Horizon Cove fading off into the distance. Howard maneuvered the wheel with Heero and Sally sitting in the bench behind him. The wind tussled the hair that peeked out from under his baseball cap as he turned to look over his shoulder, asking, "How you doing, kid?"
Unable to hide his disappointment, Heero looked away from the horizon beside him that he had been watching with a deep frown. "Nothing yet," he called over the wind and sloshing water around them. Shaking his head, he looked back out to the endless ocean and muttered, "I just don't get it. I was sure something would happen by now."
Sally patted his shoulder gently with a small grin. "Don't worry," she reassured him. "Even if this doesn't work, your memory will come back eventually. It's probably for the best that you weren't able to force it."
Her free hand brushed back the loose wisps of her blonde hair that came free in the wind, she looked out over her side of the craft. "We've been out here for a couple hours now. Maybe we should head back," she suggested.
Another tall wave raised the boat a few inches as Heero finally sighed deeply, "Yea." As he rose from his seat, he walked down the long walkway to the bow of the ship. Behind him, he could hear the braided doctor telling Howard to turn them back.
Running a hand through his wind-blown hair, the young sailor bit his lip in thought. Considering the powerful episode he felt his first time on the Atlantis, Heero was sourly disappointed at not having so much of a hint to a memory during his first trip at sea since the accident. With nothing else to go on in recovering, he had to content himself to just allowing nature to take its course-however long it took.
When the Atlantis began to slowly turn, the distant island fell ahead of them. At the sound of an odd flapping, Heero looked up to see that the large sail overhead was not taut enough to catch the breeze, its fabric waving to and fro. Without even thinking, he moved over to the side of the boat where the rope was tied around a bolt. Pulling the slack to wrap around the metal hitch, he grunted in effort until he knew the length was right.
Once the line was tightened with just enough room to move, the sail overhead billowed to the side at catching the full draft. Blinking his eyes as he looked from the bolt to his hands to the sail, Heero's mouth fell slack in awe. He never recalled how to sail a craft before that day. Suddenly, he knew the purpose of every bolt, line and rudder on the craft.
A wide smile threatened to split the Japanese sailor's face as he ran back to the where Howard and Sally were standing at the wheel. On his way towards them, however, the sky suddenly darkened with thick clouds that released a heavy downpour amongst flashes of lightning. The sea rose and fell violently, tossing the boat with it.
His cobalt eyes widening, Heero turned back to face the bow. In the distance, he could just make out the dark a horizon. Just then, a piercing beam of light pierced the blackness, spinning overhead and followed quickly by another beam. Relief filled his gaze as he breathed, "Land." If only his small craft would hold long enough to make it to distant island that he could just make out through the storm.
Staggering in his footsteps amongst the heavy wind and wracking waves that splashed up against him, Heero made his way to the front of the ship. There wasn't much time for his vessel. The water was coming in too quickly and the wind was starting to tear at the sails. Still, the island slowly drew nearer, the light from what he was certain to belong to a lighthouse guiding the way to safety.
In the distance, he could hear someone calling a name that he did not know. 'Heero?' Why did that name seem so familiar? Over the roaring sea and deafening thunder, the voices faded away once more.
With the island still approaching at what seemed a crawl, Odin couldn't help but think of how he had gotten himself into this situation to begin with. He thought about Dorothy and how he didn't even get the chance to tell her he was leaving. He thought of his father and mother, who would never know why he disappeared. In his haste to leave his life behind, he might very well have sentenced himself to death.
"Heero!" the chorus of voices shrieked over yet another crack of thunder, somehow sounding closer than the last time. Shaking his drenched head, he tried to understand why the name was so familiar.
All that was left was to steer the Seagull towards the light from the tower perched on a high cliff that was finally coming into view with the help of the lightning. Running back to the wheel over the slick surface, Heero battled two waves that poured down on him. Gripping the wheel, he turned it sharply left to avoid another hit and then right to align himself on course with the lighthouse.
Panting heavily, his eyes widened when he looked up to see that the cliff side was closer than he thought it had been. There was no time to react. He was going to hit it. With a cry, Heero gripped the wheel and braced himself for the impact. The initial sounds of wood splintering around him filled his ears and he could feel the floor beneath him giving way.
As he fell, cold and blissful darkness took him.
Sally cried out in panic as she held Heero as he fell back into her arms. With a grunt, Howard took up the rest of the boy's weight from her as they eased him onto the floor. Checking the unconscious sailor's pulse, the braided nurse looked up with fear in her eyes as she shouted to her friend, "Get us back as fast as this ship can take us!"
* * * * * *
That afternoon....
Raising the brim of her sunhat, Dorothy looked up when the captain of the ship grinned at her, "Welcome to Horizon Cove, ma'am."
Slowly walking to the pointed bow of the ship, the young woman gripped the railing. The approaching island was indeed not a large one, as she imagined. In the bright, clear daylight, she could spot several birds flying about the rocky cliff side.
At the top of the cliffs, Dorothy appraised the tall, white lighthouse tipped in a deep green. The majestic scene brought a smile to her face, her long hair blowing in the wind. "Quite lovely," she breathed to herself.
TBC...
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