Once they’d approached, he tossed the lines to tether the stalled vessel to theirs. “Wait until we board after securing your boat,” he called out to the man standing nearby. Another man was near the wheel, and a woman was seated but clinging white-knuckled to the seat. “Are there just the three of you?”
“Yes. I’m Judd Malrooney. This is my brother-in-law, Tim, and my sister, Julie.”
“I’m Officer Martinez, and we’ve got someone coming to see if we can get you started or if we’ll need to tow you to the Baytown Harbor.”
“That’s not very convenient, Officer. If we have to be towed, it would be best if you could take us back to our rental house.”
“I’m afraid that if you need to be towed, then it’s back to the harbor, not to a private residence.”
Judd grumbled, but Jose ignored him while catching Jared’s narrow-eyed scowl. He was always amazed at people… most overflowed with gratitude for being saved, but a few groused when they didn’t get their way.
A few minutes later, Andy reported that the other police vessel was approaching. Jared had already examined Judd’s engine but had been unable to get it started. Callan steered the other VMP vessel and maneuvered to the other side of Judd’s boat so they could tether to it, too. Bryce deftly leaped to the smaller vessel. Jose noted that Judd stayed right with Bryce every minute as though he expected the officer not to be able to do his job. Jared followed to provide backup if Bryce needed it.
The woman suddenly leaped from the seat and raced to the edge of the boat. Leaning over while clutching the edge, she threw up. Jose hustled over to her as Tim patted his wife’s back.
“She started getting sick when the engine stalled, and we were rocking back and forth in the waves.”
“Oh God, Tim,” she cried. “Don’t even talk about the movement!” She began to dry heave again.
“Ma’am, let’s get you to our boat. We’ll take you in so you can be seen by the EMTs.”
Tim nodded his acquiescence. Jose held his hand out to assist the woman onto his vessel, but she was almost too ill to walk. With his hands on her upper arms, he guided her forward until Jared could lean over and pull her the rest of the way to their boat. Once she was secure, he called the station to let Ryan know that one of the passengers they were bringing in was ill. Disconnecting, he slipped his phone into his front jacket pocket just in time to see the woman lurching toward the side. She grabbed the edge and leaned too far over as she began to throw up again.
Hustling toward her, Jose held her shoulders to keep her from toppling over the side of the boat while she retched. Leaning forward to get a better hold on her, he watched as his phone slipped from his pocket and fell into the bay.
Biting back the curses that threatened to erupt, he focused on the woman since his phone was beyond rescue. He was furious for not having secured his phone in his back pocket. Getting her settled once again with her husband, he stalked into the wheelhouse.
Bryce reappeared on deck with Judd hustling after him.
“Try it now,” Bryce said.
Judd pressed the start, and the engine sputtered, then roared to life. Judd thanked him, beaming. Bryce wiped his hands and approached, reporting, “It’s working for now, but it’s only temporary. You need to take it in—"
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Judd said, dismissing Bryce. Turning, he yelled, “Tim. Julie, get back on board.”
“I’m having them take us to the harbor so she can be seen by the EMTs,” Tim replied.
“Why? She’s just seasick. It’ll pass!”
“I’m not willing to take that chance, Judd.”
“You’re ruining the trip,” Judd exclaimed, his face red.
No longer willing to let the boat owner call the shots, Jose stepped up. “We’re taking them to the harbor. You can follow—”
“I’m not giving up my fishing trip!”
Turning, Jose untied the ropes that attached the boats, and Callan did the same on the other side. Waving toward Andy, Jose indicated for them to start back to the harbor, leaving a fuming Judd alone with his boat.
Once underway, he walked into the wheelhouse. “I am so fucking sorry about your phone,” Andy said. “I looked over and saw it falling into the water.”
“I can’t believe it. It was an old phone that needed replacing, but it still worked.” He sighed heavily. “I’ll go to the store in Easton this weekend and get it replaced.”
“Why wait for days?” Jared asked.
“Because I’m working for the next four days. I’ll let my family know I’m out of touch. Surely, someone can get along without a cell phone for four days!”
“Well, as long as people know how to get ahold of you if they need to,” Andy said, tossing a wave to Callan and Bryce as their boat moved back into the bay.
“My family are the only people who call me anyway. I highly doubt I’ll miss any important news.”
6
Melanie stood with Suzette in her arms and looked around the small apartment. Small? More like minuscule.
The trip from Alexandria to Baytown should have only taken four hours. She had avoided the major highways and traveled along smaller roads to enjoy the trip more. One pit stop was necessary for a blow-out diaper change. That delay meant that she arrived after the movers, and with eye rolls and huffs, they made it obvious that they were in a hurry and she was holding them up. Then they’d proceeded to unload her belongings so fast that it was amazing they’d managed to get the few pieces of furniture and the numerous boxes into the right rooms.
Her parents lived frugally, a trait passed on to Melanie. So the small size didn’t matter to her as long as there was room for the most important things.
Eyeing the small space, she was glad she’d taken the time to look at her furniture with the apartment measurements. She had already donated Karen’s bedroom furniture to a local women's shelter in Alexandria, and her extra few pieces that didn’t fit had been stored in the storage unit behind the apartment building. That caused more eye rolls and huffs from the movers.
The apartment’s living room was only big enough for a loveseat, her rocking chair, and an end table. She didn’t want a coffee table to take up floor space. The bedroom held a twin bed she had purchased after getting rid of her double bed. She also managed to squeeze the crib and a dresser against the wall.
While there would’ve been room for a small table and chairs in the dining area, she opted not to fill that space, keeping it open for a toy chest, a highchair, and Suzette’s swing. Melanie had decided she could eat her meals sitting on a single stool at the counter.
Now that the movers had left, and she was alone with a slumbering baby, she doubted her sanity for the umpteenth time just that day. I’ve uprooted my life just to drop a bombshell on someone I don’t know, on the off chance that he might want to find out he has a daughter and spend time with her.
She dropped her chin to her chest and fought back the tears. Concentrating on breathing deeply, she finally blew out a cleansing breath and walked into the tiny kitchen. A cup of tea will surely help. Or at least it can’t hurt!