(All characters are adult aged.)
"Here is your forecast for today; partly cloudy, a twenty percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, winds east at five miles per hour, high of eighty-five," the weather radio's monotone voice announced. I tapped the radio off and finished my cup of coffee. Today was going to be a good day.
I tossed away a junk mail letter which screamed in red letters WILLIAM MORELAND, YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY WON! The electric bill was important, so I threw that on top of my closed laptop and headed out the door. No worries about electric bills today, no worries about the office, no thoughts of that bitch Mindy who broke up with me two weeks ago. No; today was about fishing, and the weather was going to be just perfect.
Chirp-chirp greeted my truck as I used the fob to unlock the doors. Damn, the seat was already warm. Such is life in Florida. At least I didn't have to worry about defrosting the windows! My 16' aluminum boat was already hitched on the trailer attached to my truck, and in no time, I was cruising down the highway, thinking of bluefish, groupers and red snapper.
The seas had only the slightest chop, and the breeze felt refreshing, rewarding the senses in ways that only salty air can. After getting the boat in the water, I moored it, parked my car and checked my gear.
"Ok, I got my rods, my tackle, two pounds of frozen squid, life jackets, flares, radio is good, got my Leatherman multi-tool, a filet knife, and a cooler full of Squirt and ham sandwiches. I'm golden," I said to myself. I untied the rope attached to the dock and started the 250 HP outboard engine. It roared to life with a coughing growl which spit bluish-gray smoke in the air. The marine attendant waved as I slowly backed my boat out of the harbor. I gave him a polite nod in reply and headed out.
I guess it's not very wise to head out to sea alone, especially on a Thursday, when traffic would be lighter and help would be fewer and farther between, but I liked the thinned crowds. There's nothing more irritating than having an enormous ocean and feeling cramped by the ten thousand jerks crowding over the same fishing hotspot. Today, though, it was just me, the wind, the water, and the fish.
My fish finder was already getting hits, so I set anchor over the rock pile. I rigged up my rod with a large jig-head and a chunk of still icy squid. Dropping the line in the water, I was rewarded almost instantly by a sharp tug. I set the hook and reeled up a keeper sized red snapper. My mouth watered as I envisioned grilled fish, boiled new red potatoes and ice cold beer for dinner. Just my luck, I knew that every time I catch a fish on the first cast, the rest of the day will be mediocre. The first fish bit willing enough, but his buddies skedaddled from the reef.
"Little bastards," I cussed. I was hoping to catch at least a few more fish from this rock pile before moving on, but the fish make the rules, I just play the game. I started the outboard again and headed toward my second target. Along the way, I noticed a large thrashing commotion in the water.
"What the hell?" I muttered, turning the boat in the direction of the disturbance. As I approached, my mind went from curiosity to horror. I saw a dolphin caught in a mess of line and rope that somehow attached itself to a marker buoy. The dolphin was panicked, but I could see the beast was beginning to tire from exhaustion. The nearest conservation officer would probably be half an hour away, and the marine mammal did not have that kind of time to spare. I crept my boat up alongside the struggling animal and assessed the situation. Its mouth and pectoral fins were caught snuggly by the rope. Taking out my filet knife, I leaned over the side of the boat and cut the line by the dolphin's pectoral fins first. I figured if it panicked and tried to bite me, its mouth would still be caught by the rope for now.
"It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you, just lie still, easy, easy," I said. Strangely enough, it almost seemed as if the dolphin understood my words and tried to cooperate with me. I knew the creatures were smart, but I never thought they could grasp a situation like this. Working the knife, I freed its fins, then made my way to the snout.
"Now don't you bite me, I'm just trying to help," I said calmly. I ran my hand across its smooth, silky skin. It gave an audible gush of air from its blow hole. The dolphin's eye stared into mine almost sorrowfully. I had seen countless hundreds of dolphins while fishing or even just driving along the coastal highways, but I never touched one before. It was a cool experience, and I hoped I could do something to help the magnificent creature.
Within no time, I managed to free the dolphin from its bonds. It seemed to rest for a moment or two next to my boat, then it swam off, but not before kicking a large splash of water from its tail all over me and my boat.
"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically as the dolphin swam away with more vigor. I hauled up the remaining line and rope, trying to prevent another hapless creature from falling victim to the mess. I looked behind my back, and what were once puffy cumulus clouds now looked more threatening.
"Twenty percent chance, my ass," I said as I heard a very distant rumble of thunder. I was pissed. I had only one fish to show for the day, spending a long time freeing the dolphin. One fish would be enough for dinner, but I was hoping for a freezer full. The storm began to encroach as I started back for shore. I'll admit the cloud cover felt refreshing, but the prospect of being electrocuted by a lightning bolt was not too appealing.
As I headed in, I rode parallel to a beach. I saw a woman swimming way too far out, much further than the marker buoys. Even an alert lifeguard would be hard pressed to see her from such a distance. She appeared to be struggling.
"Help!" the blonde haired girl shouted. She seemed to bob up and down, struggling from the now choppier sea.
"Shit, what am I, a lifeguard today?" I asked myself as I veered the boat closer to the struggling woman. She saw me and flailed her arms wildly, screaming and taking water in her mouth. She seemed to disappear under the water for a second, then reemerged, gurgling and panicking.
I reached for her hand, but she went under again.
"Damn it, we'll I'm already wet from the dolphin," I thought to myself. Luckily, my pockets were empty, I was already barefoot, and my multi-tool was sitting on the boat dashboard instead of in my belt sheath. I shrugged and dove in the water. The water was somewhat murky, but I could still make her arms out. I dove deeper and grabbed her hand, pulling upwards with all my might. I wasn't the greatest swimmer, and an even lousier diver, and my lungs ached for air as I pulled the woman to the surface. She was unconscious.
I lurched over the side of the boat and got back on board, then managed to hoist the woman onboard as well.
"Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is
Amber Jack III
to coast guard, declaring an emergency," I shouted in my two-way marine radio.
"
Amber Jack III
, Coast Guard, declare your emergency," a woman replied.
"I'm 1.5 nautical miles from New Smyrna, I just pulled out a girl who swam passed the barriers and now she's unconscious, I'm beginning CPR," I announced.
"Roger, would you prefer an airlift or an EMT at the port?" she replied.
"EMT at the port, notify them I'll be there within five minutes," I replied.
"Roger,
Amber Jack III,
Coast Guard copies
.
" she said. I began CPR on the now blue woman. Had I not been in an adrenaline fueled moment, I would have noticed she was absolutely gorgeous. Her body was the type shown off on those Spring Break Gone Wild type videos. Her hair was just a shade lighter than wheat-gold, and had a crimped or wavy style about it, even when wet.
I began CPR with chest thrusts and breaths. After only a few repetitions, she coughed back to life, spitting up water. I grabbed a blanket from my emergency kit and wrapped it around her. She looked up at me with eyes bluer than the sea itself. Her big, pouty lips shivered in shock, even though it was still balmy outside. The storm began to get nearer, and I gunned the engine to race back to shore.
An ambulance, fire engine, and two police cars were already waiting at the dock, along with an expected crowd of onlookers. Throwing my rope to a firefighter, he docked my boat while two other first responders helped the woman onto a stretcher.
"I stabilized her, she's breathing, but she's in shock," I told the medics. They nodded, applying an oxygen mask to her face and wrapping her with more blankets. They did a vitals check and rushed her into the waiting ambulance. The ambulance raced off toward the hospital just as the story hungry media arrived.
The officer questioned me and I gave an account of what had happened, starting off with the dolphin.
"You're a regular hero today, aren't you?" he said.
"Huh?" I replied.
"Saving a dolphin, now saving a woman, you gonna rescue a cat stuck in a tree next?" he kidded.
