A Fragile Woman by Ciara Duggan

Author:Ciara Duggan [Duggan, Ciara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Old Habits

The next morning, I was woken by Skyla. “Rise and shine sleepy head!” Her voice was soft and inviting—a nice tone to be woken to. When I turned over, her friendly eyes widened. “Oh, my God! What happened?”

I looked down and there was blood on my shirt and sheets. Quickly examining my hand, I saw that my cut had bled through its wrapping. “Oh, I, uh, broke a glass cleaning up last night.”

“You better get that checked out, lovely.” Even when she was concerned, she found a way to be pleasant and complimentary.

“All crew, all crew. Report to the boarding dock for farewell.” Captain Ronnie’s voice sounded on Skyla’s radio. We must have docked back in Salerno early this morning.

“I think I have an ace bandage you can use for now. But after we send off the Sawyers, you should get it looked at.”

Skyla rummaged through one of her bags while I tried to wake up fully. I felt a bit dizzy—probably from the blood loss—but I was also quite accustomed to waking up out of sorts after a night of abuse. And then a wave of nausea came over me at the thought of having to face Blake Sawyer, his wife, and their kids. Would our interaction go unspoken? Would the other crew members notice the tension between us? Or would he leave, and our interaction would be completely forgotten?

“Here you go.” Skyla handed me the wrapped-up ace bandage. “I’d wash the cut first, then maybe pad it with some tissue before wrapping it.”

“Okay. Thank you so much.” I took the bandage and slowly climbed out of my bunk.

“I’d try to move quickly, though. Captain Ronnie hates it when we’re late.” Skyla was already dressed in her whites and looked refreshed for farewell. “See you out there.” She left the cabin and I rushed into the bathroom to sort myself out.

I had somehow managed to wrap my hand and change into my whites without getting any blood on them. My long brown hair even cooperated when tying it back into a neat ponytail. Maybe this morning would be okay. That thought left my mind quickly, however, when I arrived at the boarding dock and felt Captain Ronnie’s glare piercing through me. I convinced myself that I was being paranoid. Perhaps the sun was in her eyes and that was why she was squinting so hard in my direction. I put myself in line and waited patiently.

When the Sawyers arrived and walked across the boarding bridge, I searched both Blake’s and Tanya’s faces for any hints of displeasure. To my surprise, they both had smiles on. Maybe Blake was too drunk to even remember what had happened. Either way, I kept my wrapped hand hidden behind my back in case it would remind him of last night’s events. But when they both came down the line to shake each crew member’s hand, I knew I would have to reveal it.

When Blake arrived in front of me, he smiled as if nothing had happened.

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