“Twelve.”
“I’ll grab you one.” She hesitated. “Unless you want two?”
“One’s fine.” When she left, he got to his feet and walked onto the deck. Upstairs, Sam spoke with another crew member.
Gretchen brought over the fin and goggles. “Do you want me to hold your leg?”
This was awkward, but it helped she was being so matter-of-fact about it. “Yeah.”
There was a step up from the marlin board, so he sat there, took off his leg, tipped out the sweat which had gathered in the cup and handed it to Gretchen. He rubbed his stump, conscious of the red scars, and quickly put the fin on his remaining foot.
“Here.” Gretchen passed him suncream. “If you don’t put it on your leg, it’s likely to burn badly.”
And that would make the prosthesis far more uncomfortable. Quickly he added the cream, then slipped on the goggles and slid into the water.
Refreshing. Cool enough to provide relief from the heat, but not cold enough to provide a chill. The water was clear and the clumps of coral teamed with life. He kicked in the opposite direction from the rest of the group. He tensed, the weirdness of only one fin powering him along, throwing him off balance. His other leg kicked, but did next to nothing to provide movement.
Arthur gritted his teeth. Get used to it. It was different, not bad. He exhaled and adjusted his rhythm to account for it. Then a turtle grazing on the coral caught his attention, and he forgot about his body.
He swam closer, the turtle unconcerned about his nearness as it continued to eat. Nearby, fluorescent blue fish darted around some stag coral and rainbow wrasse drifted with the sway of the water.
Beautiful. Peaceful. He could forget about his injury, forget about everything happening above the surface, and immerse himself in this world.
He dived under to peer beneath an undercroft where he could see a crayfish, some of its feelers exposed but the rest of its body blended with the coral. As he surfaced for a breath, another swimmer approached. He tensed until he recognised the bright blue of her bathers.
Gretchen.
Had Sam sent her to babysit him?
He lifted his head, and she took her snorkel from her mouth. “I hope you don’t mind me joining you. Sam said I could jump in.”
Arthur scowled. “Sam wanted you to monitor me.”
She smiled. “Maybe, but it means I get an extra swim, which is always a bonus. I can go over there if you want.”
That would only make him seem like an idiot. “No, it’s fine. Did you see the turtle?”
Her face lit up with a grin. “No. Where?”
He pointed it out, and they swam together, side by side, as they made their way to the next clump of coral. Gretchen grabbed his hand to point out a sting ray gliding along the bottom. Though her touch was fleeting, it left a warmth behind. Connection. Something he had been a long time without.
A few large snapper swam near him, unconcerned because this area of the reef was a no fishing zone and there was no danger. Some long pale pipe fish kept close to the bottom, swimming in small schools.
He shifted to look around and caught a dark shape gliding towards him. No, not gliding, almost flying with a dip and raise of its wings.
Manta ray.
He grabbed Gretchen’s hand, and they floated side by side as the huge ray swam closer.
Epic.
When it had almost reached them, it did a loop, flashing its white underbelly as it did a full somersault in the water. Then, with a couple of flaps, it zipped out of sight.
Arthur let out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He met Gretchen’s eyes. A connection sparked. A shared experience.
Gretchen surfaced and removed her snorkel. “Wow.”
He nodded. There weren’t many words to use. “Incredible.” Could he capture its majesty on paper? It made him feel insignificant, as if his problems weren’t worth much in the scheme of things. There was an immense world full of wonders which he should focus on rather than its horrors.
