We headed back to theAvventura.
Ariel was still aboard the boat. She sunned herself on the sky deck, au naturel. I wasn't expecting to find her when we strolled up to the sky deck, and I don't think she was expecting us. She covered her lady bits quickly with her hands.
JD and I did our best to avert our eyes, but the magnetic pull was strong. Tanned skin, flat stomach, buoyant assets. It was enough to give you heart palpitations.
"Sorry, I didn't think you'd still be here," I said.
"I didn't think you'd be back so soon.” Then she added, "I didn't have a swimsuit, and I figured who’d know?"
"We'll give you some privacy," I said.
JD and I took the steps down to the main deck and huddled in the salon. We both exchanged a look.
Jack said, "She can stay on the boat as long as she likes."
I didn’t disagree.
Ariel joined us in the salon a moment later, a fluffy beach towel wrapped around her torso. She hung her head and covered her eyes with her hand. "I'm so embarrassed. Sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Jack said.
"I'll just get dressed and get out of your hair.”
I kind of liked having her around.
"No rush," I said.
"You boys look like you're up to something.”
"I think we found the shark," I said. "We're going to check it out."
Ariel lifted an intrigued brow. "How did you find it?”
"Long story. Tracking tags."
Concern filled her eyes. "What are you going to do?"
"Observe and get visual confirmation."
"That's it?”
"For now. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with. Once we have confirmation, then we can continue to track it while we figure out how to handle the situation. I think the best course of action would be to capture the shark and transfer it to a secure location.”
"I want to go.”
I laughed. "You’re not supposed to do anything strenuous, operate heavy machinery, or do anything that could cause additional trauma. Scuba diving is off the list.”
"You're not the boss of me. I feel fine. And Dr. Parker said nothing about scuba diving.”
"I think it goes without saying. A reasonable person would scratch that off the list after a concussive event.”
“I’m going with you.”
“Absolutely not. Navy guidelines suggest a seven-day symptom-free minimum before a return to diving after a concussive event. Fourteen to 30 days is recommended.”
She scoffed. “I’m not in the Navy. And I’m not staying out of the water for a month.”
“Your symptoms could return. You could get a headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or brain fog. Not things you want to experience underwater. You could have difficulty equalizing the pressure. You could experience an increased risk of decompression sickness even on a no-decompression dive. Yourseizure threshold is lower. What are you going to do if you blackout underwater?”
