CHAPTER 3

Aboard the Bitter Harvest

Atlantic Ocean

November

REECE WAS ON THE back side of the storm now, the seas having calmed from deadly to merely rough. He powered up the GPS and took note of his location. The storm had pushed him quite a bit south, which was good news, so he decided to put up the sails to conserve fuel. With things more or less under control, Reece set the analog autopilot and went below for the first time in what felt like days. He looked in the mirror and couldn’t help but laugh at the disheveled figure that returned his gaze. The gash on his forehead had stopped bleeding but probably needed stitches; a few butterflies would have to do. Both eye sockets were swollen from the broken nose and were on their way to turning black. His hair was soaked and hung well below his collar. He washed his face in the sink, wrung his hair out, and stripped down so that he could put on dry clothes. He dug through the medical supplies and found what he was looking for: bandages and ibuprofen.

Hunger hit next. His food stocks would in all likelihood outlive him, but he was already growing tired of frozen and canned food. Reece opened a Tupperware container of Oreos and stuffed two into his mouth for a quick sugar fix. He couldn’t muster the energy to do any serious cooking, so he grabbed a bag of ramen noodles and nuked them in the microwave. Shoving a forkful of noodles down his throat was an action that he regretted instantly. The hot food seared the roof of his mouth and he exhaled several quick breaths in an attempt to cool the scorching sustenance. He poked around the bowl with his fork, his exhausted brain debating between satisfying his hunger and the fear of burning his mouth again. Hunger won out and he blew furiously on a second bite before placing it gingerly on his tongue. By the time the noodles had cooled to a palatable temperature, the bowl was empty.

Reece drank some water and went back topside to give things a look. Satisfied that all was as it should be, he set the timer on his watch for two hours and fell face-first onto the bed in the main stateroom.

• • •

Reece was steering the boat on a calm sea as Lauren sunned herself on the deck, a precious moment of relaxation for the busy mother of a three-year-old. He took in the increasingly rare family time with a smile, consciously aware of his happiness in the moment. Lucy sat on Reece’s lap and helped steer, taking serious interest in the letters on the floating compass.

“S is for Sisi! ” Lucy announced, referring to her pet name for her maternal grandmother.

“That’s right, pretty girl. You’re so smart! What starts with an E? ”

“Elmo! ”

“That’s right, Lucy! ”

“What’s that, Daddy? ”

“What, baby? ”

Reece turned his head to see what his daughter was pointing at off the stern. A massive wave crested above the sailboat as if in slow motion.

Reece yelled for Lauren to hold on, but he couldn’t make her hear him. The rogue wave crashed over the stern, swamping the boat and tearing Lucy from his grasp. She looked pleadingly into his eyes as she reached for his outstretched hand, the water dragging her ever farther away. He kicked his legs, but it was like running in wet concrete. Gasping for breath and redemption, with seawater filling his lungs, he descended into the depths, away from his family, away from life.

• • •

A horrible beeping sound grew louder and louder, jolting Reece awake. He sat up, drenched in sweat, blinking his eyes and looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. It took him a few moments to get his bearings. He swung his feet to the floor and ran the fingers of both hands through his hair. It won’t be long, girls. I’ll be with you soon. Maybe today.

He fished around with his feet until they found his flip-flops, then stood and stretched until his hands hit the ceiling. He walked slowly through the galley and salon, grabbing his sunglasses from a table before heading up to the deck to face his demons.

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