The Sky Beneath Her(58)

My watch buzzed, and I checked the time. Nathan and the others had been down for forty minutes now. The divers were scheduled to surface in twenty minutes.

Minutes later, another diver cracked the surface. It was Jeff, the contractor from Virginia Beach. He swam toward the dive platform and hoisted himself up easily. He shrugged off his tanks, and I lifted them onto the boat. He removed his mask and climbed aboard.

I handed him a water bottle. “How did it go?”

He twisted off the top. “It was amazing. Hell of a sight.”

“What part of the ship did you explore?” Tony asked.

“I started at the bow and swam toward the intact midsection. I was interested in seeing the .50 caliber guns on the deck. They must’ve delivered a hell of a punch back in the day.”

“They did,” I said.

“They were all angled upward.”

It would take centuries for the ocean to totally reclaim the vessel, but eventually, centuries would pass, and she would. “She’s trying to hold strong.”

“The hull was covered in barnacles, corals, and sponges, seven years ago like it is now. Pretty amazing.”

“Yeah, Mother Nature puts those wrecks to good use. It’s home now to tons of fish, eels, and crabs.”

Jeff took a long swig. “I saw glass bottles, plates, and military supplies. They were scattered on the ocean floor.”

“You didn’t take anything, did you?” I asked.

“No.”

“Good. Bad karma, and the wreck is within three miles of the coast, so salvage is illegal.”

“I’m more worried about karma than the laws,” Jeff said.

I was satisfied that he hadn’t swiped any trinkets, and I decided not to argue.

Another diver popped to the surface. It was Martha, the schoolteacher. I helped her onto the platform.

“Fantastic,” Martha said.

“Glad you enjoyed it.” I set her tanks aside and handed her a bottle. Then Rick appeared and climbed aboard.

The familiar strain fisted in my chest. Back in the day, I’d never have worried about Nathan. I’d once believed the ocean could never take a guy like him. Or my mom. But people died all the time.

Drawing in a deep breath, I leaned over the edge. And then I saw the waters swirling, and seconds later, Nathan broke through the surface. He kicked toward the boat and climbed onto the platform with ease. He shrugged off his tanks as if they were a light summer jacket.

I handed him a water bottle and took his tanks.

“Thanks. Everyone okay?” He shoved back a lock of wet hair.

“All present and accounted for,” I said.

He dropped his voice. “What was the deal with Tony?”

“The ocean just got the better of him.”

Nathan nodded slowly as if he sensed I was covering for Tony. He’d seen unnerved divers before, but it was always unsettling when a member of your party vanished. “I thought for a second I’d lost him.”

“He feels bad about it.”

“Good.” A frown furrowed his brow. “He should’ve told me.”

“Go easy on him.”

Nathan drank more water as if swallowing his anger. “I will.”

“Did you see anything?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if her hull finally cracks in two one day.”

“I’m amazed she’s made it this far.” Life went on, but she’d barely changed, from what I was hearing.

“A stubborn old gal.”

The morning air was warm, and once in the sun, the divers stripped off their wet suits.

“So, we head back to shore?” Martha asked.

“Yeah. We’ll debrief at the dock.”

Nathan spoke to each diver, clapped Tony on the shoulder, his touch easy and forgiving. He pressed a button and the anchor rose. Once we were untethered, he moved to the wheel and started the engine. Soon we were headed back to port.

Slowly, relief eased the stiffness in my shoulders. I hadn’t seen the Oceanus today, but I’d come close to her. Not a huge win, but I’d checked a few boxes I never thought I ever would. I wasn’t sure how many more boxes had to be marked off before I was my old self, but I had to be a little closer.

I raised my phone and took a selfie. I texted my therapist, Guess where I am?

No response, but I supposed he was still letting me figure myself out.

The boat engines revved, and we started moving south. The farther away we got from the site, the harder the Oceanus and ocean pulled. One of the two, or both, wanted me to linger.

A good chunk of my life was now attached to that wreck. And no matter how far I ran inland, it would follow.



We arrived at the Wanchese dock forty-five minutes later. Nathan easily angled the boat into its slip. I tied off the rope to the dock as he cut off the engine.

He moved to the center of the deck. “I hope everyone had fun today.”

Everyone, even Tony, was nodding.

“It’s not an easy thing to dive a wreck like that,” Nathan said. “You never know what you’ll find. I bet each of you has a different story to tell.”

Heads bobbed.

“Can we ever go inside the hull?” Jeff asked.

Nathan shook his head. “I’ll never take you in there. Don’t ever forget that twenty people died on that wreck.”