merely raised an eyebrow and cocked her head in the direction of the two lovebirds. Em only hoped that she did not mean what he thought she meant. If Meredith was feeling desperate enough to try and lasso Jack, she might find out that he was one bronco that might be untamable. He thought that when they left tomorrow, she would move on. Separation was the key. Now, to separate them from a physical standpoint, he told his new friend goodbye and gave her an uncomfortable hug before he made his way to where Jack and Meredith lay in the sand.
“C’mon, Jack,” he began. Of course, Jack completely ignored him. Meredith made a pitiful attempt to arise from the blanket. Her earlier embarrassment seemed to have entirely vanished. Now she straightened her own clothes.
Her mother would see right through her, Em was thinking. “We have to go! We have lots of packing to do, and we can’t be late. I know this isn’t easy, but we’ll be back. Sergeant Cannon said this was an easy one. Two weeks and we’ll be right back here.” Em was sure these were not Sergeant Cannon’s exact words, but he needed to say something to get Jack up.
“I know, Storybook. Keep your knickers on. You and Katherine go on ahead, and we’ll be there in a sec.” Jack tried to get Meredith to lie back down. She broke away from him and gave Em a piercing stare and walked toward Katherine. “I don’t think she likes you, Em.” Jack grinned his most menacing grin and put his arm around Em’s shoulder. They walked behind the girls and began to think of the next day.
The sea was rolling, and the lightning was constant. Em felt sick to his stomach again. He could no longer vomit. All he did was dry heave. The nausea was all-consuming. He wanted to just lie still and not move at all. He and Sergeant Barnes were both in their bunks moaning and groaning. He thought he must have been here in this bunk for three days. How long could a sea storm last? Captain McVay had promised them calm seas by the morning. These last few hours were dragging on. Em could not even write in his journal. He held on to his stomach and curled into a ball and hoped no one tried to get him to move. It was already October 23. This mission had not gone according to plan. They were supposed to be back in Hawaii by October 18. The rendezvous had not even been set up yet. When the ship was in calmer waters a couple of days ago and the captain had let some of the men go swimming, Em remained on the top deck trying to write to Irene.
When he overheard a conversation between the captain and one of his officers, he was not quite sure what to make of it. The captain was looking out over the water and said to the other officer, “He is not going to leave us alone. I made him angry and embarrassed him in front of his crew. I don’t believe he will ever give up.” He paused, and when he turned his body, Em had a hard time making out his words. “He knows we’re close, but he can’t find us. If we get too close while we’re getting Philip, we might jeopardize his mission. We have to get in there and get out. We have one chance, and then we have to abort. There will be no time to second-guess. If Philip isn’t there, he may be on his own.”
Em sat quietly and hoped they never came his way. All he could think of was the phrase “one chance.” Did Captain McVay really mean that? They would never leave Colonel Roth out here, would they? Something else for him to worry about. Now, all he wanted to do was tell Jack. Jack would calm him down. He still made Em see things in a different light.
When Jack returned from swimming and told Em how the sailors had fixed a sling that catapulted someone more than thirty feet, he was all smiles. Jack had made friends at an alarming rate. Every sailor on board was envious of him. He had spun a tale of intrigue involving a Japanese princess. Now all the sailors believed they were on a mission to save a princess. Jack was relishing every moment. Em could not get as excited as Jack. His old worrisome self was unrelenting. He went along with Jack’s story but never offered any details to any of the questioning. When October 22 came and went, Jack never missed a beat. He told them that the princess’s father found out that she wanted to come to America and put her in one of the caves on her island. He was so convincing that some of the sailors were getting their hair cut in anticipation of her arrival on board. When more than a week passed and no princess, Jack recovered nicely by telling them another story. Em was only sure of one detail. Jack asked him to go along with his story. He only told anyone who asked that when they did rescue the princess, she would be hidden from all foreigners. Her father was so dangerous that anyone who saw her might be in danger. Em was thankful no one wanted his opinion.
Now, as he lay in the bunk and wished that the sea would stop rolling, he wondered where Jack was. The way Jack had taken to the sea was nothing short of phenomenal. When the storm had surrounded them just forty-eight hours ago, Jack never missed a beat. He jumped right in and helped out wherever he was needed. Em had gotten sick immediately and had yet to recover. The captain told them it was just a small storm, and it would not affect their mission, but Em thought it was relentless. He had not eaten in two days, and yet he could still throw up. Every time he tried to drink some liquids, it would only take one good rolling wave to bring it back up. How could he ever be any help at all if there was a situation? He could not wait to get off this boat. Why on earth was it taking so long for Colonel Roth and Sergeant Cannon and Jeff to set up the rendezvous? Sergeant Cannon had assured him and Jack that this was a simple extraction. Now, they were two weeks overdue, and yet no one seemed worried. Captain McVay seemed preoccupied with someone other than Colonel Roth. Every time he and Jack heard anything about what the new captain was like, all the other sailors had to say was that he was very familiar with the Japanese navy. He had been fighting since December of ’41. It was personal with him and a particular few of the Japanese naval officers. There was even a few rumors of a vendetta he held against one Japanese submarine captain. Em did not want to think of a submarine chasing the boat he was riding on.
Just when his stomach was feeling a little more settled, he thought he might actually get up and try to walk. Sergeant Barnes was snoring. Em thought he was not as sick as he proclaimed. Sergeant Barnes had been around for over a month now, and Em was quite certain of his laziness. He lay in the bunk and continued to snore. Em got up slowly from the bunk and felt uneasy. He stood still for a minute and regained his balance. He wanted to make his way topside and find Jack. He thought that as long as he never ate anything else, he could make it through the night without any more vomiting.
He crossed the room and went through the door as quietly as he could. There was no need to wake Sergeant Barnes. When he entered the corridor and all was quiet, he looked for the familiar numbers that he had memorized. He could read his way around most of the ship by looking for certain letters and numbers. He had not gotten lost since the first week. Now that he had been aboard for more than three weeks, he was as familiar as he wanted to get. He climbed the narrow stairway that led to the top deck and felt the rolling deck as soon as he stepped onto the wooden planks. The rain was coming down in torrents. He tried to control his stomach, and just when he began to feel a little more settled, Jack came running from around one of the giant deck guns. He looked like he was out of breath.
“Hey, where have you been? I have to tell you what I heard.” Jack had been working beside the other sailors when Captain McVay hurried past. He was talking to Captain Murphy and a couple of his officers. Even Captain Murphy did not notice Jack. Jack had been wearing borrowed squid uniforms for two weeks. Even though he had become adept at laundry in basic training, he had no intention of continuing the practice. Now, instead of doing his own laundry and wearing clean clothes, he just wore whatever one of his new friends loaned him. Jack said that all four of the officers were entranced in conversation. He also said that he was sure that something was happening. Captain McVay was half mumbling when he said that they had to remain inside this squall. Jack had a hard time hearing his exact words, but he suspected that he was trying to hide from something. The navigation officer that was with him kept assuring him that they were right where they were supposed to be. Why they had not been able to contact Colonel Roth was bothering him now. Em wondered why it had taken so long. When Jack told Em that the captain was staying inside the storm on purpose, Em felt an overwhelming sense of nausea again. He told his officers and Captain Murphy that the storm was changing tracks and now was headed toward the Japanese coast. If they did not make
