Dolphin Tale 6

Chapter [14]

C h a p t e r   F o u r t e e n

"DO YOU WANT ANYTHING TO eat, Hazel? I can go down to the mini restaurant and get you something—anything at all. Maybe something to drink, perhaps?"

Silence.

"Maybe we can go to the games room? How about a round of—I don't know—pool, maybe? I saw a pool table on our way up here. It'll be a good way to de-stress, don't you think?"

More silence.

"Okay . . . How about we go and—"

"I don't want to go and do anything," Hazel muttered, her tone clipped and icy. "I didn't even want to come on this cruise."

Sawyer stood up abruptly, stunned by the cold tension that seemed to radiate off Hazel in waves after her sudden outburst. "I thought you agreed to come! You said that you agreed that it would take your mind off of things. You agreed that it would be better than staying holed up in our hotel room—said some fresh air would do you some good."

"I came for your sake," Hazel muttered, her gaze never meeting Sawyer's. "All your incessant badgering was driving me up the wall. And where are we actually going?"

Sawyer wrung his hands before throwing them up in a gesture of surrender. "Fine, but all I'm trying to do is make sure you're okay. You've been acting really weirdly; can you really blame me for asking if you're okay every, like, half-an-hour or so?"

"More like once every five minutes," Hazel mumbled bitterly.

"And if you really didn't want to come, you could have just said so. This cruise ends at Victoria, BC, and we were going to go sight-seeing, but if you want, as soon as this ship reaches the island, we'll turn tail and head home. I'm only trying to do what's best for you—I'm trying to protect you. I thought that going out and doing some things would help take your mind off current matters . . . apparently not."

Hazel met Sawyer's eyes for the first time, and Sawyer was shocked by the intensity of the flames that burned within them. Her eyes were hard, cold—like staring into a black hole, and it made him feel extremely uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Nothing I do will help take my mind off what is happening in Clearwater, Sawyer," she said, glaring heatedly at him, "because the only thing I want to do right now is to go home and see if everything's okay. I hate being here and not knowing what's going on. I hate that there's nothing I can do about anything that happens. And I hate the fact that you keep patronising me like I'm a six-year-old."

Sawyer's heart leapt up into his throat as he heard the crack in her voice. It was a tiny crack, but big enough to make his heart break into pieces. He couldn't even begin to fathom what she was going through.

"I don't need your protection, okay? I—I'm . . . Clearwater Marine Aquarium has always been my home, and those who work there, the animals that reside there—they're my family, and if anything happens to them . . ."

Hazel's voice broke, and she slumped in her seat, burying her face into the palms of her hands. Drawn-out sobs wracked her body, and she trembled like a leaf as each wave of agony swept through her.

Sawyer slowly sat back down beside Hazel and wrapped his arms around her like a cocoon, drawing her into him. She continued to sob uncontrollably, and Sawyer felt each tremor sweep through her body like a miniature earthquake. Just seeing her like this, just having to imagine what was going through her mind was torturing Sawyer. Not knowing what to say, he simply sat there with her, holding her tightly while awkwardly patting her back, waiting for the right words to materialise on his tongue.

"It's okay to cry," he said softly after a long moment of sullen silence, filled only by Hazel's loud sobs. "I­—uh, I understand that now is such a difficult time for you, and I can't even begin to imagine how much pain you're in right now."

"No, you can't," Hazel choked, sniffing loudly, her body still spasming as her sobbing continued.

Sawyer sighed. "But I wish I could. I wish I could take away some of the pain you have, because you don't deserve to have to endure so much pain in your life, Hazel. I wish I could just lift some—or all—of it off your shoulders and place it on mine instead. Truth be told, Hazel, you're such a strong, beautiful girl, both inside and out. You're amazing and one-of-a-kind. You have a kindred spirit and such a kind soul. Your heart is so much bigger than I could ever imagine, and your good-will shows in everything you do and touch."

Hazel shifted out of Sawyer's embrace, gazing up at him with watery eyes—eyes that held so much emotion. A tiny smile graced her lips for the briefest of seconds, making Sawyer's heart skip a beat.

"Whatever happens, Hazel . . . Just know that I love you, and I'll love you from now . . . until forever."

A solitary tear trickled down Hazel's face, but Sawyer wiped it away as, together, they turned to look out of the window, both of them silently praying for some news—good or bad . . . All they wanted was to find out what was going on.