GOSSIP GIRL TV SHOW Season 3+ (Jenny & Nate)

CHAPTER #44

Once landing at LAX airport, Chuck had a car waiting to take them to the Los Angeles Marina Del Rey. They were staying on the yacht that Chuck had won at the poker game in Chiang Mai. The boat was huge, with a bedroom for Chuck and one for Jenny and Nate to share. The weather was sunny and warm. Chuck also had two motorcycles delivered to the marina, for their transportation needs.

After they were settled, Nate and Jenny rode to the Manhatten/26th pier beach. Nate went to look for the local surf shops and she sat under a sun umbrella, catching up on her cell with her mom and dad.

A shadow fell over her and she looked up. Nate stood there wearing a satisfied smile. "I found a place that will rent surf boards."

"Are you going to try and get Chuck to surf too?"

"No, he's off riding that red Ducatti somewhere. But I need to go back to the marina to get my card. I'll be back soon."

Jenny watched as he jogged back to their motorcycle, put on the helmet and rode off. She texted Eric and asked how his summer was. She found out that he and his boyfriend were fighting a lot. She told him to come to Los Angeles to finish out the summer with them. He declined as he still had bad feelings toward Chuck.

Nate came back carrying a surf board. The waves were not too big and Jenny watched as he learned how to first get to a standing position on the board and then ride a wave.

GOSSIP GIRL NARRATOR: Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out into the ocean. But first you have to get your feet wet.

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For the next two days it became almost a ritual, Chuck would go riding, Jenny and Nate went to the beach. Nate surfed and Jenny relaxed. Then they'd meet Chuck for dinner and at night went to the clubs. By the third day Nate was pretty good at surfing, going further out to catch bigger waves. Jenny had bought a digital camera that was water proof. She would go into the water and either record or take pictures of Nate surfing.

This particular day it was rather windy and the waves were big. Nate joined up with some other surfers. He was shown how to ride some awesome waves and he looked like he was born on the beach. He had natural skill, a true athlete. Jenny had to go further out into the surf than she'd intended to go, in order to catch him on camera. She psyched herself out, because she couldn't see what was in the dark water. She worried about sharks bumping into her and taking a bite. A wave knocked her around, so she put the camera's wrist band on to prevent loosing it. The video continued to run as she recorded Nate. He rode a wave all the way to shore and she captured it all. Jenny began to wade back towards the beach. A huge wave crested and slammed into the back of her head. She went under, loosing her feet and it tossed her around. She tried to come up for air and another wave crashed down on her, feeling like a brick wall. Her head hit the bottom of the ocean, but thankfully it was sandy and no rocks. She struggled to swim, but the chaotic current sent her cartwheeling. Jenny didn't know which way was up, her eyes burned with the effort. The under tow of the waves dragged at her and kept her down. She tried just to stand, but her legs just wouldn't work. Panic set in as she needed air desperately. Unable to surface her body reacted even though she tried not to give in. Part of her mind entertained the idea that she could breath under water, she just had to try it. Jenny knew she was drowning, against her will she gasped for air and only took in water. Her mind for a few seconds thought that it had captured an air bubble and she was okay. Then reality set in and she choked on the salty liquid.

Nate saw the first wave hit Jenny. He watched the spot and she didn't come up. He ran into the surf calling for help, jumping waves and diving in. He swam as fast as he could, terrified he wouldn't find her. He came to the spot where he'd seen her last and dove down searching. His eyes stung from the salt water. He came up searched the water and went down again. At last he saw Jenny's limp body. He grabbed her and brought her to the surface. One of the surfers helped him bring her to shore. They did CPR on her.

"Come on Jenny! Breath! Come back to me! Make death wait!" Nate shouted.

At last she coughed, vomiting water from nose and mouth. Nate turned her on her side, so she wouldn't choke on the water her body was trying to expel. Crying and terrified, Jenny went into shock. Her body convulsed and her lungs burned. A life guard came and gave her a blanket, checking her vitals. At last they said she'd be okay and she refused to go to the hospital.

"No Nate, no hospital. They'll call my dad. I'm okay," Jenny said.

Nate thanked the surfer and life guards. He helped Jenny back to their blanket. She didn't want to ride the motorcycle back to the marina, so he called Chuck to bring a car. He explained briefly why.

Jenny looked at him, still a little scared, "I thought I was going to die. I tried not to drink the ocean, but my body wouldn't listen. I knew I was drowning and couldn't do anything. The waves wanted to keep me under."

GOSSIP GIRL NARRATOR: Death has Jenny's number, but she didn't answer the call, so he only got voicemail.

"I saw the first wave hit your head. I'm just so glad I got to you in time," Nate said a little shakily.

"Me too, thanks for saving my life!" Jenny said smiling through her tears.

Chuck arrived and took the rented surf board to the shop. Then he rode the motorcycle back, while Nate and Jenny went in the car. Once back at the marina, Chuck asked if Jenny was okay. Chuck handed her a glass of cognac, " just sip it, it will warm you from the inside out."

She did as he said, "thank you."

"You're dad would have killed us if you'd drowned." Chuck tried to get her to smile.

"Maybe, but Serena and Blair would've celebrated," Jenny sighed with resignation.

Nate frowned, "Jenny don't say that. They may hold grudges for a long time, but neither of them want you dead."

The stress from nearly dying and the cognac made Jenny tired. "I need to go for a nap, my whole body hurts. Next time I need a nasal flush, I'll be sure to stay out of the ocean."

After Nate helped her to their room, he got a beer and sat out on the sun deck with Chuck. "Damn what a day."

"Crazy, but Jenny's okay, so don't dwell on the 'what if's' and you were there to save her," Chuck said. He looked closer at Nate, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" Nate asked.

"Her near death experienced changed something for you, didn't it?"

"Yes, she's different than the others, in here." Nate pointed to his heart.

"What you love about Jenny, is she goes for what she wants with everything she has. It's what you sometimes wish you could do yourself." Chuck said wisely.

"I'm not arguing with you on that. She's smart, vivacious and she's very loyal."

"You let your parents and grandfather control you too much. You need to break away. Take Jenny's lead, maybe not as extreme as she has done in the past, but face things head on."

"Chuck, do you respect Jenny as much as you do Blair?"

Chuck avoided answering by getting them two more beers. When he came back, he asked, "have you told Jenny you love her?"

"Ya in Tokyo," Nate admitted.

"Were you just saying it, or was it truth for real?" Chuck questioned.

"I truly meant it."

Chuck nodded his head and then offered his beer in toast. "It's one of the hardest things to do, when it's real."

"I'm going to go check on her, I'll be back in a minute," Nate said.

Watching him go, Chuck poured himself another drink.  His friend had fallen hard, Jenny finally had what she'd always wanted; Nate's heart.  As Chuck had finally realized with Blair, so had Nate realized, that Jenny was not just an infatuation.  She was the one he'd been searching for, through the many women he had bedded and dated.  No longer a little girl, but a strong woman, gaining confidence each day.