A Bush Blessing (Alaskan Bush People Fan Fiction)

Chapter Ten

This whole entire chapter is about Angel's past.

~COPYRIGHT 2016~

Noah sat down on Angel's bed, trying to meet her eyes. He lifted a hand up and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Why are you so upset?" he whispered.

"Do I really have to tell you?" she asked.

"You don't have to, but I would really like to know. You're like family now. I'm concerned."

With a sigh, she looked up at him. "It started like this..."

Noah listened as Angel began her story. As she told it, she looked down at the blanket, fiddling with loose strings.

"I grew up in a really tight knit family. It was me, my mother, my father and my brother, Andrew. We're originally from Unalaska. My father worked for a fishing vessel in Dutch Harbor and was always away crab fishing, but when he came back from his trips, we always had a fun time."

"How could you deal with being away from your father for so long?" Noah asked, curious.

"It was just a way of life for us. It was a norm. And like I said, it was wonderful when he was home. We had a blast. My dad eventually got out of crab fishing though. It was wearing too much on his body. So with the money from his last crabbing trip, he bought his own boat, a small one, much like the one that your family has," she said.

"He got off of a boat to go buy another one. Interesting," Noah commented.

She smiled. "He loved to be on a boat. It used to be his life," she told him and took a deep breath before continuing her story. "Dad decided that we had spent too much time apart when we were young children, so he decided we would go on a boating trip. A long one. We sold the house and all of our belongings but the ones we could fit in a small bag each. And we took off."

"We used to take long boat trips as a family as well. I can tell that your father is much like mine. I believe they would like one another."

Angel shook her head, with a sad expression on her face. "I bet they would've liked each other also. It's really too bad they'll never have a chance to meet."

He gave her a questioning glance.

"And this is the part where I tell you why your family will never have the chance to meet mine," she sighed once more. "We travelled all around the state in the boat. I saw so many things I never imagined I would see. But our fantastic trip turned into a nightmare because of one mistake."

She sat in silence for a moment. Noah let her take as much time as she needed. He lifted his hands up and rubbed her back. She took a shaky breath before looking up for the first time during her story, meeting Noah's eyes.

"We were all laughing in the cabin of the boat. My dad was at the wheel. He threw his head back in a laugh at something I said and in that instant; he wasn't watching where he was going. The boat jolted and stopped suddenly. We could feel the front of the boat lowering. We were sinking," she accounted. "My parents scrambled around the boat. Andrew and I were left wondering what to do so we packed up all the things we could fit in our bags.

"Next thing I knew, my parents were giving us instructions. By then the boat was halfway under. They threw a bright orange life boat over the side and told me to get in it. The boat was sinking faster by the second. I climbed into it and just as my brother was about to, he slipped. I screamed for him and after a few minutes and with my parents help, I luckily pulled him into the boat. But he was soaked. He was shivering. Hypothermia was setting in."

Noah was shaking and fighting back tears. He knew where this story was going and he wasn't liking it. But he wanted to hear it. He needed to know why she was having these nightmares.

"The boat was almost all the way under. My parents were standing on the small part of the boat that was still above water. Our raft was starting to drift away. I was yelling for my parents to hop on the raft with us. I knew in my heart it was too far for them to make it if they jumped, but I had faith they could. But my dad grabbed my mother's hand and looked at her. She gave him a nod with a weak smile. They stood still, not moving. "We love you," my mother had said. "We'll be waiting for you on the other side," my father has added. I remember screaming "No!" as we drifted farther and farther away."

Tears began dripping down her cheeks. Noah continued to soothe her by rubbing her back. He could do nothing else for the poor girl as she recounted the worst moment in her life.

"I watched as my parents were finally submerged in the water. They kissed one another and held onto one another until I saw them both go still. I knew they had passed away," she continued. (A/N: Hypothermia can claim a life in as little as 7 minutes if the person is submerged in water, especially the freezing Alaskan water)

Noah took Angel's hand in his, nodding for her to continue. He wanted her to know he was listening and there to support her.

"I looked over at my brother, who was next to me in the life raft. He was shivering still. He had nearly no control over his body. I undressed him and threw his soaking wet clothes out of the boat so it wouldn't get us wet. I took some of his spare clothes out of his bag and redressed him. I wrapped him up in all the spare clothing we had with us like a sort of makeshift blanket and held him in my arms, trying to warm him up," she explained. "He stopped shivering and I thought that meant he was getting better. But then he looked up at me..." Her lip started quivering and her words were shaky. "And he said the same thing my parents said to me before they died. He breathed his last breath a minute later. I cried for the next hour, not knowing what to do. I was alone, stranded in the ocean with my dead brother lying next to me."

"Oh Angelina," Noah murmured, pulling her into his arms.

She pressed her head into Noah's chest and mumbled into his chest.

"I don't know how much time had passed, but I was hungry and I was thirsty. I felt a jolt in the life boat. I peeked out and sure enough, I had washed up on the shore of this island. The first thing I did when I got to dry land was dig a hole. And I laid my brother to rest. Since then, I have gone to visit his resting place once a week. Like I told your parents, I wandered around and lived in makeshift tents until I came across this place. I thought it was a god send. I thought my parents and my brother had led me to this place."

"Everything happens a reason. Your family was watching over you and they wanted you to be safe, so they led you here. It was a blessing."

She let out a small sound, acknowledging his statement. He continued to rub her back, holding her close. He felt her fall limp after a while and realized she was asleep. He slowly laid her down and once again pulled the chair over. He pulled her hand up to his and held it tight, telling her that even in her sleep, he was there for her.

Noah had gotten his wishes. He finally knew who this girl was. She had been through hell and back, but she had pulled through. She was a fighter, that was true. But like he said, it was a blessing that she was here. He was seeing it now. She was a bush blessing.

"Goodnight Angel," he murmured before closing his eyes, her hand still in his.

~COPYRIGHT 2016~