THE BOAT TRIP: Stampy And Squid

End of an Era?

--SQUIDS POV--
"David?"
"Hi, Dad. Are you okay?"
"Yes.. Yes I am.."
"Is mum about?"
This question was a risk to ask.. But it had taken so much courage to ring up my family.
"She- she isn't.."
"Yes she is. Please can I speak to her."
"David."
"Please, I need to know she's okay."
"David you should come hom-"
"I'm sick of people asking me to come home! I just want to speak to my mother! Is that so much to ask!"
"You know don't you." My dad sighed,
"Yes I do." A tear seeped down the side of my nose. "Please dad."
"Dave.. You can speak to her but.. But she won't respond. She can't. She has a tumour in her throat. She can't speak."

More tears flooded my eyes, I felt my lips shrivel and my nose tense.
"Dad.. I.. " I shook my head, feeling defeated. "I'll get a flight home for a couple days.."
"Are you sure?"
"Well it's what you've been directing me to for months! Okay! You could have just said that mum was dying! You could have said that three months ago before she lost her voice and before I got into all this mess!" Tears flooded my defeated eyes. "I'm sorry.. I'll.. I'll see you soon. Tell mum I love her."

I ended the call then put my hands over my eyes. I was still in the bathroom of Joe's cabin, I wasn't sure if Nicole and Joe had heard my conversation. I didn't care.
I was so alone, so scared and I couldn't turn back now. I couldn't let down my mum.

The door squeaked open, Joe appeared before seeing me, closing the door and sitting down on the ground beside me.
"You're doing the right thing." He said, putting an arm on my shoulder. I looked up at him,
"Y'think? I feel like I'm letting you down, we've been avoiding this for months."
"No, mate, not at all. This is about your family not me."

--STAMPYS POV--
I helped David up and opened the door into the bedroom again. We were walking in the middle of the room when David fell limp in my arms.
"Shit, Nicole get my radio will you?" I said, helping David onto the bed.
Nicole ran towards me with the radio in her hand,
"Nurse office to room 76 please, nurse office to room 76." I said,
I looked at Nicole, "Nicole have you a flight home?"
"Not yet."
"Well book one."
"What about Dave?!"
"Book one for him too." I said, sighing,
"..and you?"
"No. I'm staying."
"Are you sure?"
"Unless you really need me to look after David."
Nicole was about to respond when the door slammed open and nurses came to help David.
As they dragged him away I sat on my bed, Nicole sat beside me on her phone.
"There's a flight at half eleven tonight from Somalia airport, so we'll have to get a helicopter off the ship at about half eight."
"Sounds good." I sighed.
"Are you sure you don't want to come.. I-I'd pay for the tickets-"
"No, Nicole. I'm staying." I said.
"J-Joe.. He.. He's not gonna come back, you know that right? This is a one way trip back home. It's over."

I looked down. Maybe she was right. Maybe this whole 'Boat Trip' thing was a bad idea. Maybe we should call it a day and go home.

Davids mother was terminally ill, both our families were a mess, David had just been traumatised by Somalian pirates, had been starved by me and tortured by an Egyptian lady: isn't this enough for us both to go home.. To give up. To end the boat trip and go back to YouTube..?

Somehow I didn't want that. Somehow I didn't want to go home I just wanted to go back on the boat, sailing the Indian and Pacific Ocean I wanted to just be back on the boat with David, but somehow I didn't think that was going to happen. Was this all over?

A couple of hours later the helicopter landed on the helipad, I walked down to the nurse's office where David was, he sat awake: thinking, I supposed.
"Hey." I said, walking towards him and sitting on the side of his bed.
He looked down and inhaled, "hi." He said,
"You- you aren't coming back here again are you?" I said, feeling disheartened.
David continued to look down, we had become so close over these four months: was this all over? Were we just friends again..
"I- i-" David looked up at me,
"It's okay, I understand." I told him,
"I want to go back, I want to be on the boat again but I can't just ignore this Joe."
I nodded, a tear streaked down by eye.
David eyes widened with shock as he caught the tear with his thumb and broke us into a hug.
"I will come back Joe." He whispered, "I promise you I will." He kissed my cheek then looked into my eyes, "you'll be alright?"
I nodded, "yeh, I'll be fine."
"If you could sail round to the East of Madagascar I'll meet you there in about a week."
I nodded, before I helped him up.
"So I'm going to Somalia Airport." He laughed, "that's a bit ironic."
"Might as well have let the Pirates take you there." I laughed. Patting his back and walking up the stairs with him to meet Nicole.
We went up to the bridge where they were about to walk into the helicopter.
"Bye mate." I told David, he blankly smiled, but I could tell he was terrified,
"Oh- Dave?" He looked back at me before I slipped his radio into his hand, touching my ear: we could always hear each other.
"See you." He said, smiling, before walking into the helicopter.
I wasn't sure if he was going to come back.
I just hoped that he would.