Clemency's Point

Chapter Fourteen

It was starting to get light when Jenny opened her eyes. The ache in her neck and the fact that her left hand was numb told her fuzzy brain that she wasn't in her bed. She pushed herself up and gently pushed back the scratchy blanket that someone had placed over her during the night and looked around to try and gain her bearings. Once her eyes focused, Jenny realised that she was sat on a bench in The Lifeboat Shed. She pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed her face to try and wake herself up. Her hair was scruffy and knotty and, by the feel of it, was desperately in need of a shampoo. Jenny stretched out her arms and felt her shoulders crack as she did so.

'Ow...' she whimpered as the sound of footsteps came towards her.

'I told you to go home.' Jenny had a glimmer of hope when she heard a male voice but her heart sank slightly when she realised it was Pip and not her husband. Jenny shook her head and finally stood up.

'I'm not going anywhere until that boat is back in this shed.' Jenny said, taking one of the mugs that Pip was carrying. 'Any news?'

'Not yet.' Pip shook his head sadly. 'But that boat is designed to last out there for days, you know that. It's top of the range.' Jenny sighed and rubbed her head as she sat back down on the bench that had served as her sleeping quarters.

'Have they radioed in at least?' she asked with desperation in her voice.

'Drink your coffee, it's getting cold.' Pip answered, avoiding Jenny's original question. Jenny glared at her brother in law but took a swig of the hot but slightly tasteless liquid before she set the mug down at her side.

'Have they radioed in?' she asked again, this time with slightly more force in her voice. Pip licked his dry lips and took a deep breath. He placed his mug down on the bench and started pulling at the cuffs of his jumper, a classic sign of Pip's nerves. He took another deep breath and closed his eyes.

'No they haven't.' he answered. Jenny's face filled with confusion. She stood up and walked over to the radio office, abandoning her coffee and all thoughts of getting cleaned up. She noticed the room itself was empty and only static coming through the speaker. She looked back at Pip, her chest feeling tighter with every breath.

'Who's been manning this?' she asked, pointing at the communication station.

'I have.' Pip answered with a sigh. 'Well, me and Jamie and a few others.'

'Why didn't I see you?' Jenny asked, trying to gain a signal.

'Because you were out at the Wall, remember?' Pip answered rubbing her shoulders. 'We only dragged you back in here when your eyes starting closing. And like I said, I told you to go home but you wouldn't.'

'No, of course, I wouldn't. I remember...' Jenny ran her hands over her face once again to try and defog her brain. 'Oh my God, all those families... where are they?'

'Don't worry.' Pip said as he tried to stop Jenny jumping up from her seat. 'Tom is coordinating everything from the coffee shop, everything is under control. What you need to do is go home and sleep. You're no good to anyone like this are you?' Jenny shook her head. For the first time in her life, she had to agree with Pip. Whatever sleep she did get obviously hadn't done her any good. She needed clothes, a wash and possibly some food but the thought of both boats still out at sea was too much of a pull for her to stay where she was. But Jenny knew that Pip could be persuasive and short of pushing her out of the door, she knew that he would call in the big guns in the shape of Granddad Tom and make her go back to the cottage. So, instead of a full-on fight with her brother-in-law, Jenny merely ran her hand through her hair and nodded, giving up and going quietly.