The Secret Lives of Fish - a sequel to The Thirteenth Year

Ch 12 - Questions

The sun rose behind dark clouds in the morning, making weak attempts to shine through and bring light to the waking world. The storm the night before had been fierce and Whit had already come back from checking on the tour boat- it had survived with minimal damage. He had also canceled any tours for the day, knowing the docks would be full of boats coming in for repairs. Not many people would be out anyways, seeing how the storm was getting ready to make a round two. School was in session, but he knew at least three students who would be absent.

Sam had called the school, pretending to be her mom, and excused herself with a cold. Sean didn't even bother. His dad didn't care too much. As long as his grades didn't slip, he could skip school without much consequence.

For the young merman trapped in the tub, the excuse of a bad case of strep was given to the school. That should buy them a few days, should they need it. Whit knew his son would have given anything to be able to walk hand in hand to school with Sam. To great his friends and joke around with Jess in between classes. He wouldn't be doing any of that if he couldn't get his himself to change back. Again.

Upstairs Sam sat next to a pile of towels by the side of the tub, watching Cody through groggy eyes. She had moved the bedding back to Cody's room and waited for him to wake up on his own. He would need all of his strength for what he was going to attempt. Sharon was downstairs fixing a pot of tea, talking in hushed tones with her husband. Both were waiting for Cody to call them up to help when he was ready.

Cody blinked his eyes open slowly, confused and sore. His tail was twitching from being awkwardly bent in the small tub all night. He had slept restlessly, tossing and splashing to keep his tail hydrated. Sam had slept through most of it, but she had to be tired as well. Carefully he pushed himself into a sitting position and winced at all the creeks and aches from his tail and shoulders. Exhaustion was apparent on his face in the dark bags under his eyes. Cody wondered if he had the energy to change back.

And it wasn't like he wasn't ready, he was just... hesitating. It had been so painful the first time around, and he wasn't anxious to experience that again. On the other hand, he also wanted his life back and no way did he want to face Sean looking like this. If he could at least look mostly human, then he figured he could somehow diffuse most of his former friend's questions. No matter how much it was going to hurt, or how tired he felt, he owed it to himself and those he loved to try.

'Sam,' he glanced over at his girlfriend, 'how are you feeling?' Cody stared down at his tail as it twitched in the water.

The brunette scooted closer and reached into the water for her boyfriend's hand. Their eyes met in the dim morning light that broke through the open blinds. 'Probably better than you.' A gentle smile graced her face as she thought to him rather than speak.

Cody smiled back and squeezed her hand gently. 'I still don't know how you're doing that, but it's so wonderful.' He closed his eyes and leaned back in the water, resting his head on the tub rim. 'This probably sounds weird, but I miss communicating like this. It's so much deeper.' He opened his eyes again and stared into Sam's. They were so earthy with their mixture of browns and greens.

Gingerly he thought of how much he appreciated her and how amazing he thought she was. He sent his thoughts not as words, but as feelings and emotions, filling her mind with all he could feel but couldn't say.

Unbidden, tears pooled in Sam's eyes as she was filled with the adoration and love her boyfriend held for her. He was right. She'd never felt something like this before. She trusted him implicitly as his feelings became hers, connected in a way only a merperson could.

With the same pounding hearts, Sam leaned in and kissed Cody. A spark flew from his lips to hers but she didn't pull back. It was a kiss of trust and tenderness, holding a promise that no matter what the day brought, they'd have each other.