Page 2 of Break Line

Kai Wanoki was a man of many talents. He was rather proud of himself this morning. He had been helping his lovely wife in the bakery by proving his skills at yet another talent–doughnut maker extraordinaire!

Kai glanced over at the confectionary delights inside the white box on the passenger seat of his jeep. His haole cousin would be pleased. He was particularly fond of those filled with passion fruit.

When Nathan first arrived on the island, Kai and Leilani were skeptical about his relation. Nathan looked like shark bait with his Midwestern looks–shoulder length jet-black hair, chiseled nose, deep brown eyes, and farmer’s tan.

Kai’s mother, Kalea, and Nathan’s mother, Makani, were sisters. They kept in touch through letters for years and then suddenly the letters stopped.

Nathan told his Aunt Kalea about his mother’s diagnosis of cervical cancer. She fought hard, going through all the treatments like a trooper. His father and mother had a renewed zeal for life as she said she had been given a second chance.

Nathan handed a silk wrapped package to Kalea from her sister before sharing the bad news. Kalea listened intently as Nathan wrapped up his tale. A few months later, the cancer was back, and within weeks, she had passed away.

Her hands firmly gripped the arms of her easy chair as she worked his features over in her mind. The resemblance to her sister was uncanny.

Kalea cried as she opened the box, her hands shaking as she looked at each picture, found the bundle of letters that hadn’t been mailed, and the small box inside that held Malani’s pearl necklace. Kalea swiped at her eyes, putting everything back inside, and she embraced Nathan as she proclaimed him ohana.

The next weekend, Kai asked Nathan if he surfed. Nathan instantly perked up, responding “not yet” but he was anxious to learn. They hit the surf that very afternoon. Nate was a fast learner and seemed to take to the waves with a natural ease, but he still had a few things to learn.

Kai remembered the day well. His oldest sister and brother-in-law had just moved to California where Jimmy was stationed. Jimmy had been his best surfing buddy.

Kai glanced out at the waves rolling in. They were ripping this morning, not safe for his haole cousin. Oh well, they’d go over some basics, enjoy the doughnuts, and plan for later in the afternoon when Nate was off work.

He turned off the main road into the parking lot at the beach. Nate’s SUV was parked in the usual spot. As he turned the ignition off, he scanned the beach, searching for his cousin. Kai slid out of the driver’s seat, grabbed the freshly brewed coffees, and walked over to Nate’s car.

Kai visually scanned the entire beach, then the waves. Wait, there was someone laying on their board. A knot formed in his throat. His heart pounded in his chest. He dropped the coffee and ran toward the board, splashing out into the surf, catching the edge. It was Nate! His pulse was weak, and his leg was nearly unrecognizable.

He dragged his cousin onto the sand then pulled off his own t-shirt, tying it tightly around what was left of his leg. Kai called 911 giving them their location.

“Stay with me, brah. The ambulance is on its way.” Kai’s eyes kept flickering back and forth between Nate’s face and his leg. It was bad, really bad. He held onto Nathan’s hand, trying hard not to let the fear be heard in his words, or let his hands shake. He kept his fingers on his wrist to monitor his fading pulse.

Kai kept pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding. “Come on, Nate, you gotta make it. Your girls will be flying in soon, you gotta hang on.” He was afraid for Nate. His pulse was barely detectable now, and his body temperature had dropped. Kai noticed Nate’s lips were blue, his skin pale and clammy.

“Where’s that damn ambulance?” Kai screamed to no one in particular, frustrated that he felt helpless.

Nate turned his head groggily, trying to speak, but it came out in a hoarse whisper. “Cold.” It seemed a tremendous exertion for him just to get that one word out.

Kai’s yellow shirt was rapidly becoming saturated with blood. He hoped that the paramedics would arrive in time.

“Don’t talk, just stay with me.”

* * *

Kai paced the waiting room.It had been nearly four hours since they took Nate into surgery. He made his way back toward the coffee station, pouring another cup of the burned bitter fuel into the Styrofoam. It certainly wasn’t the rich Kona blend from his family’s plantation, but free coffee was all there was.

He found the remote and sat down in one of the cushioned chairs, turning on the news. Not that it would make much difference about the surf conditions, but it was a habit.

“Mr. Wanoki?”

Kai stood, seeing the doctor coming toward him.

The doctor shook his hand, nodding. “There was extensive damage and a great deal of blood loss. We’ve given him five units. One good thing about this type of shark attack, it was a clean bite."

“So . . . not good, but could be worse?” Kai responded to the doctor. A small bit of relief showed on Kai’s face. Nathan was still alive, and they managed to save the leg, those were both good signs, but everything was still up in the air. He’d seen it before. So many things could still go wrong. It was difficult to be relieved, but he had to acknowledge this bit of victory.

Doctor Kelley paused for a few moments, allowing Kai time to ask questions. When he made no indication, Dr. Kelley continued, “Now we play the waiting game. He’s still unconscious and will be for a bit longer. With a long procedure such as this, he’s been under the anesthesia for several hours, there may be some complications from that. When he’s out of recovery, the nurse will let you know the room number, and then you can go see him.”

“Thank you.” Kai shook his hand, grateful that Nathan was alive. “How long before we know whether or not the surgery is a success?”

Doctor Kelley sighed. He expected the question, but the answer was never easy. “That will depend greatly on him. He’s in good physical health, no major issues like diabetes, so he should heal well. Probably within the week, but maybe longer. At this point, we monitor him closely and say a few prayers.”

“He's stable but we don't know how his body will react. Time will tell. Sometimes we work for hours to stitch a patient back together, only to have infection set in, and they still lost the limb.” Dr. Kelley squirreled his face up a bit, as he glanced over his papers. “They are rare though, the shark attacks, despite what the news would have you think. Mr. Fletcher should make a full recovery. That much we know.” He offered Kai another firm handshake before walking back through the doors to surgery.

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