Page 14 of A Ferry Merry Christmas
Dan was on the phone. From the bits of conversation Avery heard, it appeared he was talking to his wife and explaining the situation.
“I don’t have any idea how long this will take,” he said. “None of us do.”
Avery checked the time. An hour had passed and there had yet to be an update. A lot of the passengers were getting restless, moving about, complaining to one another. The room reverberated with discontent.
Dan ended his call. “The wife is worried I’m going to miss the family party. And I obviously can’t promise her I’ll be there until we get some word as to what’s the problem.”
“Everyone is wondering. It’s already been an hour,” Avery said, looking around the room. She’d been too wrapped up in her conversation with Harrison to pay much attention. The grumbling seemed to get louder by the minute as the passengers grew impatient.
The squeaky sound came from the loudspeaker, indicating another announcement was imminent. The murmurs waned as everyone prepared to listen.
“This is your captain again. I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news.”
Avery heard several curses and loud complaints followed by shushing from other passengers as the captain continued.
“It’s been determined that the engine problem can’t be resolved quickly. We need a part, which fortunately is available. The replacement part will be delivered as quickly as possible. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the fix will take a relatively short amount of time once the part is here. I appreciate your patience.”
“Oh dear,” Avery murmured. She hated the thought of her brother waiting around the Seattle ferry terminal for hours on end. It was clear she wouldn’t make the lunch reservation.
“I know a lot of you are anxious, wondering how long we are expected to wait,” Captain Douglas continued. “I don’t have a definitive answer, I’m sorry to say. Again, I ask for your patience.”
As soon as the announcement was over, myriad angry voices filled the room until the cacophony made it difficult to hear, let alone think. People were upset. Avery understood; she was disappointed herself. This wasn’t how she’d planned her Christmas holiday to start. It was hard enough to keep her spirits high, missing her grandmother as much as she did. Now this.
Caught up in her own frustration, she barely noticed the man in the seat across from where she sat. Earlier, she’d picked him out as a businessman or maybe a lawyer, by the looks of his briefcase.
“This can’t be happening,” he lamented loudly. “Not now. Please, not now.”
Most everyone ignored him. Avery couldn’t. Something was happening that was causing him great distress and it was more than being late for a family gathering or disappointing his wife.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, leaning forward enough to touch his arm.
“No.” The man sat up, then rammed his fingers through his hair. “This is a disaster.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
He shook his head so hard she feared his glasses would fly across the room. “No, there’s nothing anyone can do. My wife is pregnant and went into labor this morning. We moved to Seattle this summer for my job and don’t have any family here. She’s all alone.”
Listening in on the conversation, Harrison gave a low whistle, and the two men introduced themselves. The man’s name was James.
“The baby isn’t due for another two weeks,” James continued. “Lilly’s had a difficult pregnancy and needs me with her. She’s frantic and I’m stuck on this blasted ferry.”
“My buddy is a medic,” Harrison said. “Let me get him. He might be able to help.”
“How?” James asked, looking up hopefully.
Harrison collected Dan, who sat down next to James. “You said your wife is in labor?”
James nodded. “She isn’t completely sure—at least she wasn’t when we first left Bremerton. Now she said the pains are continuing, so she’s thinking this might be it.”
“And she’s alone?”
James nodded again.
“Is there someone close by who can come sit with her until you arrive? That will help with the anxiety she’s feeling.”
“But I need to be there,” James insisted.
“And you soon will be,” Dan assured him.
