But it would be minutes more ofswimming and resting, of resting and swimming, and even more minutes of pureterror and hopelessness. But Mick keptgoing. And he prayed. He was a God-fearing man. He fell short every day of his life, probablyevery moment of his existence, but he believed in God. And he prayed. He just wanted his son back. He prayed as he swam.
And in the midst of his prayer, heheard what sounded like a muffled voice. He turned, saw nothing, then he turned again and still saw nothing. But when he turned the third time, certain hehad heard something, that was when he saw Teddy’s head pop out of the water asif he was a phoenix rising. He yelled ina breathless, garbled voice, Pop, and then went back under.
And Mick, stunned, dived deep downinto that water and raced to his son’s side. He bumped into him before he saw him, grabbed him, and with all thestrength he had left he lifted Teddy’s muscular body all the way up for air. And when they made it up, they both exhaledheavily.
“You okay?” Mick managed to ask hisson, holding him up.
“I’m okay,” Teddy managed to say withlabored breaths.
But they both were in bad shape. Because they had what seemed like a wholeocean to cross. And Teddy’s strength wasall but gone. Surviving out there aslong as he had, when he had been thrown and then drifted so far away, took thelife out of him.
So it was all up to Mick, and he knew he had to be up for thechallenge. He placed his arm around hisson and began swimming him back toward the shore. He could now feel bodies that had driftedthat far away, too, but they were all dead bodies. It was so eerie, it gave Mick thewillies! But he kept going.
But his heart was faint because he knewthe truth. There was no way he was goingto make it all the way to shore, or even anywhere near it. His arms already felt as if a ton of steelwas bearing down on them, and his legs felt like two tons of steel were bearingdown on them. He was barely moving theman inch a minute.
But as he continued to try to makeit, he first heard and then saw, in the midst of all of that water, a speedboatcoming their way. He would have liftedhis arm to wave at that boat, but his arm was too heavy, and he couldn’t riskletting his son slip away from him. “Lord, let them see us,” he said out loud. “Let them see us!”
The man on the boat apparently sawthem because he immediately pulled alongside them, idled his engine, and thenassisted first Teddy and then Mick onto his boat. And then he hurried back to shore.
When Mick was able to regulate hisbreathing, he looked at the boatman. Washe for them or against them? That wasalways his question. Was he a part ofthe crew that had planted the bomb onboard that ship in the first place, or washe an answered prayer? “Thank you,” hesaid to him, to gauge his response.
“Don’t thank me,” the boatman said,glancing back. “A black lady, not thevoluptuous one but the smaller one, told me she’d pay me big money if I got myboat out here to find you. I wasn’tgoing for it at first. I mean, I ain’tgot nothing against the blacks, but where she gonna get big money like I wouldcall big money? But then somebody yelledshe’s good for it, that she’s Mick Sinatra’s wife, and I didn’t hesitatethen. I got my boat on out here fast,searching for you.” Then he glancedback. “I know the name, but I don’t knowthe face. You Mick Sinatra, right?”
Mick was smiling, which the boatmantook to mean yes. But Mick wasn’tsmiling because of what that boatman had asked him, but because of Roz. He had himself a wife who knew how to takecare of business, and he appreciated that. He was smiling because he was inwardly thanking God for rescuing them,and for giving him the good sense to marry, not any of those beauty queens heused to date, but a beauty of a good woman. A smart, talented, very good woman.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
When they made it back to shore, Teddy,with Nikki right by his side, was taken to the hospital although Teddy keptinsisting he didn’t need it. But Roz sawdifferently. She agreed with theparamedics.
“You’re going, Teddy,” she said, “Idon’t care what you say!”
“But I’m fine!” Teddy again insisted.
“If you don’t get your ass to thathospital and let them run some tests, you better,” Roz said with grittedteeth. “You were in an explosion. You were thrown into that water and youstayed in there for a long time. Youneed to make certain there’s no internal injuries, boy!”
Teddy looked at Mick. “Pop, tell herI’m alright.”
But Nikki answered before Mickcould. “I agree with Mrs. Sinatra,”Nikki said. “You need to let them runsome tests, Teddy.”
Teddy couldn’t believe it. “I’m not getting in any fucking ambulance,and I’m not going to any fucking hospital. I hate hospitals!”
“You’re going,” Mick said, whichsettled it. “You don’t have to go inthat ambulance. Nikki can drive youthere. But you’re going to thathospital, and you will let them run tests. I’ll have Doc meet you there, to speed up the process, but if Rosalindsays you’re going, you’re going.”
And that was the end of thatdisagreement. “And call your mother,”Mick said to Teddy, which Teddy knew he meant his biological mother, as Nikkidrove Teddy to the hospital. He went.
But at the docks, Mick and Roz andJoey planned to remain until the last man was accounted for. Most were rescued, but some, including Mick’screw chief, perished.
Roz’s cellphone rang. It was Billy Lancer, probably calling to askif she’d made up her mind yet.
As she answered it, Joey shifted hisweight on that stick he had for support and looked at his father. “What are we going to do about it, Pop?” heasked. “Do we even have a clue who couldbe
