At Sea - 19. AS Chapter 19

“Mr Henderson, we are sorry that we didn’t notice the wheelchair being removed from your cousin’s room” the nurse said to me as I approached, and I smiled and nodded my head as I continued to Brodie’s room. “Ah, there you are, I want to get out of here” Brodie said as I walked in with his wheelchair, “Hey cousin, has the doctor seen you today? I said, “Yes, about half an hour ago, and where did you find my missing chair?” Brodie replied.

“A couple were trying to swipe it, luckily I was entering the hospital as they were leaving, so I recognised it, and had security called, to catch up to them. The important thing is that we have it back” I said to Brodie, who was sitting in the chair, with a small bag sitting on his bed. “Ok buddy, let’s get you loaded up, and get going” I added, as I lifted Brodie into his new wheelchair, and placed the bag on his lap.

Once we had checked with the nurses, that we were free to leave, I wheeled Brodie outside and to a taxi, where I loaded him inside and placed the wheelchair in the boot. Less than twenty minutes later, we arrived at the motel, and I wheeled Brodie into his room, then walked through to my room. “I am right next door if you need my help, just give me a shout” I said as I went to the bathroom briefly.

When I came out, I found Brodie on his bed, and he was watching television, “Well it looks like you can get around reasonably easily” I stated, I like to do as much as possible on my own, but sometimes I need some help, what’s in that other box?” Brodie replied. “A foldable shower chair, for while we are here and at home, when we get there, when you are ready for air travel” I replied.

“So, where exactly is home, and you haven’t told me anything about what my real mum and dad do” Brodie asked, looking at me with a frown. “I am sorry, I guess everything has been happening so fast, I haven’t had time to stop and talk to you about that. Your mum and dad, Jaqueline and Jayden, had been owners of a small fleet of cray fishing boats for as long as I can remember.

Two years after my father, your uncle James, was killed, your parents provided me with a cabin behind their place, so I was close to a college, to continue my studies, and to work part time on the lead boat with them.

Last year, while we were relocating, we got caught in a wild storm, and hit rocks and sunk with us stuck inside, luckily, Uncle Jay had a strong boat, and 14 hours later we were rescued in just over 25 metres deep water. With the cray season near the end, Jay and Jacq sold the fishing licenses, cray pots and three boats, for quite a tidy sum, and before Christmas, they bought a larger multi-purpose boat, that is a 56-metre-long catamaran, which we live on and do various types of charters” I informed my cousin.

“Wow, that sounds amazing, so how am I going to get out and about on this catamaran?” Brodie asked me, “easy, the ship has a lift to the three main levels, the hull decks only have stairs access, which is mostly stores and the engine rooms, laundry and tanks” I replied.

“Well that sorts out that problem, so where will I be living?” Brodie asked me, well I was hoping in the cabin next to mine, on the bridge deck, same as your parents, there are two single cabins, that we can transform into a double cabin, with any extras we need to make access easier for you” I replied. “So how do you know that my parents will go ahead with this, especially when you are just a crew member?” Brodie asked me.

“Well cousin, I am a little more than just a crew member, I am a part owner of the company, I have a double science degree, plus I am a qualified coxswain, like your mum, and your dad is a qualified skipper, so there is three of us who can operate the catamaran” I replied. “Wow, you have done a lot in just a few short years, since leaving school” Brodie said to me.

“Yes, I have, and most of it is thanks to Uncle Jay and Aunty Jacq. They are in New Zealand on a two-week holiday, so I thought that now you are out of hospital, we can get you back to the ship and get you settled in, before they return” I answered. “You still haven’t told me where home and the ship is” Brodie stated.

“Oh yeah, sorry about that, it is a small west coastal town, called Arthur River, in Tasmania, about 45 kilometres south in a straight line from the north-west tip of Tasmania, a 2 ½ hour drive East to Devonport, and a 4 ½ hour drive south to Strahan” I said as I went to retrieve my lap top computer, and booted it up, before typing in the web address for the companies Charter website.

Placing the laptop on Brodie’s lap, I placed some pillows behind him to prop him up some more, and he began to look at the website. “Wow, she is enormous, it looks like a catamaran ferry” Brodie commented, “Yes, that is what it was going to be, before the sale failed, and we bought it at a reduced amount. She can accommodate a total of 28 guests and 12 crew.

We bought it with a basic layout, so we were able to design the inside ourselves, it has a research workshop and two research offices, a conference room, a multi-purpose recreation lounge, and a huge open recreation space, that takes up what was the car storage area, forward of that is a large library lounge and games room, two-day bathrooms, store rooms, the stairs and elevator.

The upper deck has store rooms, two-day bathrooms, stairs and elevator, 6 VIP suites, 4 twin guest cabins, 8 single guest cabins, 4 single crew cabins, the formal dining room, servery, galley, scullery and stores, and behind that is the entertainment lounge and formal lounge, with a small outside deck.

Finally, on the bridge deck, there is the bridge, stairs and elevator, a bathroom, the captain’s office and cabin, officers lounge, 1^st officers cabin, which is mine, and two single crew cabins, and a small outside deck” I explained to my cousin. “Wow, that sounds big, and it looks amazing from these photos on the website, how many crew do you have at the moment?” Brodie replied.

“Well, there is your parents, who are the skipper and 2^nd skipper, me as navigator, and I am called Nav, by the crew, also there is my best friend – Amanda, who is our head chef, and our two good friends from college – Sam and Marcus, who are out stewards and deckhands. We all multi task with hospitality duties, when we have special guests, with Jay, Jacq and I sharing bridge duties” I announced.

“That sounds great, and only six crew for up to 28 guests, that must make it pretty hard, who have you had charter the catamaran?” Brodie asked, and I smiled, expecting this question, “Keep searching through the photos and you will see, the most number of guests we have had on one charter was 18, ten adults eight well behaved children” I replied.

“Wait these faces look familiar, I have seen them in a magazine somewhere” Brodie said to me when he come across the photos of the recent New Year’s Charter. “Yes, I expect you have, the elderly couple are Mr and Mrs Donaldson from Tasmania, next to them is their daughter, son in law and 4 grandchildren, the other couple are the son in law’s brother, his wife and four children” I explained.

“I know I have seen their faces before, what are their names?” Brodie said to me, and I chuckled a little, “We have had them on the catamaran twice now, more recently when this photo was taken, you are looking at His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of…”, “Denmark, yes I remember now, wow, you have had European royalty on the catamaran?” Brodie said interrupting me when he remembered.

“Yes, and the other four men are royal security, who are always with them, and are quite nice, once we have got to know them, with all of them speaking good English, although the children mostly speak in Danish” I said to my cousin. “I can hardly wait to get onboard and check out this catamaran” Brodie said excitedly, “Firstly, we call your doctor tomorrow, to see when you are able to travel by air” I said, which changed Brodie expression quickly.

Once we had chatted some more, and we had looked at all the photos, I helped Brodie to get to the bathroom, and he freshened up a little, before I took him to a nearby café for some lunch. “I haven’t seen much of Perth, can you show me around a little please” Brodie asked me as we finished our lunch, “Sure thing, have you lived up north most of your life?” I replied, “yes, mostly Coral Bay and Exmouth, I did all of my schooling at Exmouth” Brodie replied.

Brodie and I spent the rest of the day and all of the following day exploring different parts of Perth, including the beaches, the museum, the zoo, historical parts of Fremantle, including the Maritime Museum, and we also took a wine cruise up the river to the Swan Valley. We had received the all clear for Brodie to travel by air, so I already had tickets for the next day, in the early afternoon, so in the morning, after breakfast, we went into the city, to buy some new clothes and shoes for Brodie, since he only had two sets of clothes with him.

As we sat down for an early lunch, before heading to the airport, we were surprised to see the arrival of Officer Langley, “Hi boys, I just wanted to update you before you fly back to Tasmania, which I presume will be very soon” the officer said as he sat down, “Yes, we are on this afternoon’s flight to Melbourne, then tonight’s flight to Launceston” I replied.

“I see, well I have had a chat with your fake parent’s lawyer, and the inheritance is all yours, so you can decide what you want to do with it, I suggest that you give him a call, and instruct him on what you want to do about the house and business in Coral Bay and the house in Exmouth” the officer said to Brodie, as he handed Brodie the lawyer’s business card. “I will see that he does something about it in the next weeks sir” I said on behalf of my cousin, “Very good, have a safe journey back to Tasmania, and good luck with your future” the officer said as he stood up and left.

“We will talk about this in a day or two, no need to worry about it now” I said to Brodie. Half an hour later, with our packed suitcases, we headed to the Airport, to catch our first flight, we had rear seats near the doors, for extra leg space for Brodie to move around, and once the wheel chair was checked in along with our luggage, we used an airline wheelchair, to make our way to the departure lounge.

With Brodie needing wheelchair access, we were the first to be boarded, and the airline wheel chair was stowed away ready for when needed next, and just under four hours later, we landed in Melbourne, with us not needing to worry about our luggage, as it would be forwarded onto our next flight, we were back in the air again two hours later, just before 9pm.

We arrived at our shared motel room, just before 11pm, feeling very tired from all the travelling, we dumped the luggage in a pile near the door, and I helped Brodie to change, go to the bathroom, and get him into bed, before I did the same, and we were both quickly fast asleep.

I woke up to the sound of Brodie shouting at me to wake up, informing me that he needed to go to the bathroom, and quickly glancing at my clock, it was just after 6am, so I picked him up and carried him to the bathroom, and waited till he was finished, before carrying him back to bed. I fell asleep again, waking up some time later, when a pillow landed on my head.

“Wake up sleepy head, time to get up” Brodie said to me, “What time is it?” I groaned, as I tried to get back to sleep, “time for you to get me some brunch, it is just after 10am, and I am hungry, plus your phone has beeped with a couple of messages” Brodie said to me, “Ok, ok, I am getting up” I grumbled, as I forced myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

I took a quick shower, and feeling a little more alive, I dressed, before organising the shower chair for Brodie, and getting him sorted for his shower. Once Brodie had showered and I had helped him to dry off and dress, I loaded Brodie into his chair and we headed out to look for a café so we could eat, finding one just under two blocks away, and we ordered two large all day full cooked breakfasts.

While waiting, I remembered my phone messages, so checked them. “Carlton, we will be home in 6 days’ time, I hope you and the crew are having a relaxing time. We received confirmation, that Brodie is the young man who was in that accident, once we have had a few days at home, we will go and see him. love Jay and Jacq” I said out loud for Brodie to hear.

“Nav, I am back in Arthur River, when will you be back, I am camping in the cottage till you get back, love Amanda” I read out, and I looked at my watch, to see the date, “Bugga, we need to get back fast” I added.

“Why, what is wrong” Brodie asked me, “Amanda is back from shore leave, two days early, and she is locked out of the ship, only the skipper and I have keys for the external doors” I explained, “What is this cottage she is talking about” Brodie asked, “Jacq and Jay own a 15-acre block of land right on the river, just upstream from town, which has its own jetty. The cottage is Jacq and Jay’s main residence, so they have their own space, when not on charters” I said to my cousin.

“Ok, so how do we get their fast?” Brodie asked, “the only way we can mate, by bus, which is a 4-hour journey, are you ok with that, or do we need to charter a plane, that will only take us 30 minutes to get to Smithton, and an hours’ drive to Arthur River” I replied. “I would prefer the plane if it isn’t too expensive” Brodie replied.

After twenty minutes on the phone, I had organised a charter, from Launceston to Smithton, and managed to find transport down to Arthur River, so we packed up our luggage, and caught a taxi back to Launceston Airport, where the charter plane was waiting for us. When we arrived at Smithton, there was a Land rover waiting for us with a smiling Amanda at the wheel, as Brodie made his way there on his own, while I brought the luggage on a trolley.

“So, who is this handsome young man, you have brought home with you, naughty boy” Amanda said to me as we approached, and I blushed a little, while Brodie looked a little confused, “Amanda, I would like to introduce you, to your other boss, my first cousin Brodie Henderson” I announced with a wicked grin, and Amanda’s smiled dropped into a look of shock, as my cousin held out his hand, and Amanda shook it softly.

“I am terribly sorry, I didn’t know that you were… oh shoot” Amanda said as she climbed into the vehicle and burst into tears. I walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door, “I am sorry” Amanda whispered to me. “Never mind, that is one thing I haven’t got around to talking to him about. Let’s just get loaded up and on our way, ok?” I replied, and Amanda wiped away her tears and nodded her head.

Brodie was still sitting in his wheelchair looking confused, “Ok, have I missed something here?” Brodie asked with a frown, “Yes cousin you have, but we will explain it all, once you are settled in, I said as I picked him up and loaded him into the back-passenger seat, before helping Amanda to load up all the luggage.

On the journey south to Arthur River, I explained to Brodie that we would accommodate him in a VIP Suite, until, we can get a cabin fitted out to his needs, and that Marcus and Sam have cabins very close by to the suite, and as we drove through the gate into the property, Brodie got to see the catamaran for the first time. “Wow, that is bigger than I imagined” he commented, as we drove down to the jetty.

Once I had Brodie in his wheelchair, I jumped on board, and lowered the side loading ramp, which we use for guest arrivals and loading supplies, and Brodie was able to wheel himself onto the catamaran with little effort. “Wow, a basketball court as well, this is so awesome” Brodie said as he looked around, then dashed off, spun around and headed back to us at full speed, spinning around and racing off again, before he started to slow down from all the exertion.

While he was doing this, Amanda and I brought all the luggage on board, including her own, from being away for five days, once I had unlocked the external doors, I was now glad that I had insisted on small ramps to overcome the water tight door frames, so Brodie was able to follow me down the 2-metre-wide hallway, past the research area, and into the library lounge, where the elevator is located.

Taking Brodie up one level, I lead the way around the corner to the closes VIP Suite, and opened the door for him, pleased that he was able to fit the wheelchair through the 900-mm wide doorway. “This is the cabin that HRH Frederick and Mary used during their two stays’ on board, I hope it is comfortable enough for you” I said to my cousin. “More than enough, this is pure luxury” Brodie said with a big smile.

I headed off to retrieve his luggage, including the shower chair, before taking my luggage up to my cabin. “So, I guess with your cousin being here, I am out of a comfortable double cabin?” Amanda said from my cabin door. “No, if you are comfortable with it we can share a cabin” I replied with a smile, and Amanda jumped with joy and bounced in and wrapped her arms around me, kissing me on the cheek a number of times, which made me laugh.

“When you have moved, we will get the carpenter on board, to make some alterations, to make the two single cabins into a double cabin, with a wheelchair access bathroom, for Brodie, so I am close by if he needs some help, which he does on occasions” I said to Amanda, before heading downstairs to check on Brodie.

“There you are, I was beginning to be feel abandoned” Brodie said when I arrived, “Sorry buddy, I was discussing some stuff with the chef, by the way, what was your fake parent’s business in Coral Bay?” I asked, and Brodie grinned, “you would never guess” he said to me. “Well if it is on a coastal town, maybe a 4-wheeler adventure tours, or maybe accommodation” I replied.

“Aw you cheated didn’t you, my fake parents managed the tourist caravan park, and I we owned and managed the tour company, for any tours that operate in the region from Carnarvon in the south to Exmouth in the north” Brodie replied. “I guess that you had your own little open office area, and that you could get around the place easily?” I asked.

“Yes, except for the beach area, my fake parents had a 4-wheeler with all hand controls, so I could get out and about easily in the sandy areas” Brodie replied. “Ready for a full ships tour?” I asked, “you bet I am cousin, lead the way” Brodie replied happily, as he climbed into his wheelchair on his own and followed me out of the cabin, heading towards the back of the ship.

I pointed out which were Sam and Marcus’s cabins, before we entered the formal dining room, where we saw Amanda in the galley preparing some lunch, “Are you ready to eat” Amanda asked when she saw us enter. “You bet I am thanks Amanda” Brodie replied, and I cleared away one chair, to make room for the wheelchair. After lunch, I showed Brodie the guest entertainment lounge, and the formal lounge.

“Wow a baby grand, does anyone play?” Brodie said when he saw the piano, “Yes, I do, but mostly classical” I replied as I sat down and began to play, and I saw that Brodie was watching my hands as I played. “I wish I could play an instrument like that, all I can do is the easy version of chopsticks” Brodie said and I began to play that tune, and made it more complicated as I went.

“Show off” Brodie said to me and I laughed as I stopped playing, “Come on, there is the bridge deck to go” I said as I stood up and lead the way back towards the lift, and we went up one more level, and entered the bridge. “Wow, and you can steer this, with all these gadgets” Brodie asked me as he looked at the instrument panels, “Yes, so can your mum and dad, the fishing boat had only about a third of the number of instruments that are here, so it took me a little while to get used to it” I said.

Suddenly the sat phone rang, which made Brodie jump, and I smiled as I walked over and picked it up, “MV Trident, Nav speaking” I said answering the call, “At last, I have been trying to get hold of you for a few days” I heard Jacq say, “Hello Aunty, sorry I was away for a few extra days, and arrived back today, Amanda arrived two days ago, but she was locked out of the ship, so she had to camp at the cottage” I replied.

“I see, ignore the text you received from us the other day, we will be home tomorrow, then once we have booked tickets, we will be heading to Perth to see our son” Jay added, “Hang on a moment please” I said and I covered the mouthpiece of the phone.

“Do you want to talk to your parents?” I whispered to Brodie, who backed away a little bit, before hesitating and rolling forward towards me, and I handed him the sat phone, and stood close by to listen in, “Hello” Brodie said nervously into the phone, and there was a long silence.

“Who is this speaking, where is Nav?” I heard Jay say in reply, “This… this is Brodie Henderson speaking, is that you dad?” Brodie replied, and we heard gasps form the other end of the line, “I am still here listening Jay, yes, it is true, your son is here with me on the Trident” I said into the phone, “Oh my dear boy” I heard Jacq say between sobs, “You will never know how much we have wanted to see and speak to our son, after so many years, thank you for bringing him home to us nephew” I heard Jay say.

Brodie now had tears flowing down his cheeks, “It is good to hear your voices again, I don’t remember anything after falling into the river, only that I woke up in hospital in Perth, I am a paraplegic, but I can pretty much take care of myself” Brodie explained. “That is good to know son, now Carlton, what are you doing for accommodation for Brodie?” Jay asked.

“He is in a VIP suite for now, until we get the two single crew cabins on the bridge transformed into a double with a wheelchair access bathroom, Amanda is sharing a cabin with me, which she is thrilled about, and I will organise the carpenter to start work on the changes, as soon as possible” I reported. “Very good, we will see you boys tomorrow, take care” Jay said with Jacq still sobbing in the background, and they ended the call.

“Well that went fairly well… come on, let me show you what will be your cabin, once the work is finished” I said to Brodie, and I lead the way out of the bridge and down the passage, stopping at the lounge room, to show Brodie inside, then a couple doors down to we reached what will be his cabin. “It looks small, but remember you will have the other single cabin next door as well, so it will the same size as my cabin, with a bigger bathroom” I explained.

For the remainder of the day, I let Brodie get settled in, he would often go off and explore the ship on his own, and I would check on him occasionally, while Amanda kept busy in the galley preparing dinner. Later when we were eating, I could see that Brodie was thinking of something, as he was silent while he ate, but I decided to wait till he was ready to talk to me.

Once we had finished cleaning up after dinner, we gathered in the entertainment lounge to watch a movie, with Amanda making some popcorn for us, and we enjoyed each other’s company. After the movie, I helped Brodie to get settled for bed, leaving him with a hand held two-way radio, so he can call if he needed help, before heading upstairs to our cabin.

“I have this unsettled feeling, that Brodie isn’t going to like what we have to tell him tomorrow, so I thought we better wait till the skipper gets back after lunch” I said to Amanda, as I exited the bathroom, and settled into bed next to her. “Mmm, this is nice to have a sleeping companion” Amanda said to me as she cuddled up to me, making me chuckle a little.

The next morning, I was up early, and I headed down to check on Brodie, who was just getting settled into his wheel chair when I arrived. “Well it looks like you have settled in well, if you are already up and ready for a new day” I commented with a smile, and I received no reply, as I jumped out of the way as Brodie wheeled out of the cabin, and headed to the dining room.

Amanda was in the galley by the time we arrived, and was busy getting set up for breakfast, and I went to help here, while Brodie wheeled up to the dining table and waited for some breakfast. Once we had all eaten, which was done in total silence, with Amanda looking to me concerned, Brodie set off to the lounge area, and I helped Amanda to clean up, before I headed upstairs to the office.

I was going to call the carpenter, but decided to wait until the skipper arrived back, so I could talk to him about my concerns, so I just checked for emails, and responded to a few charter enquiries, before heading next door to the officer’s lounge, where I tried to relax, and I must have dozed off to sleep.

“There you are, I have been looking for you all over the ship” said as she walked in and woke me up. “Ok, so you found me, what’s up” I snapped, “No need to get nasty to me thankyou Mr, I just wanted you to know, that Brodie has left the ship to explore town on his own” Amanda said to me.