Chapter 25
Hours later Beckett’seyes opened suddenly. It would be dawn soon and they were naked in the Zodiac. He had rolled off Luna but still had an arm and a leg across her body. He whispered, “Luna? Wake up.”
She started awake, gave a frightened look around, then settled on Beckett’s smile. “Hey Beckett.”
“Hey. We have to get up, go to the bunk room. There’s a bunk there for you.”
She said, “I guess staying here isn’t acceptable?”
“My pale ass is shining up at the bridge — probably not.”
They struggled up in the Zodiac, hunted for their clothes in the dark, and dressed giggling. Then Beckett led her by the hand to the bunks, showing her a bed at the end of the hall. Across from Jeffrey.
He pantomimed where the bathroom was, and returned to his bunk for his grandmother’s quilt, unfolded it, and covered her. He knelt beside her bunk and kissed her. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She nodded and he walked away.
Luna stared up at the ceiling made of Dr Mag’s bunk, three feet above her head. The boat shifted and rocked and the engine rumbled and she was warm and comfortable enough, but also alone. She looked around at the shadows surrounding her. People, sleeping, on the water. Familiar, but also different and she couldn’t — she turned to her side and flipped to her other side, then her back and stared at the ceiling some more. She looked at the corners, closer, the ceiling bowing down, she could feel it dropping, pressing. Her heart raced. She pulled the blanket to her mouth and tried to close her —
“Luna?”
She jerked her eyes open. Beckett was kneeling beside her bunk. “I can’t sleep,” he whispered. “Can you?”
She shook her head.
“You want to go sit on deck chairs?”
She nodded gratefully and followed Beckett back up the stairs.
