Romance Moonlight Bay

Mike Sanders was totally stumped. It was obvious that he had played his cards poorly. He regretted not being able to land an obviously talented and forceful ER doctor for the hospital, but he was more concerned for his son.

Diane had kept him informed on the budding romance between Jessica and Dave. He and Gail were both pleased that Dave seemed to looking for a more meaningful and lasting relationship. The fact that it was with the beautiful doctor visiting town was icing on the cake. Mike hadn't tried to push Dave toward Jessica. He knew Dave well enough to realize it would only serve to have the opposite effect. He had spoken with other board members and all agreed the young ER doctor would be extremely beneficial to the hospital, as well as the community. He thought it would pave the way, romantically, for the couple. Instead, he had somehow caused it all to come crashing down and he was sick at heart.

Dave's face had turned beet red as he watched Jessica stomp from the room. Nancy Williams was more flustered than she imagined possible. What had just happened? Why had Jess suddenly become so hostile? Dave was one of the finest young men she had ever seen and her daughter had rejected him in no uncertain terms.

Mike felt he needed to apologize to his son, although he had no idea what he had done wrong. "Dave, I'm sorry. I had no idea I'd upset her..."

"Never mind, Dad. It's over now. I have to go get ready for work," was all Dave said as he quickly left the room, leaving both sets of parents shaking their heads in confusion.

Once outside the hospital, Dave realized he had left his truck at the scene of the accident and had no way back to his apartment. Then he heard his name called from the parking lot. Turning, he saw Derrick waving to him, and he was standing next to his truck!

"I saw the stream on Facebook, so I knew you left your truck behind. Heather and I went out to pick it up for you. Where's Jessica?"

"She had things to do," was Dave's terse reply as he put his truck in gear and pulled out of the parking lot.

As Heather and Derrick were walking to his car, Jessica rushed up to them. "I need a ride back to the hotel!"

"Dave just left. Why didn't you ride with him?" asked an obviously perplexed Heather.

"I won't be riding with that jerk ever again!" snapped Jessica. "Could we go back to the hotel now?"

Willow was looking at her phone when Jessica walked into their shared hotel room. "Well, if it isn't the gator whisperer. How's Dave doing? The guy wrestled an alligator bare handed for you. How romantic is that?"

"Not romantic enough to make me ever want to see him again!" growled Jessica as she dropped into a chair and began sobbing. "He was just leading me on so I'd do my residency here at General. His father had him be nice to me in hopes I'd stay in this one horse town. That'll never happen!"

"Wow! You've had some day," observed Willow with concern. "I could point out that you're much more upset about this problem with Dave than you were when James, your boyfriend at the time, called you a lousy cock sucker in public. I could also mention that the kiss you gave him sure made it appear like you thought he was a pretty good guy."

"You saw me kiss Dave?" sobbed Jessica. "Was that streamed on FaceBook, too? This is so embarrassing!"

"It really isn't, when you think about it. He's a great looking guy and you aren't too bad yourself. You stared down an alligator and saved a man's life. Then Dave saved your life. It seemed like the natural thing to do," reasoned Willow. "Is it possible you're overreacting, that maybe Dave wasn't leading you on and he really does have feelings for you?"

"Not likely, but it doesn't matter now. I slapped his father's face! Then I slapped Dave's!" revealed Jessica. "I hate being used, so I was furious. They may have deserved it, but I shouldn't have done it. Mom and Dad are going to be upset. They saw me do it."

"At least that wasn't streamed over the internet." Willow joked in an attempt to lighten Jessica's mood.

Jessica spent the next two days at the hotel pool, refusing to go to the beach or anywhere else she might encounter Dave or one of his many friends. Her parents, along with Heather and Willow, allowed her two days to recover her equilibrium before dragging her away from the hotel one afternoon.

"Heather and I are going on a boat tour of Lancaster Island, and you're going with us," insisted Willow. "You need to get out and get some fresh air. You've hidden out long enough. This'll be fun and you don't have to worry about seeing Dave. It's a tourist thing. Locals have seen the island hundreds of times. We leave in an hour."

Two hours later Jessica was sitting between Heather and Willow gazing at the wild horses roaming Lancaster Island. The guide on the fifty foot pontoon tour boat was very informative and the girls were thoroughly enjoying it. Jessica had been recognized as soon as she stepped onto the boat. Several people even asked her to pose for pictures with them. Jessica was uncomfortable with the attention, but realized she had no reason to decline the requests. The hard part was listening to some of the women telling her how handsome Dave was and what a sweet kiss she had given him. Everyone assumed they were a couple.

"I should be upset with you for luring Dave away, but after the way you faced that alligator and worked to save that man's life, I can't be angry. I see why Dave thinks so highly of you," stated an older woman with two young girls sitting next to her. "I just wish you were both staying here and working out of General Hospital."

"What makes you think I'm luring Dave anywhere?" asked a confused Jessica. "As far as not working at General, I really don't care to discuss reasons for my personal or professional decisions."

"My husband's the head of the county EMS. Dave approached him a couple of days after you made your now famous debut and added to our local lore, at his mom's restaurant. We had friends eating there and they told us all about it.

"Dave asked about getting a good letter of recommendation if he decided to move to the Baltimore area. He wondered if my husband could make suggestions about where he might apply since we lived in Baltimore ten years ago. He had decided he was going to do try to get to know you better and the only way to do that was to work someplace near where you worked," concluded the woman.

"Why would your husband give a waiter, or even a maitre d', a letter of recommendation?" asked a very perplexed Jessica. "Dave's thinking about moving to Baltimore because of me?"

"The recommendation wouldn't be for the food service industry," laughed the woman. "Dave doesn't brag, but he's the best paramedic in the county, and maybe the state. You saw firsthand the other day what he can and will do to help others. My husband hates to see him go, but he told Dave he'd give him the best possible recommendation and call a few friends to pave the way for him when he went looking for work up north."

"Dave is the best paramedic in the county? That's his job?" repeated a stunned Jessica. "He said he'd move to Baltimore for me?"

"I hope I didn't let the cat out of the bag," worried the older woman. "I just assumed you knew all of this. What do you and Dave talk about when you're with him?"

"Not our work, obviously," replied Jessica as she mulled over the information the woman had given her.

The boat shuttered as it began to circle around the north end of the island and the engine suddenly stopped. "Don't worry folks," announced the guide. "This happens now and then. All we have to do is make a few adjustments. The captain will have her running in no time. Everyone's welcome to grab a free drink out of the cooler while we you wait."

"I hope you get it fixed pretty soon," responded an older man as he glanced at his phone. "I'm looking at Doppler radar and it looks like severe thunderstorms headed our way."

Twenty minutes later, the engine still wasn't running and the tour guide's demeanor had changed. He picked up his microphone and spoke to the concerned tourists. "We can't seem to get the engine started. I'm calling back to the marina and asking them to send out a boat or two to take everyone back. I'm sorry about this inconvenience. You'll be refunded the full price of your tickets."

Nancy Williams had called Dave a little earlier in the day. "Jessica's going on a tour of Lancaster Island with Willow and Heather. I'm hope I'm not meddling, but if you ever hope to patch things up with her, you need to talk to her, maybe when she comes ashore. She has the idea you're just stringing her along so she'll agree to work at the local hospital. She heard some nurses talking about it and took it to heart.

"I don't think that's true and your intentions are honorable. The thing is it doesn't matter what I think. If you were serious about Jess and not playing her, you need to plead your case. She wouldn't have been this upset if you didn't mean a great deal to her."

Dave found himself pacing the docks impatiently as he waited for the tour boat to return. It should have been in sight, but all Dave could see on the horizon were thunderheads billowing tens of thousands of feet into the sky. Having been raised in Moonlight Bay, he well knew how quickly a dangerous storm could pop up.

"Dave!" called the marina manager from his doorway as he summoned Dave over. "The tour boat lost its engine on the north end of Lancaster Island and can't get it working. The local tow boat is twenty miles south pulling in a disabled charter. There's a storm brewing and we need to get those folks back before it hits.

"Old Will has agreed to take his big fishing boat out and load up the tourists, but his nephew's got the day off and went to Orlando. Will's worried about going alone and having trouble in the storm. Would you go with him? We'd sure appreciate it."

Dave soon realized it was a good thing he went with the old man. The sky was growing darker by the minute and the wind had picked up. The old man had lost all interest in the project and was constantly grumbling about risking his boat for a bunch of rich tourists. Dave had to use some strong persuasion to keep the man from heading back to the marina.

"Maybe we should try to float closer to the island," suggested a man is yellow shorts. "That storm is headed this way. We could get close and then wade in. At least we wouldn't have to worry about sinking."

"We don't have to worry about sinking, unless we do float closer to the island," replied the tour guide. "We have to stay this far out to avoid shallow water and rocks close to the surface on this end of the island. We'd sink for sure if we drifted too close. We'll have to anchor right here and wait."

The temperature seemed to drop drastically in just a few minutes and the rain began hammering the canopy that shielded the seats of the tour boat from the sun. Within minutes it was raining so hard visibility was down to a few dozen yards. The wind continued to increase and the rain was driven horizontally across the seats. The passengers were soaked within minutes. The ocean became even rougher as the winds increased.

"Is this boat moving?" asked a worried Heather as she hunkered down against the wind and rain with Willow and Jessica. "It feels like we're moving, doesn't it?"

"That's just the waves," responded Willow through clenched teeth. "We're anchored and ..."

Suddenly the boat slammed into something solid and passengers were hurled against the starboard side of the boat. Screams and loud sobs filled the gloom as passengers struggled to regain their feet.

Jessica had been trying to look over the side to see if they were getting close to the rocks protruding from the water when the boat's starboard pontoon was slammed into a rock. She clutched for the hand rail but was unable to grasp it before being flung over the side. Her head glanced the same rock the pontoon had smashed into. Jessica found herself feeling very woozy as she forced herself to cling to the rock as the waves buffeted her continuously.

"The pontoon is ruptured" shouted the tour guide. "If we keep banging into these rocks, we'll sink for sure. Where's that rescue boat?"

Passengers had been slammed into seats and railings. More than a few were now bleeding as people lay sprawled on the deck and across the seats. In the mayhem following the collision, no one noticed Jessica's absence.

Dave was now guiding the old man's boat. He saw the lights on the tour boat and slowly worked closer while avoiding the rocks he knew had to be dangerously close. Surprisingly, the wind suddenly died and the rain abated. People on the tour boat began waving frantically, urging him to move faster. It took a few minutes but Dave was able to get close to the other boat; too close for safety, he was sure.

The tour boat was no longer moving with the waves. It remained still and tilted, which concerned Dave. It had to be sitting on rocks, but he knew that wouldn't last very long if the wind and rain picked up again. The captain of the tour boat found a rather long board, lifted the end up and rested in on the bobbing fishing boat. Dave grabbed some bungee cords and quickly secured them around a notch in the board so it couldn't slide back off the edge.

The man on the other side was urging people to crawl up the plank to the fishing boat while Dave was at the top helping them into the boat. It took over ten minutes to get everyone across, but Dave never saw Jessica! The tour guide crawled into the boat next, followed by the captain. The wind had once again picked up and the movement on the fishing boat finally became too much as the board between the two boats plunged into the water.

Dave was frantic as he searched the faces looking at him. He saw Heather huddled with Willow.

"Where's Jessica?" he yelled over the sounds of the storm and the chatter of relieved passengers.

"I thought she was here!" shouted the suddenly frightened Heather. "The last I saw her she was standing by the railing."

"Dave, we have to get out of here!" hollered the old man that owned the fishing boat. "Those goddamn rocks are off the port side and getting closer every fucking second. If we don't get moving, we'll run aground or sink!"

Dave turned to the captain of the tour boat. "Help him get this boat back to the marina. You know these waters. I'm going to go look for a girl on your boat. Don't wait for us. You can't risk everyone's lives. We'll wait out the storm somehow and catch a ride back in the morning."

Once the man nodded grimly in agreement, Dave jumped over the side! He landed near the tour boat, which was now tilted badly enough that the broken pontoon was totally submerged, making it a fairly simple matter to climb over the side and into the sinking boat.

Jessica had struggled mightily to cling to the rock as she slowly regained her bearings. She was able to see the tour boat slowly descending into the choppy water. It was sinking! What about all of the people on the boat? There were kids. Heather and Willow were on the sinking boat! Would they be able to get to the rocks, or maybe even the island? Oddly, she didn't see a single person in the water. What had happened to them?

"Jessica!" yelled a voice from the sinking boat. "Jessica! Can you hear me?"

"Dave?" Is that you? I'm on a rock!" shouted Jessica as Dave slid into the water as the boat disappeared below the surface. Like Jessica, Dave was wearing a lifejacket. He also had a seat cushion with him that could serve as a flotation device.

"We need to get away from these rocks!" yelled Dave over the increasing wind and rain. "The wind's pushing south. We have to try to swim away from these rocks and let the wind push us until the storm ends!

"Jess! I'll stay with you," promised Dave as Jessica shook her head and clung to the slippery rock even as the waves began bouncing her against them. "We have to do this. You have to trust me."

Suddenly making up her mind, Jessica released the rock and pushed away, swimming strongly. Seeing how well Jessica swam, Dave pushed away from the rocks and moved next to her, dragging the seat cushion with him. They swam furiously for several minutes before Dave spoke again.

"That's enough, Jess. We're away from the shallows and the wind is pushing us south. You've got to keep your strength and keep your head above the waves," instructed Dave as he pushed the cushion in front of her and signaled for her to place her arms across it, before doing the same.

Jessica was amazed at how calm Dave remained as he settled in next to her and spoke into her ear. "Don't panic. We'll be okay. Once the storm is over, boats will be looking for us."

It was totally dark now. Jessica couldn't even see Dave, but she could feel his strong hand gripping hers and she felt surprisingly safe. The two of them clung to the floating seat cushion as the storm raged for hours. Dave wondered how a thunderstorm could last so long. He finally determined that they had to be traveling with the storm, unable to break free from the driving wind that pushed them along.

The old man in the fishing boat wasn't the most courageous person in the world, but he knew his boat and he knew the waters. With the help of the captain from the tour boat, he was able to make his way safely back to the marina. By the time they moored the fishing boat, an almost full moon had risen and the waters were calm.

A large crowd had gathered to welcome the passengers back and to help with the injured. Willow had spent the entire ride back to the marina giving aid to those in need. She used everything in the boat's first aid kit, which was surprisingly well stocked, and had even asked for shirts from some of the men who were not hurt to use as slings, wraps and support for those more severely injured.

Once docked, those able to walk were quickly ushered off the overcrowded boat so EMS could have room to treat and transport the injured. Willow remained on the boat to lend assistance where she could. Diane met Heather just as the teary eyed girl reached her parents.

"Where's Dave!" she demanded. "Is he on the boat?"

"No! He jumped into the water to look for Jessica back by the tour boat. It saw it sink! I don't know if they made it. The water was rough and the wind and rain made it so we couldn't even stand up at times. I'm scared for them!"

"Dave jumped into the water to look for Jessica?" asked Diane to be certain she and Heather's parents understood the girl correctly. "They weren't on this boat when it docked? You're telling me that even after she slapped his face and cursed him to hell the other day, he jumped into ocean to look for her? I guess that just might tell you something about how he feels about Jessica!"

Gail and Mike Sanders had come up behind their daughter as she questioned Heather and heard everything. "We'd better start getting some boats out as soon as possible and find them. The Coast Guard will have a few boats looking, but it's a big ocean and we don't want to risk losing them. I'll start making calls," stated Mike calmly.

Nancy and Ben Williams were immensely grateful as they watched boat after boat begin preparing to search for the missing couple. The marina was alive with activity. Officers from the Coast Guard were explaining where and how they wanted the search conducted in order to keep it safe and orderly. They watched silently as over a dozen boats of all sizes and ages pulled away from the marina and headed out to sea in the moonlight.

They waited in the office of the marina with the Sanders, hoping to hear that Jessica and Dave had been found. The Coast Guard had sent divers to search the sunken boat for bodies but had found nothing. It was after noon the next day when Mike Sanders made a suggestion.

"This may be a long process. It might be better if we all got some rest and something to eat. We have to have faith in those kids. I know Dave found Jessica. He wouldn't have stopped until he did. They're both smart and trained in medicine. They just need a ride back in and that may take a little time, so let's eat, rest and come back later."

Dave and Jessica had fallen asleep briefly as they clung to the seat cushion in the tumultuous ocean. Dave awoke first to see the sun rising in the east. The waters were calm the slight ocean breeze carried the smell of salt water. Jessica was still asleep so Dave took in her beauty while he could. Then he noticed an egg sized knot on the side of her head and he was immediately concerned about a concussion, or worse.

"Jess! Jess! Can you wake up?" whispered Dave as he gently shook her shoulder.

Jess slowly opened her eyes and looked at the rising son. The she turned to Dave and smiled. She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and smiled some more.

"I'm fine. How did you wind up out at that island and how did you find me? What happened to everyone else? They didn't drown, did they? Not Heather and Willow and those adorable kids!" asked a now worried Jessica. "Please tell me they're okay!"

"I think we managed to load everyone on a fishing boat and I hope they made it safely back to the marina," replied Dave with a smile. "I know for a fact that Willow and Heather made it to the fishing boat and I saw about seven kids climb on."

"You helped save those people and then came looking for me?" managed an emotional Jessica. "You risked your life to find me?"

"I'd do that every time, Jess. You should expect it and never have any doubt," was Dave's response.

"Dave, I'm sorry I slapped your face and I feel even worse about your father. I was very emotional from that episode with the alligator and I heard some things in the bathroom that upset me. I overheard a couple of nurses, one of whom slept with you, talking about how you were leading me on just to get me to do a residency at the hospital. They said your father had put you up to it."

"Really?" asked an obviously irked Dave. "What did they look like? I'd like to have a little talk with them."

"You actually need more of a clue than the fact you slept with one of them?" marveled Jessica. "Your promiscuous life style may be another issue. I admit I'm not a virgin, but I've only had one lover and didn't seem to please him very well. Every woman I meet raves about your bedroom skills. I can't be in that kind of relationship."

"I've had a few girlfriends along the way, but I've never promised any sort of commitment," responded Dave. "When I dated a girl, she was the only girl I was with. I certainly never came close to thinking about marriage and a lifetime commitment with any of them."

"Are you telling me that you're thinking about that now?" asked Jessica doubtfully.

"Honestly? Right now I'm thinking we should paddle our feet enough to get us to that little rocky island over to our left about half a mile. Then we should take our time to discuss things like love and marriage."

Jessica and Dave found that the size of their little island varied from almost half an acre at low tide to about ten feet by six feet at high tide. There was some sand packed between rocks they dug out and spread on the high point of their island to allow more comfort while lying down. Once they made it as comfortable as possible, they discussed their options.

"We should take turns sleeping so we can watch for boats, or even planes and helicopters," suggested Dave. "If it's dark, we won't be able to do much except yell, but if there's any light and people are looking for us, we could be seen if we jump around and wave."

Jessica and agreed and slept first while Dave kept watch. Dave ripped the seat cushion apart so he could make a little sun shield with it. He propped one end on the highest rock on the island and placed the other end on their two lifejackets piled together with a small rock place on top of each end to keep it in place. It gave them an opportunity to escape the rays of the sun. Dave knew how painful and serious bad sunburn could be.

Dave was looking at the horizon when Jessica awoke. She studied his face for a few minutes and then asked about the subject that had been on her mind when she fell asleep.

"What did you mean about how you've been thinking about marriage and commitment? Are you even capable of committing to something and sticking to it?"

"I spent two tours in Iraq," responded Dave as he looked into Jessica's eyes. "I was committed to my team and they were committed to me. We had each other's back. I understand commitment. I also understand that it would take a special person to get me to commit to marriage. When I marry, it won't be some temporary thing. It won't be just for the good times. It has to be for all day, every day, with no one ever being allowed to interfere with that commitment. I think you understand that and feel the same. I think you're what I've been looking for and if you'll marry me, I'll never look at another woman. I swear it."

"Wow! That explanation was a little more in depth than I expected," replied Jessica. "Just so I'm clear on this. Are you asking me to marry you?"

"Yes, although it would probably hinge on us being rescued and your dad's approval, and him not killing me for sweet talking his little girl while we're alone on a deserted island," answered Dave with a smile.

"You'd give up all of those other women that you've slept with? The ones who seem to be there every time I turn around? Would you be willing to live in Baltimore while I do my residency?" asked Jessica.

"I'd be glad to live anyplace in the world with you, Jess. I've lost any interest I've ever had in other girls. It would be just you and me," promised Dave.

"I have a few more questions. Why did you not tell me you were a paramedic and that you had asked about getting a job recommendation from your boss? Why did you make me believe you were a waiter or maitre d' or something?"

"You thought I was a waiter?" laughed Dave. "I assumed you knew what I did after talking to Diane that first night. Why do you think I took you for lunch so the guys could see you? Couldn't you tell I was showing you off to my buddies?"

"I had no idea! You were showing me off? Like I was your girlfriend or something? What about your friends knowing I give lousy blowjobs? Isn't that embarrassing for you?" quizzed Jessica.

"I'm not sure how to respond to that question, but I'll give it a shot. I'm sure that accusation was simply meant as a way to hurt you. I've never discussed my sex life with anyone and the guys know it. A lousy blow job from a girl like you could never be that bad. Those guys were jealous as hell. They think you're the best, especially after the way you wouldn't let that alligator chase you away from the man that needed your help."

"Good answers," laughed Jessica. "You can never talk about our sex life. That'll be my job. It seems like the entire female population of the county is familiar with your bedroom abilities. I'll just feed that urban myth and make them all jealous as hell. They may have had you a time or two, but I've locked you in and none of the rest of them ever managed that."

"Does that mean that you'll marry..."

"It means I'm going to have sex with you right here on our own little island. Never buy a pig in a poke, I always say. I've got to find out if ten million French girls can't be wrong, or something like that. Consider it an audition, or a job interview. Bring your A game, Buster. You will be graded!"

"Jesus, Joseph, and Mary!" exclaimed Jessica an hour later. "You passed with flying colors. You aced the test. You did especially well on the oral part. Great attention to detail. Extra credit for imagination and..."

Jessica was unable to maintain her rambling as Dave silenced her with a passionate kiss. "I hope we aren't rescued for a few days," was all she managed between kisses.

They had spent two days on the rock outcropping without seeing any sort of boat, ship or plane, and Dave was getting worried. They were able to drink dew that collected on the rocks, but several days of nonstop sex combined with lack of food was taking its toll on him. Jessica woke up at first light as he crawled into the make shift shelter and immediately fell asleep.

Jessica's clothes were torn and tattered from being battered by the rocks when she was thrown from the boat, so she hadn't bothered putting them back on after the first time she and Dave made love. She knew Dave was worried about the chances of being rescued, but she was determined to not worry about surviving. She was as happy as she had even been and wanted to keep that feeling as long as possible.

She moved down to the water's edge, sat on a submerged flat rock and used her shirt as a wash cloth to sponge water over her upper torso. As she bathed, she sang. She'd always had a pleasant voice, although never confident enough to sing in front of people. She just finished a song when she clearly heard a strange voice behind her.

"Are you a mermaid, or maybe one of those sirens that lure sailors unto the rocks?"

Shocked, Jessica swung around to face the person asking the question. Even in her surprise, she had to laugh at the loud groan the man made when he saw her ample breasts, glistening and firm in the morning light.

"That depends," responded Jessica as she glanced toward Dave, who was now listening intently. "Are you intending me harm? If so, I have to warn you that I have very good protection."

"Ma'am, hurting you is the farthest thing from my mind. You speak English! Are you human? If you are, what are you doing way out here by yourself?" asked the puzzled man.

"She's with me, Reggie," stated Dave as he stood and suddenly came into the man's view. "We could use a ride back to the mainland if you'd be so kind. I'll pay you for your lost fishing time. Now I know where you catch all those big ones!"

"Dave! Everyone with a boat is out looking for you, mostly way north of here. I'll give you a ride back if you promise you won't tell anyone about this spot. Besides, there's a pretty good reward being offered to anyone that brings this pretty girl back safe and sound. I didn't hear if there was any for you, Dave," replied the old man as he struggled to maintain a straight face.

Two long and painful days had passed with both families keeping vigil at the marina. Nancy and Heather Williams were suffering noticeably. Neither woman could eat. They barely slept. Ben did his best to keep their spirits lifted.

"You saw that boy take on a seven foot alligator for Jess. I'll bet everything I have that he's found her and they're just waiting for a ship or fishing boat to see them. I'm damn glad he was there and thinking of her. That's the kind of man she needs and deserves."

It was on the third afternoon when news came to the marina that a small fishing boat was headed for there with two people found at sea almost thirty miles south of Lancaster Island. Nancy, Heather, Diane and Gail all broke into tears at the news. As they waited for the boat's arrival, people began arriving at the marina. Word had quickly spread. Everyone in town knew the story about the alligator. Almost everyone had heard about Jessica slapping Dave two days before the tour boat sank, as well as how he had jumped from the rescue boat to search for her.

This was better than any soap opera! How did the star crossed lovers survive for three days at sea? Were they hurt? More importantly, what was their relationship now? Had the beautiful doctor forgiven Moonlight Bay's favorite son? Had he forgiven her? The topic was discussed endlessly while waiting for the fishing boat to finally arrive.

The old boat finally appeared on the horizon and the crowd began to buzz in anticipation. As the boat neared the dock, spectators became more festive. Several barbecue grills were fired up and hotdogs and burgers were passed out. Coolers of beer and soda appeared out of nowhere. A fire truck kept its lights flashing while a rescue vehicle waited nearby.

Several men helped secure the boat while Jessica and Dave stood on the deck, holding hands and waving to the cheering well-wishers. Dave stepped onto the dock and helped guide Jessica off the boat. Nancy Williams was the first to greet Jessica. She wrapped her into a tight hug and held her for a long time. She finally released her daughter and immediately wrapped her arms around Dave.

"What you did for our daughter is more than we could have ever hoped, Thanks, Dave, for being the man you are!" sobbed Nancy as Heather and then Willow took turns embracing Jessica. Jessica spoke briefly with her sister and then stepped in front of her father who was standing next to Dave's parents and sister.

"Dad, I think you should listen to this," insisted Jessica before turning to Dave's father. "Sir, if that offer to do a residency at General still stands, I'll take that job, with a few non-negotiable conditions. I will expect you to babysit your grandchildren now and then so your son and I can have a date night, or maybe even a little vacation. You will forgive me for my rash behavior the other day and you will let me call you 'Dad'. Do we have an agreement?"

Mike looked at a smiling Diane and his teary eyed wife. Unable to speak, he simply nodded his head. Jessica threw her arms around him and kissed the same cheek she had slapped a few days prior. The she quickly hugged Gail and Diane before going back to her father, who was in the process of shaking Dave's hand.

"Dad, Mom, this man tried very hard to get me pregnant for the past two days. He ravished me in ways I never even dreamed of, and I've completed medical school. I'm going to marry him and would like your blessing. He was going to ask Dad for my hand, but I think it would be wrong for a womanizer like Dave to expect a girl's father to approve of him as husband material.

"Dave, I want you to tell my parents if I'm an unsatisfactory lover in any way. You were there when my last boyfriend critiqued my technique to my parents. Do you have any complaints?"

"Sir, Jess banged her head on a rock and she hasn't eaten in three days," explained a somewhat confused Dave. "She's a bit light headed at the moment, but she's right about us getting married and how I was going to ask for your blessing. That seems to have gone by the boards now. For the record, I am not now, nor will I ever, make any comment critical of Jess' passion, intensity, flexibility, or selflessness when making love. I'm in love with your daughter."

"Did you stream all of that, Heather?" asked Jessica as she wrapped her arms around Dave's neck and kissed him passionately before announcing. "I hope all of Dave's old lovers and that jackass, James, sees this and gets the message. I'm the best lover Dave has ever had, or ever will have, period.

"We're going to go get a couple of those burgers the guys are grilling. Then we'll ride to the hospital for a checkup, before we go back to Dave's apartment. We don't want any interruptions when we get there. This town always wants to know what everyone is doing, so I'm making it easier," offered Jessica in way of an explanation.

True to her word, Jessica led Dave up the dock and over to where the grills were set up. The party atmosphere was in full swing as people cheered every bite Jessica took of both burgers. They went ballistic when she slowly swallowed her hotdog. Jessica then chatted with people while she and Dave shared a beer before climbing into the ambulance for the ride to the hospital.

Jessica accepted that folks in town were a little nosey, but Moonlight Bay was now her home. She knew it would always take care of its own.​