Come Alive Ch. 01

He stepped up to the inside steering station and looked at the display, then peered out into the fog...

"Yes, there you are," he said as he looked at the aircraft carrier emerging from the fog about 2 miles ahead. He'd have to alter course hard to the right, so he went topside and disconnected the wind-vane self-steering rig, and then, once back at the wheel, he turned on the autopilot and changed course to 90 degrees magnetic. She was falling off the wind now so he let out the sails a little, adjusting them both with the push of a button, then he hardened up a little, to about 85 degrees and a few minutes later the ship passed about a mile to port...

...then came all her escorts...

...cruisers, frigates, a couple of supply ships...and then a submarine surfaced a few hundred yards ahead and a little to port and he watched the sub's captain appear on the conning tower and he waved as they passed. Then he saw the captain speaking into a microphone...

"You need anything?" he heard through some sort of speaker on the sub.

As he'd had a loud-hailer installed he replied: "Got any dancin' girls handy?"

"Sorry, we ran out last night."

"The story of my life."

Then he watched the captain wave once again and a moment later the sub disappeared beneath the waves. Five minutes later he was alone again; only the slowest support vessels remained on his radar screen...and a few minutes later even they were gone.

And these were the first signs of life he'd seen in 2,300 miles, after not quite three weeks at sea.

"Ya know, a dancing girl would feel pretty good right about now," he said to no one in particular, then he walked down below and sliced some bread to go with his tea.

+++++

Not quite a week later he made his approach to Bergen, Norway, and he called customs on the VHF; they sent out a boat to guide him to the customs dock. An hour later he was checked into Norway and cleared to make his way into the center of town. A few minutes later he was tied off a few hundred feet from the old fish market, surrounded by what looked like thousands of people.

He was docked stern to the quay so the American flag flying off his stern was now visible to everyone passing by, and this soon caused quite a stir.

"Did you come all the way from America?" one little boy asked, holding his mother's hand as they gawked at Time Bandit.

"Sure did," Taggart said, grinning.

"He must be cold, Mama. Look! See how his hands shake?"

He turned away, set about washing the deck with fresh water, then he pulled the sails down from their furlers and bagged them. He wanted to take them up to the sailmakers, have them inspected and cleaned, but it was too late to do that today. He pulled out a chamois and rinsed the windows around the wheelhouse, then he dried them, doing his best to remove any spots that formed. When he'd finished topsides he went below and put on some real clothes and gathered two huge bags of laundry and hauled them topsides, then he looked at his watch. "Too late," he sighed. "Add that to the list."

He hopped ashore and walked over to an ATM and grabbed some cash, then made his way to the fish market and had a plate a smoked salmon and grilled shrimp before he set out walking.

A few minutes into his walk he saw a physicians office, noted they were open and went inside.

"Can I help you?" a young woman said in clear English.

"Do I really look like an American?"

"Yes, you do."

"What is it? How can you tell?"

"The New York Yankees baseball cap. Dead giveaway."

"Ah."

"So, what can I do for you?"

"I just have some medications I need to get refilled."

"I hate to ask, but do you have insurance?"

"Not anything beyond my US policy."

She handed him a brochure. "This is information on a medical insurance policy good throughout the EU, Norway, Sweden, all of Scandinavia, really. If you try to fill these the cost will be exorbitant, but with this policy they'll cost almost nothing."

"It's medical insurance, too? Is it any good?"

"Yes, very. You can sign up online, make your payment, and it will be good within a matter of hours. If you'll give me your prescriptions I'll get the forms ready for you to take to the pharmacy, and you can pick them up in the morning?"

He smiled. "Sounds good. Do you know where I could find a laundry? I've got two huge bags to get done."

"Are you wanting to do it yourself, or have someone do it for you?"

"It's too much for me to handle, I'm afraid."

"In that case, there's a laundry that will do it for you up that alley, and they are open all night. They do hotel laundry, that sort of thing, but all the fishing boats that come in use them too."

"You, Madam, are a lifesaver. Many thanks."

"Would you mind if I take your blood pressure?"

"No?"

"Good. Please, be seated. I'll be right back."

She came back with a little rolling cart loaded with everything she needed, then she took his BP, temperature, and counted out his pulse. He also noted she was a physician, and not the receptionist or a nurse.

"Your pressure is a little low. Are you taking medications for your Parkinson's?"

Of course, he'd not mentioned he had Parkinson's. Was it really so fucking obvious all the fucking time?

"Yes, here they are," he said, handing over all his bottles.

She wrote everything down, scribbled his name down too. "What's your date of birth?"

He told her.

"So, you're - what - fifty eight?"

"That's right."

"And did you just come across from America?"

"Yes."

"How many in your crew?"

"Just me."

She put her pencil down and looked up at him. "Excuse me? Did you say you're alone?"

"I think so. In fact, I'm pretty damn certain I was alone the whole way."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but did anyone advise against your doing this?"

"The list is long, Doc. Too long to recite right now, anyway."

"I see. So you are, like, a crazy person?"

"Probably so. But I won't tell if you won't."

She smiled. "If you don't mind, I'm closing up now but I'd like to see your boat. Would that be alright?"

"She's not the cleanest thing right now, but if you don't mind, I don't mind."

The physician went back into the office and turned off all the lights, then she led him to the front door and locked it behind them.

"I'm down by the fish market," he said.

"Lucky you. You're early in the season. Two weeks from now you won't be able to moor this close to the city."

"I may gain ten pounds eating smoked salmon, too."

"You could stand to gain ten pounds, Mr Taggart. Twenty pounds would be even better."

"Music to my ears. I saw a five pound lobster up there with my name all over it. Well, here we are."

"Time Bandit? So, are you stealing time?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Every chance I get."

She nodded, then with the grace of a gazelle she leapt over to the swim platform and stepped up to the aft deck.

He did so rather less gracefully.

"Well, follow me," he said as he led her down the companionway and into Bandit's cocoon-like interior.

"You need to get some padding on these corners," she said, pointing at the dining table. "Where's the galley?"

"Down there," he said, pointing. "Mind me asking, but is this some kind of official inspection?"

"Sort of. As a physician, I'm required to report any vessels with potentially unsafe operators. It is a coast guard requirement."

"Well, please take into consideration I just sailed three thousand miles across the Atlantic, without any trouble I might add."

"Frankly, Mr. Taggart, I am amazed. Anyway, you needn't worry. I'm not going to write you up for any violations...if that's why you're frowning."

"Well, I feel like you kinda tricked me...into coming down here."

"Ah. I see. Well, it seems it falls to me, but we have an old custom here. Any sailor crossing the Atlantic, well, the first person you meet has to buy your first dinner here. Lucky me."

"You've got to be kidding."

"No. Sorry."

"Well then, let's go eat some lobster."

"I hate to say it, Mr Taggart, but I can probably afford a hot dog. We don't get paid as much as your American doctors."

"Nobody gets paid as much as our doctors. Not even our doctors."

"What does that mean?"

"The insurance companies make all the money in America. Lawyers suing doctors come in second."

"And you know this how?"

"My mother. She was an internist. My father was, of course, a lawyer."

"Ah, so you would know."

He led her back up to the aft deck, hopped down to the swim platform then across to the pier. She followed but missed a step on landing and started to fall over backward...

...and he reached out, grabbed her hand, kept her from taking a swim in the icy water.

"Thanks!" she managed to say as she grimaced.

"Are you okay?"

"I think I twisted my ankle. Could you give me a hand?"

He helped her up to the fish market and she took a seat at a table close to an outdoor heater. "What would you like?" he asked.

"You decide. Just tell me the price before you buy anything!"

He went back to the same vendor and picked out a nice three pound lobster and an assortment of smoked fish. He pointed to their table and paid the bill. "Could you bring it over, please? She's twisted an ankle."

"Is that Dr. Bauer with you?"

"I think so, yes. And - maybe a couple of beers? And keep the change."

"Okay. Thanks."

"So, I see you paid. You have broken a tradition thousands of years old!"

"You pull my leg any harder and you're going to break it."

"Excuse me?"

"Pulling my leg? Joking with me?"

"Oh, yes, I see. Tell me, are you married?"

"No. You?"

"No, not now."

"Ah. Divorced?"

"Not really. So, you are divorced as well?"

"No. I never married."

She looked puzzled. "Are you gay?" she asked flatly.

"No, but I do tend to be on the happy side."

"What? Oh, yes...happy, gay...I get it. You don't take many things seriously, do you?"

"As infrequently as I can," he smiled. "And it drives people mad."

"And you enjoy doing that? Driving people mad, that is?"

"Immensely."

"I think I am going to need to ice this ankle," she said, frowning.

"Painful?"

"Yes, and getting worse."

"Where can we get an x-ray?"

"You have other things to do. I can manage."

"We have an old custom where I come from. When we cross the Atlantic and then break a lady's leg, we help them to the hospital."

"I see. I had no idea Americans were so, what is the word...?"

"Gallant?"

"Yes, maybe so. We can at least finish dinner, can we not?"

"If you can manage, sure. I'd hate for this lobster to have died in vain."

"You are a comedian, no? A stand-up? Is that what they call it? Like Robin Williams?"

"My hero. Don't take his name in vain."

She shook her head, ate some smoked whitefish. "Where to from here?"

"Reine, up in the..."

"Yes, a beautiful spot. Then north?"

"No, back around to Stockholm, then into the canals."

"You are mad. You need at least two other people on board to help with the lines, if not they won't let you transit."

"I'm sure I'll be able to find some adventurous hippies in backpacks and Birkenstocks."

She shook her head. "Nice to have a plan, I guess. So, then to Gothenburg. Where to from there?"

"Copenhagen. Then inland, to Amsterdam. I want to be in Paris for Christmas."

"That's going to be quite a trip. I would have thought sharing such an experience would have made it even more meaningful."

"Well, no one signed up, despite offers of hard cash..." he said, grinning again.

"You are very good at what you do, Mr. Taggart."

"And what's that?"

"Pushing people away. I wonder, are you aware you are doing so?"

"Completely."

"So, you don't like people very much?"

"I liked my father. No one else has ever measured up, so I figured, ya know, why bother?"

"Indeed."

"Well, I'm done. You?"

"Yes, I've had enough." She pulled out a cell phone and made a call to what sounded like a baby sitter, then she called for a taxi - which pulled up within moments. He helped her to the door and she quickly pulled it to. "I'll not need anymore assistance, please. I'll see you in the morning, or when you get your insurance matters settled."

"Are you sure I can't help?"

She shook her head and the taxi drove off into the new city, and he stood there for a while, feeling kind of lost. It had felt good to talk to another human being, he thought for a moment. 'But not that good...'

He went back to the Bandit and got his laundry, then trundled back into the old town and dropped it off - with a promise to pick it up first thing in the morning. Suddenly quite tired, he walked back to his little cocoon and dropped into bed, falling into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Sun slanting through an overhead hatch woke him, and he looked at his watch, saw it was almost noon and then realized his bladder was urgently calling for attention. Standing there, he realized he hadn't even taken his shoes off, and looking in the mirror he saw a frightful thing staring back; the creature standing there with curly white hair standing at odd angles, and with more white stubble on its face than was considered polite. He went to the chart table and made sure the water pump was on and fired up the water heater, then he made coffee and opened his laptop. He connected to the recommended wifi channel and went to the URL on the insurance brochure, read over the terms and conditions and signed up for an annual policy, paid for it then printed out all the necessary policy information.

He drank his coffee in the shower and just managed to shave without slicing his neck open. His hands were shaking badly, he saw, then he realized he'd missed his late night and early morning doses and cursed at the world. Once dressed and medicated he went topsides and grabbed the sail bags and hauled them shoreside; he hailed a taxi and, after giving the driver an address for the sail loft, he sat back and took a deep breath. He saw the clinic he'd gone to yesterday, even thought he saw the physician inside, but he almost didn't want to return. Almost didn't want to see her again. Almost.

He had the taxi wait while he dropped off the sails, then he returned to the laundry and picked up bags and bags of clean clothes. It was after three in the afternoon by the time he finished putting his things away, time for his next dose and long past time to return to the little clinic. The idea of eating fish again made his stomach queasy so he made his way topsides and walked up into the old town. He found a Thai place and had a curry, then - with a sigh - set off for the clinic.

She was just finishing up with a patient when he came in, so he sat and waited. She was walking alright, then he noticed a little walking cast.

"You're running a little late today, I see," she said with a pleasant enough smile. "Did you find sleep last night?"

"It found me, and it didn't leave until noon."

She laughed a little. "You looked exhausted; I'm glad you rested. How do you feel today?"

He shrugged. "Still tired. How's the ankle?"

"Not too bad. Come on in," she said, leading him to an exam room.

"You don't have a nurse?"

"Not yet. There is a shortage of nurses here. Actually, a shortage of help, period."

"How nice."

"Nice?"

"That everyone is employed?"

"That tends to not be a problem here," she said as she picked up a stethoscope. "Shirt off, please." She listened to his heart and lungs, then palpated his neck and under his arms. She found a lump and felt around the area a few times...

"That hurts," he said, and she nodded.

"Have you noticed anything different lately? More tired than usual, any odd pains or numbness?"

He pointed to his left breast. "Yeah. A little numb, right under the nipple."

She palpated his breast, pausing a couple of times to feel his left armpit again, then she stepped back. "Pants and underwear down, then turn around and face the table, bend over..."

"Oh, Hell, you're not gonna..."

"I'm afraid so, yes."

"Payback time, I see. Please, be gentle. It's my first time..."

Her greasy finger slipped in and she felt his prostate. "Feels okay," was all she said, then: "Go ahead and get your clothes on."

While he dressed she wrote on his chart, then she filled out more forms before she went out front and got on the telephone. He heard her chattering away and decided to come out to the reception area.

"We are going to take a little ride, Mr Taggart. Up to the hospital."

"Right now?"

"Yes. Now."

A taxi pulled up and she got him in the back, then walked around and got in beside him.

"I'm not even going to ask," he managed to say.

"Good."

She checked him in, walked with him to the lab where they drew vials and vials of blood, then she walked him to radiology.

"You're going to have a mammogram," she told him, "then an ultrasound. I'll meet you right here when you are complete."

"Finished," he said, correcting her.

"Ah. Yes, just so."

"Did you say mammogram?"

"I did."

"You do, uh, realize that I don't have, you know, breasts?"

"Sorry, that is not exactly the case. You may find the procedure a little uncomfortable, but it doesn't take long."

"You're, like, kidding...right?"

She smiled and walked off, back towards the lab, then a tech walked him back to a complex, dimly lit room filled with strange looking contraptions.

In heavily accented English, the girl told him to stand "Right here!" and to lift his left arm "Just so!" She positioned what felt like a cold plastic clamp of some sort over his left breast and shoved as much tissue into the device as she could, then she closed the clamp...

"Goddam!" he yelled. "Could you POSSIBLY make this goddam thing any more painful?"

"Hold your breath, and don't move, please."

The machine whirred and clacked, and he broke out in a little sweat.

She came back and released the clamp, repositioned him and re-engaged the device.

"Do you enjoy doing this?" he snarled. "Is this, like, payback for every bad date you've ever been on?"

Without saying a word, she repositioned him once again and he began sweating profusely, and then, when he thought she couldn't possibly be enjoying the experience more, she came in and told him they were going to do the other breast now.

Bug-eyed, he thought frantically how he wanted to protest that decision, but now the girl had an assistant on hand and he realized further commentary on his part simply wasn't going to help.

He howled when they first clamped his right breast; the third time he felt like he was going to pass out, then, with his shirt still off, one of the girls led him to another dimly lit room, this one with a table for him to lie down on. Then...goo on the chest, the ultrasound wand pressed into his breasts, then along a line to his armpits. A half hour later, with his shirt on and his pride hanging somewhere south of his knees, he walked out to the waiting room.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I could tear your head off and toss your body to a pack of wild dogs."

She smiled. "Let's go get some coffee."

"I haven't eaten today. Think we could get something other than fish around here?"

"Probably best not to eat right now."

"Oh? Why?"

"Let's wait to hear what the radiologist has to say, hmm?"

"You do know that you are scaring the ever-lovin' crap out of me, don't you?"

Again, the noncommittal smile as she led him to what had to be the hospital cafeteria. "Have a seat," she told him. "I'll get you something."

She came back a few minutes later with some sort of hydrating solution and told him to drink it, then her name was paged and she went to a phone on the wall by the attendant and spoke for a minute or so, nodding once, then shaking her head.

"Okay, come with me please."

"Where to?"