Seven Days With Poseidon

Author's Note: I know it took me forever to finish, but I know you're gonna love the ending! Please read and Review! And look for my next short fanfic, Wyatt and Michelle: Postpartum coming sometime soon. If any of you guys are Sims fans I have a Pleasant Family fic called Trouble in Twin Town on here, too. I'll be getting to the trilogy for Come Taste Life as soon as I have time. I've missed Fanfiction! Thank goodness the semester is about to end soon!

Day Seven: Hope

As the sun rose on the seventh day, I thought a lot about my life. I hadn't been the nicest person now that I thought about it. I had been mean to so many people that I care about and even more that I don't. I wondered at that moment that, if there is an afterlife, would I even get there?

The more I looked back on my life, the more guilty I felt. Did I actually think I'd be able to explain away all the mean things I've done? Would I be able to make up an excuse for why I was so lazy and never bothered to help others unless they did something for me? These feelings plagued me all morning. Jude and Wyatt were still sleeping, or at least pretending to be sleeping while I stared out into the water. I thought to myself that if I could have a second chance at life, what would I do? What would I change? I closed my eyes and with all my energy I tried not to cry, I just whispered to myself, "I wish for a second chance." I kept my eyes closed and continued to whisper to myself, "I wish for a second chance," over and over again. I was afraid that Wyatt or Jude might hear me at first so I whispered but over the next few minutes I began to say it louder and louder until I was yelling. "I wish for a second chance!"

I knew by then that I had woken up Jude and Wyatt but I didn't really care. I needed this moment to give me strength. By the tenth time I yelled, "I wish for a second chance," I was met by a response.

"Why?" asked Wyatt.

"What?" I responded.

"Why do you want a second chance?"

"Because I deserve it." I said in a confident tone.

Then there was silence again. I figured the both of them were still mad at me. I finally realized what I had been saying all along. I needed to be humble to the people I had mistreated or I would never get a second chance. After about thirty minutes of silence I finally spoke again.

"Guys?" I asked.

"What," they both answered back.

"I'm so sorry. I ruined everything. I flipped over our boat. I didn't help look for Jen. I couldn't help Jonesy. I'm really, really sorry." They both seemed taken aback by the apology but only Jude seemed to believe me.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean it when I said it was your fault. It's not your fault." Jude said bravely as he slid over to where I was on the boat and hugged me. I sighed into his shoulder trying not to cry for the millionth time. Wyatt still sat at the other end of the boat. I knew it would take even more to convince him.

"Wyatt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…to throw Jen's leg like that," I retched before I could continue because of the memory.

"I was scared out of my mind. I didn't know what to do. It wasn't right." I pleaded.

Wyatt stayed silent. I figured he just wasn't going to forgive me so I got angry.

"I lost someone, too okay? Don't act like you're so much worse off than Jude and me. We all lost our best friends." I choked on the word 'friends' and wiped away tears. I was crying again, but I just couldn't help it.

"Just forgive me, okay?" I pleaded with Wyatt. Wyatt still sat quietly for a few moments. I hung my head and faced back out onto the ocean. I was surprised from behind as I felt muscular arms around my waist. I immediately thought it was Jude trying to make me feel better. Then I realized it was actually Wyatt. I turned around and gave him a front facing hug and whispered 'thank you' into his left ear.

"I figure since we're gonna die out here, I don't want that on my conscience, you know." Wyatt said out loud to me. I didn't care why he did it, I was just glad he wasn't mad at me anymore.

Out of nowhere, I felt a sudden burst of energy. It was as if I had just drank a pot of coffee minus the jittery feeling. Everything just felt okay now. I finally had peace about whatever was going to happen. I felt so happy I started singing a stupid kid's song from Kindergarten.

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, His name is my name too

Whenever we go out

The people always shout

There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah

Wyatt and Jude burst out laughing at first but eventually joined in. It made us all feel just happy to be alive like when we were kids. By the fourth time around, it didn't look like we'd ever stop singing until I saw something. I continued to sing as I put my hand over my eyebrows to shield the sun.

It was really far away and I wasn't sure if that was what I was actually seeing. I nudged Jude and he stopping singing when I pointed.

"Hey, why'd everybody stop singing?" Wyatt asked.

"Dude, look," Jude answered pointing.

"Do you think they can see us?" Wyatt wondered.

"I don't know." I responded in a monotone voice.

We all just sat and stared at the large ship in the distance. After what seemed like hours it finally got close enough for us to really take a look at it. It appeared to be some sort of American Naval Ship. We all jumped for joy waving our arms up and down to get to ships attention. We saw men in naval uniforms turn around and look at us. They immediately got on their intercom and called to us. I don't really remember much after that. It was all such a blur. The last thing I remember was being on the ship covered in towels surrounded by medical personnel. But I didn't feel like I needed any of it. I felt amazing just knowing that we were going to live. One of the officers asked me if there had been anyone else on the boat with us. I sadly told him 'yes' and gave him the names. When I got to Jonesy's name last, he interrupted me.

"Jonesy Garcia, by any chance?" he asked.

"Yes, do you know him?" I responded confusedly.

"We picked him up a few days ago. He's the reason we're still out here. He told us about the accident and that there were others. He's sleeping in a rack underneath us. Do you want me to take you to him?" Jude, Wyatt, and I practically screamed 'yes'.

We followed the Naval Officer downstairs to one of the small rooms then he left us all alone. Jonesy was knocked out asleep. It was all I could do not to pounce on him to wake him up. I had remembered the new leaf I had turned over and decided to be gentle. But there was no way I could just stand there and wait for him to wake up! I crawled on top of him and kissed his neck. It was so familiar and warm. So many memories came rushing back to me. I whispered to him that I had missed him so much.

"Nikki," he said in a sleepy tone. "No, not this dream again."

"It's not a dream. But it really feels like it." I said back to him with tears in my eyes. He immediately got up and hugged me and kissed me more passionately than he had ever done in his life.

"Oh my God, I thought you were dead. I thought all you guys were dead!" He said in astonishment.

We thought the same thing about you, dude!" Jude piped up. He then gave Jonesy a big hug and Wyatt did the same.

"Where's Caitlin. I bet she'd be glad to see me." Jonesy asked. Jude, Wyatt, and I just bowed our heads to look at the floor. Jonesy became quiet and understood what we meant.

We all hugged each other for a few minutes and silently thought about where we would go from here. We were lucky to be alive but a part of us would never be the same. How could we go back to our old lives after something like this had happened and two of us were gone?

None of us knew the answer to this question but we all knew that hope was what kept us. Hope got me singing John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt when I wanted to give up. Hope kept Jonesy looking for us with the Naval Officers even though it was likely we were all dead. Hope is what had us standing here all together laughing instead of crying. Hope got us through this sad time. And hope got us through the sad times ahead, the counseling sessions, the funerals, and the nightmares. Hope made us feel that even though things were tough, somehow they would get better. And they did get better. I've recently written about this experience a year later for a college entrance essay. If it wasn't for keeping up hope and leaning on my family, my remaining friends, and my counselors and teachers, I may not have gotten this far. I'm a much stronger person now than I was a year ago and, in a weird way, I'm grateful for what happened. I'm not grateful for losing my closest friends, but I'm grateful that I was able to survive that experience and the aftermath. Nothing that can happen in my life is worse than what I've already gone through. I also remembered that new leaf. I'm now a much more easy going person. I actually can tolerate my job now without flipping out on my co-workers or the customers. I haven't yelled at my boyfriend, now fiancé, in this past year. I've completed over 15 hours of community service just this week. I feel so accomplished now. But there are still sad times, however. I've been thinking about graduation now and it still hurts that Jen and Cait aren't going to be there. I sometimes feel guilt about what happened, but then I just write down my feelings, remind myself why it isn't my fault, and throw them away like my therapist taught me. I'm so thankful for my life now, more than I had ever been last year before this experience. Hope didn't save my life, it gave me a new one.