"Yeah, I’m here." Andy used the head then stepped into the cabin. "I need some aspirin," he complained. His eyes were half closed. He rubbed his scalp.

"You need an x-ray. There’s aspirin in my kit."

Andy took the pill bottle from the kit and tossed a handful of aspirin into his mouth then drank heavily from the water jug. "I can’t go far today," he said and sat on the starboard couch. "My head really hurts."

"How’s your back holding up?"

Andy’s smiled like he’d been caught at something. "That lift off of the bus didn’t go so well."

"I was there," Mitchell said.

Andy grimaced and massaged his temples. He looked at Mitchell. "We didn’t do such a good job of it, did we?"

Mitchell hadn’t thought of it like that. "Depends on how you look at it, I guess. You’d better go ashore and get your skull checked. Have your back looked at, too. Find LaFleur, will you? Get that money."

"He won’t be here. It’s not July anymore."

Mitchell pulled up and turned onto his side. He looked straight into Andy’s eyes. "Tell me something, Andy. Why did you come this far?"

Andy looked aside. "I wanted to know if I could."

Mitchell leaned back and let it go. "Hell, I need to get to a hospital myself," he said. "My body needs a break. Christ knows my head could use some time to take a look at all this." He pulled up again and reached for the water jug and found Andy staring. "What the hell is it now?"

"Nothing." Andy glanced away then looked at Mitchell again. "I never thought you’d say that, that’s all. How long do you think you’ll be there?"

Mitchell felt the first dread. "A while," he exhaled.

"When we get back do you want me to stay around to find out what’s going on with the engine?"

"Yeah, you might as well. I’ll lay you odds the carburetor and the fuel lines are clogged with sludge from the fuel tank. I’d bet the entire system has to be replaced. It’s an old boat."

"It’ll cost you an arm and a leg."

"What hasn’t?"

Andy rose slowly. He climbed to the top of the cabin ladder and stood in the hatch opening, his shoulders square, his body bronzed by the sun.

"You know you never told me what albums you bought in Portland," Mitchell said.

Andy leaned into the cabin and smiled. "It’s a surprise."

"What?"

"It’s a surprise."

Mitchell took a closer look at him. "Are you serious?"

Andy’s eyes sparkled. He straightened and stepped sideways and disappeared beyond the companionway.

"I’ll be damned." Mitchell lowered his torso and his eyes closed as his head sank into the pillow. "I need to rest. I know I do." But in his mind he saw blue sky. And green sea.