Ro lay gasping in a sprawled, soggy heap on the boat floor. The normally oppressive summer heat kissed her chilled, shaking bones. She closed her eyes against the bright light. Safe. She was safe. The danger had passed. Her brain took several moments to process that realization. Her chest heaved with released tension as she panted, breathing heavily. She shuddered violently, limbs twitching spastically as the tight hold she’d kept on her pent up and repressed fear snapped like a rubber band. The emotional recoil rolled over her in waves.

She could hear Sheila panting as hard as if she’d just been chased by a shark herself. No doubt she was reliving memories of her father, thinking what almost happened to her best friend. Wondering what the hell they were thinking, doing this crazy shit. Doubting their decisions.

Ro’s heart drummed a staccato rhythm in her ears while her thoughts ping-ponged around like lottery balls. She couldn’t think straight. All she could do was lay there like a ragdoll, recovering from her brush with death.

“Shit, Ro. Holy shit. That was a big ass pointer. He’s circling like he’s still hungry. Think he could top the boat? Let’s get the hell outta here.” Sheila’s voice held more awe than fear. She called the shark a white pointer, a local name for great white.

Ro listened to the clunkings and thumpings of Sheila getting the boat ready to return to shore. Now that her pulse had calmed and adrenaline rush faded, she was drained. Tired. The hard, wet floor was surprisingly comfortable. She could really go for a nap right now. Hell, she wouldn’t have minded one of Ryo’s thick, soft diapers….

“Oi. Don’t sleep on me now. Let’s get you into a seat. I’m tired of stepping over you.” Huge hands lifted Ro up. Her legs wobbled like jelly; she had no will, strength, or coherent thought left. She just wobbled along where Sheila led like a lost child. If it wasn’t for Sheila’s strength supporting her, she’d fall flat on her face.

“Hm? I’m good. Really.” Ro yawned as she plopped heavily into the passenger seat. Her limp body was a dead weight on the sun-warmed leather. “Just need a minute to catch my breath.”

Sheila eyed her critically. “You’re a lil green around the gills, but you’ll be fine.” She stepped behind the controls and started up the boat. The engine roared to life, rumbling in Ro’s ears.

“As long as I’m not dinner.” Ro’s head flopped against the headrest and lolled sideways. She squinted at the harsh sunlight bouncing off the waves. A gray dorsal fin cut cleanly through the water. She stared, blanking out thoughts of her recent swim with the creature. Definitely a shark. A very large shark. The motor whirred to life and the boat sped off as the fin sank underwater. Nearby floated the sad scraps of a shredded abalone net. The loss that bag represented twisted her heart. She stared at it without blinking until it was out of sight.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

“Ryo. Baby. Look at me. Please.”

Ryo lay on his back on their king size bed. He was naked except for his diaper. All of his slender, beautiful body was exposed and vulnerable, even his healing stump. Ro leaned over him, changing his diaper. She’d wiped him so attentively. He ignored her. Ever since that day in the hospital, she’d been so sweet with him. So loving, always smiling. Acting like her carefree self from before the accident. She never mentioned Sheila and abalone diving. When he asked, she just smiled and told him they’d already settled the matter. She promised, and she meant what she said. He could trust her. She was his true love, after all. His wife. Surely, he could trust her.

So Ryo smiled back and quit bringing it up. The shadow of her silence laid on his heart. He did trust her. That’s what broke his heart. He went through the motions of healing, fake smiling at the doctors until they released him after keeping him longer than they should have.

He had thought he’d feel normal, more like himself at home. While he’d been in the hospital, Ro had made changes at home, making things more accessible for him. He felt like a stranger in his own home. In his own body. This was the new normal; he doubted he’d ever get use to it. Dorothy trapped in Oz; Kansas but a memory. The sutures in his stump had healed, but the stump itself continued to pain him. Not as bad as in the hospital.

The worst change was his relationship with Ro. Both were clinging to memories. Wanting to be as close as they used to be. Now there was a sea of missing legs and lies between them and he didn’t know how to reach her. He’d tried earlier and failed. So now he just floated along in the current of life. Ro had wrecked that ship when Ryo saw all the huge deposits in their bank account. There was only one way they’d have such a big leap in income; an even higher jump than in past abalone seasons. He showed her their banking statements; asked about the money. Her silence and the look of guilt on her face were all the answers he’d needed. That’s when he fell silent and Ro begged for his forgiveness.

Ro rubbed the plastic panel on his freshly fastened, clean diaper. Ryo stared at the wall. She touched his face with tentative, searching fingers. He let her turn his head, but kept his gaze lowered. “Ryo. Please.” The hurt and rejection in her voice almost broke his heart.

“What’s there to say? You’ll just do whatever you want to do. Fuck my feelings. Maybe you can just get the shrink to give me more pills. Since I’m emotionally distraught and an albatross around your neck.” Long held hurt and anger flavored his words with extra bite.

Ro winced. Ryo didn’t feel guilty. She deserved this. Angry tears welled in his eyes and he closed them. He opened them when he felt her crawl on top of him, pinning his slim body under hers. One knee accidentally brushed against his stump; he gasped at the sensation. He tried to wriggle free, his diaper crinkling loudly. Her hands held his wrists and her weight held him down.

“Ro.”

“Ryo.” She leaned down, licking a tear then swallowing it. His eyes widened as his tears continued to fall. “I love you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I hurt you. I should’ve talked this over with you more. Been more honest. I’m not going to ask you to forgive me. I’m not sorry. I did what I felt I had to do. I’d do it again. You’d do the same if the situation was reversed.”

Ryo bit his lip at that. Would he have risked his life to give them a better future? He stared up into the grey sincerity in Ro’s eyes. Yes, yes he would. He sighed. “It hurts. You lied to me. You went behind my back. That really hurts, Ro. More than my missing leg. Maybe I can forgive you in time. But it’ll be a long time.”

Ro stared down into his eyes for a long moment. Her heart turned in her chest. She nodded her head, accepting his words. It was no more than she deserved. More than she deserved, actually. He was giving her a second chance, despite being so hurt. She could respect that. Be grateful for it. “So…are we okay?”

Ryo thought her words over, taking his time. Examining his own emotions. “I don’t know. But I want to be.”

“I want to be, too.” She touched her forehead to his. “I miss us.”

“Me, too.”

“So…we work on making us okay again?”

“Yeah.” Ryo chewed his lip. “Ro….did all that money really come from abalone diving? You’ve never made that much before….”

“Let’s just say the man in the gray suit threw in an added bonus.” Ro cut off any more questions with a soft, gentle kiss to his pink lips.