The couple rapidly recovered from their initial shock. A talking dog wasn't all that uncommon to the two of them, but the surprise of hearing one speak could still creep up on a body. Jeff, who was at this point very red in the face due to his embarrassment, quickly apologized to Mel. His sensitivity training should have kicked in, but he never stopped to considered that the puppers might have in fact been a fellow sentient.

"Jeffery, stop groveling and get me to the base camp."

"Yes Ma'am."

With that, Jeff hoisted Ainsley into a fireman carry and strode off towards the others. The group of three arrived just in time to see the last of the fire being put out and Mr. Baxter take off at a dead sprint towards the water. Jeffery laid his girlfriend down gently, but his gaze and attention followed the family man.

"Jeff."

"What?"

"Go do your job."

That was the approval the policeman was waiting for. Without even taking time to respond, Jeff followed Daniel down to the beachside, sliding to a stop just as Maeve began to assess her patient.

"Maeve right? Give me something to do."

"Don't thank me, Xandria found her. All I did was help get her past the waves," Maeve said, barely glancing up at Dan. "I was a field medic, so I know a fair bit about trauma. Best I can tell without any of my tools, she's most likely suffering from early stages of hypothermia, and most likely a concussion. She had a rather nasty knock to her head here,"--Maeve pointed--"and it feels like she has a simple fracture here, on her arm, where it's discolored. It doesn't feel like anything is out of alignment, so probably the best thing to do will be to splint it and pray nothing chipped."

Maeve nodded at Jeff and looked around, trying to think of what to do. She wished she had her gear.

"We'll deal with the hypothermia first," she said firmly. "We need to get the patient someplace warm and get her dry as quickly as possible. Kaelin, Grace, stay together, go back to camp, and tell them to heat water. Fresh water, not salt. Be sure to specify. If Mel is there, tell her what's going on."

The girls nodded, and ran off, Grace lingering behind a moment near her mother. Maeve turned to Jeff.

"Find anything you can that can be used to build a splint or move the table. Rope, tape, smooth wood, fabric strips--at this point, almost anything will do."

Jeff had already sacrificed both his belt and his t-shirt to Ainsley's splinted leg, but laces in his boat shoes remained. It's not ideal to use anything thinner than three fingers for a splint, because if you aren't careful you might end up accidentally creating a tourniquet. But in this scenario, the thin strands of his laces would have to do.

"Has anyone got anything I can use as a sling? I can use my laces and make a decent splint, but without stabilizing the arm, it's essentially worthless."

"Considering she's unconscious and not moving, I'd rather you take the time to find something substantive to use for the splint, and worry about a sling later, when it will be of actual use," Maeve said briskly. "I need someone with a cool head to try and replicate my trauma kit. Are you up to that, or not?"

Dan was torn between a desire to help Maeve care for his wife, and to just be at her side so that she'd see a familiar face when she woke up.

"Maybe we could use one of the table legs for a splint," he offered. "But it might jolt her too much if we just break it off."

-----

Grace and Kaelin arrived back at the camp just a few steps apart. Somewhat to Ms. Twig's surprise, Grace said nothing but simply ran to the older woman and wrapped her arms around her legs in a hug, seeking comfort from an adult figure.

Kaelin felt for her friend and swimming buddy, but quickly relayed the information and instructions Maeve had given them.

After Dan and Jeff left, Faye's first priority was the injured Ainsley. Thanks to Twigs' organization, she was able to find enough clothing - relatively dry, to boot - to make a makeshift seat/mattress for her. After that, though, all she could do was stand by and wait for instruction. Her only formal medical training was she had picked up a CPR license shortly after opening her store - everything beyond that was just common sense or the occasional advice she'd learned along the way.

Instead, she focused on what she could do. She glanced around at the wreckage they had and made a note of the couple of largest pieces. "Well, someone could probably sleep under one of those, if pressed." She commented aloud. "But I almost might prefer sleeping under the stars, if it doesn't rain." She glanced up at the sky, and a nagging thought came back to her: there were a few clouds, but nothing she would call a stormy sky. There was little wind, either. How in the world had the ship crashed?? The currents? It seemed to her that if the currents had been that strong, none of them would have survived. Besides, how did the Captain not know about the currents? Surely the course would've been plotted around such rough seas...?

'Not helpful right now.' She told herself. "My guess is that we have at least three or four hours before sunset, so that should be at least enough time to set up a temporary shelter for the injured ladies, if we can find suitable building material."

Faye didn't have much time to plan aloud beyond this before Grace and Kaelin returned from the other group with instructions. Faye glanced at Twigs. "We could use that bowl you found to go collect some water from the stream nearby, though heating it... requires a fire." Her eyes turned subconsciously back towards Mr. Waters and the smouldering remains of his last attempt. She cleared her throat. "I can give that a try."

It was refreshing, mused Molly, that out of this bunch of passengers, quite a few were able to take initiative in creative ways. That last group of castaways had been really pathetic. Now, if she could just get her special charge to cooperate....

"Mr Walters, will you let me dig in your bag? You must have a few painkillers in there that you could spare."

"Waters," he muttered reflexively. His eyes were dull. "I suppose so," listlessly, after a few moments.

Molly took the bag from him, and proceeded to root around in it.

"Aha!" she extracted several bottles. "These should do. Now, some of those palm fronds for padding, a leg from that deck chair over there, and the webbing ditto. All set to go. We'll have you patched up in a jiffy, my dear--Ainsley, isn't it?"

No sooner said than done. Molly gathered up her items as she talked, and came across to where Ainsley was half reclining.

"If you'll let me..." and the stewardess ran her hand along the injured member. "Uh-huh, uh-huh. Here, I need somebody strong, to give a gentle pull. Gentle! That's right; under the heel and across the arch. Ahh! that's better. Now we'll see. Aaand hold it."

Swiftly, she wound the webbing around and around, until she could securely tuck in the ends. She stood up and inspected her handiwork.

"Not the prettiest package, but it's immobilized now, and ought to do the trick."

Twig’s was glad that she had help putting out the larger fire. She heard the news that Angie and been found and was hurt. Jeff and Ainsley had showed up about then. Twig’s looked around for what was the best thing to do next. Faye was helping Ainsley to a bed. Jeff and Dan had headed off with the girls. Molly was dealing with Mr. Waters. Twig’s started getting a pile of fire would together again. This time a safe distance from the small fire she had left burning.
Twig’s had paused when Faye started her planning out loud. “There is quite a bit in the wreckage pile that could help build a shelter. Plus, bigger piece down by the water. There must be something we can use that waterslide for.” Before the conversation could go any further, Twig’s was surprised to find Grace attached to her legs. As she hugged the Grace, she listened to what Kaelin had to tell. “Grace,” Twig’s said. “I know you are scared and worried. I’m scared too.” Twig’s brushed some tears from Grace’s face and one from her own. She must not start crying. While crying would make her feel better in some way, it was not helpful now. Molly was busy with Mr. Water’s and Ainsley and showing signs of stress. Faye seemed a bit uncertain how to proceed. There were at least 2 injured people to care for. This was not a time to lose control. “We will do everything we can to help your mom.” Twig’s wanted to tell Grace that everything would be fine, but she didn’t know if everything would be fine and she refused to say something that might not be true. “When I’m scared, I find it is best to keep busy. Let’s go get the things your mom needs.” Twig’s dug her winter coat and a few sweaters out of the “blanket” pile. She had a few ties (the kind men wear) and two shuffleboard cues to the pile. They might find them useful if they need a splint.
She divided the pile between the two girls. “Go back and tell them we are working on the water. We have a door if that would be helpful for moving her here. We will have a makeshift bed ready for her when you get here.” She gave Grace one more hug.
Then, she grabbed the bowl and brushed the sand out of it. And walked over to Junior. Twig’s was normally a very shy person. If she could at all avoid it, she didn’t talk in public. However, when the need a rose something inside her stirred and she would take charge, if no one else was doing it. Molly and Faye were busy, so someone had to get water. Twig’s didn’t know where the water was so that person was going to have to be Junior. Twig’s came up to him. “We are going to need this as a bed for Angie,” she said grabbing the pool raft from his hand and handed him the bowl. “Would you please go and fetch some water from the stream?” Not waiting for an answer, she hurried off. She set the pool float next to Ainsley and grabbed the beach towel from her swim bag to cover the float. Then she grabbed some embroidery floss out of her trunk, a pack of tissues out of her swim bag, and Death on the Nile out of her swim bag. She walked over to Faye and handed her the tissues and the book. “I thought you might need some kindling.” she said. “Please only use the book as a last resort. I’m going to see if I can rig a tripod to hang the bowl from to heat the water.” Twig’s started poking through the salvaged items for things she could use and worked on her idea.

With everyone back at basecamp, or on their way, there were people everywhere! Thumbs were put to good use as things were fetched, others were carried, and often right from under Mel's very nose.

After being accidentally whacked by a moving shuffleboard cue, Mel was more careful about how close she stood to people. At least she hadn't tripped the lady. Xandria still needed pants, so Mel dug through the suitcases and bags. Clothes, when they weren't being worn, looked very much the same to Mel. The first item she found that seemed the right size, when gently tugged out flat--well, were those arms or legs? There were lots of buttons, so, probably a shirt.

Settling on a likely item, Mel headed out to where the latest group had beached, fabric fluttering like a flag from her mouth.

"Yes ma'am, thank you," Kaelin said, nodding over her pile to Twigs. She turned to Grace, nodded again, and the two trotted back the way they had come.

~~

"The legs are rather thick for a splint," Maeve said, pulling her knife out and carefully cutting away Angie's sleeve, "but could be useful to whittle down for a more permanent one later."

Maeve glanced at Dan, then at the sky. She meant to be kind, but she wasn't used to having to have bedside manners.

"Plus, we may end up needing them to help us sledge her back to your camp," she continued. "The sun seems to be sinking rather quickly, and once it's down, it'll be dark."

Dan looked concerned. Perhaps mentioning the approaching evening was a poor idea.

"She has a Colle's fracture--or maybe a Smith's fracture--on her arm, probably from trying to brace herself when she fell. Or something with a straight edge hit her with a lot of force. It's actually a rather common break, and it feels like everything stayed in place, so it shouldn't be too bad at all. It should set well enough, as long as she doesn't move it. I probably already has started setting."

Maeve glanced over at Dan, unsure of how helpful her words were. She decided to continue working in silence, and just hope the girls returned quickly. The more she thought about it, the more she hoped for a rope. The table would move smoothly enough over the sand, and it would ensure no slippery hands dropped Angie and jarred her. That and Maeve was unsure of when--or if--she would wake.

"We have things, the lady is working on heating water, and they're making a bed for her, and they have a door," Kaelin yelled, panting between phrases. A few moments later she dropped her load by Angie, Grace just behind her.

"Good, good!" Maeve exclaimed, glancing over the haul. "Kaelin, put one of the sweaters on yourself. You need to stay warm."

Maeve quickly sorted through the items. The shuffleboard cues (an item Maeve had never seen before, and thus was slightly mystified at) were aluminum, so she quickly flattened them as much as she could and bent them into the appropriate length and shape. The ties were a bit long, but, after securing the poles, Maeve realized this allowed her extra fabric to wrap Angie's arm, which should help warm her, or at least insulate her arm. Maeve looked around. Jeff was off scavenging, leaving herself, the girls, and Dan.

"We need to get the wet clothes off of her, and get her dried off as best we can," she said. "Then we can wrap her up and get her back to camp. Hopefully she'll wake up once she starts to warm."

~~

Xandria had found her way back to the old, broken down dock she had previously discovered. This, in fact, was perfect for her. She had, very early in her mermaid career, perfected breaching the water at high speeds and landing solidly on her feet. The speed and the wind were enough for her to dry adequately, and as she otherwise was fairly impatient, it was the best method for moving from sea-to-land. After ringing out her hoodie, she carefully picked her way down the dock and onto the sand, then, using the last vestiges of smoke for a heading, set off to join her fellow survivors.

Jeff knew that recreating a trauma bag from scraps would be no easy task. Thankfully he had multitude of scraps to chose from. Specifically he was searching for a woman's diaper bag. Those tended to hold goodies galore, items that are easily repurposed for survival situations such as the one they found themselves it. First though, he stumbled across an old fishing net caught up on some rocks. Using his pocket knife, he was able to secure a decent length of rope, sure to come in handy. Shortly afterwards, amongst a pile of refuge and washed up piles of junk he came across a fully stocked purse, the contents of which were sure to make Maeve happy.

"Normally I know better than to look through a woman's bag." Jeff tossed Maeve a small, but well stocked first aide kit. "But this time, I think the risk was worth the reward."

Dan quickly realized that Maeve's grasp of field medicine far exceeded his own and knew it would be best to follow her advice.

Once the girls returned Grace returned to his side. He glanced again at the sky. "Are you cold?" he whispered to her.

"Not yet."

"Did you find anything warm in the stuff you brought? We'll need some for Mommy and for you if possible."

They rooted through the piles and found a pair of mismatched sweats that looked to be about the right size. One of them bore the logo of an arch-rival of his wife's alma mater and he couldn't help musing as to what she'd think when she awoke wearing it. A bonus was another sweatshirt that looked too large for his daughter but would do. He was grateful some people happened to bring such casual warm wear on a tropical cruise.

"Thanks for taking care of her arm. I think we can change her into these so she can warm up with some dry clothing on."

Maeve caught the bag Jeff tossed her way, and gave him a thumbs up before popping it open. The kit was a pleasant surprise; she had expected it to be of the band aids and neosporin only type, but quickly saw that it was actually a fairly complete car kit that held a wide range of items, including several individually wrapped sanitized needles. She hoped she would have no further need to break them open, but it was a relief knowing they were on hand. More importantly, there were butterfly bandages and sanitation wipes. As it had been a good number of hours since Angie's initial injuries, and considering her own hands were slightly shaking from stress and exhaustion, Maeve opted to use these to clean and close the wound on Angie's head. She felt a slight twinge of guilt at this, but reminded herself that once it completely healed, the scar would be small and light, nothing a little makeup couldn't cover.

"There, good as new," Maeve lied, smiling at Dan and Grace. "Those clothes look perfect. I've already cut the sleeve down, so it shouldn't be difficult to remove it. Put the jacket on to the bad arm first, and let me know if we need to cut it open. Since this is not a permanent cast, be sure to hold it here," Maeve pointed, "and here, and to keep her hand and wrist as straight as possible. Once she's changed, we'll work on moving her back to the camp."

Maeve rose and walked over to Jeff, stretching her legs and testing exactly how poorly she felt herself. She decided it was merely exhaustion from extended swimming, and nothing more to worry about.

"That kit was quite a find," she said to Jeff. "Nearly everything is still sealed, so most of it is all still sanitized. I see you've found a few other useful things, too. Any ideas on how to get our patient to camp?"

"Wouldn't dream of using it." Faye told Twigs, tapping her book. "But, if worst come to worst, I'll order you a new one when we get back." Faye wouldn't even consider thinking about any alternative possibilities.

After a bit of effort, especially since some of the wood was already doused and/or charred, Faye finally managed to get a fire going. She sighed and settled back, glancing around the camp. No other emergencies had arisen, and it seemed like they were in a state of limbo while they waited for the Baxters and company to return. There was much to do, but Faye decided to wait for the one emergency to sort itself out before thinking of the next one.

Gladstone had quite a handful of seashells in his hand by the time he arrived back at the camp with Dan. He was now wearing his white button-up shirt (which he rarely buttoned) that he’d found washed up on shore along the way. -He had left it poolside before his float so he wasn’t surprised to find it nearby. And since it was made of such thin material, it was easy to wring out and slip on, though he didn’t button it, so it could flap in the breeze as he walked.

He set the shells and the float down as Grace ran to her father. Junior couldn’t help but smile at the reunion.

"Look who we found," Dan said, referring to Mr. Gladstone.

Dan began to tell of the stream that they had found, so Junior wandered over to another familiar face. He slapped Waters on the back with a strong, manly, but friendly sort of backslap. “How are you, old man?”

Physical touch didn’t seem to be Water’s love language (in fact, Waters didn’t seem to have one) so Junior backed off and rejoined Dan to help tell the story of what they saw. He was deep into describing a particular breed of seagull that had flown over during their walk when he noticed Twigs dart towards the wood pile, poke at the logs with a barstool leg, and then fling sand onto them. They were on fire! Dan grabbed a cosmetics case and filled it with water as Faye ran up kicking sand and stomping on the fire. Dan poured the little water he had on the fire and then scooped sand onto it. Molly ran over to Mr. Waters, while Junior ran away from the fire, getting exasperated looks from the others as he did so. (Junior was very much against unnecessary work.)

The volunteer firefighters toiled to put out the fire however they could. They began to sweat from the work and the close proximity to the heat. They were tired. They were hot. They were upset. And they were surprised to hear the sound of CO2 being expelled at high speeds. As they looked up, almost in unison, they saw Junior, glistening in the afternoon sun, aiming a fire extinguisher at the remaining flames. Within moments the main fire was out as the others took in their surroundings. “Well... all right,” said Faye, “so that... happened."

Junior turned to Twigs, who was nearby. “I saw it floating to shore. Thought it might be the best way to ensure the fire stayed out.” He sprayed some rogue flames that had caught some leaves. As Junior finished the job of making sure the fire was no longer in danger of spreading, he heard that Mrs. B was hurt. But when Junior could turn his attention away from the fire, he saw a man carry an injured woman into camp. As the man ran down the beach, Junior ran up to the woman to tend to her injuries. Soon Molly joined him, applying her medical skills.

“Here, I need somebody strong, to give a gentle pull.” Junior began to assist, but evidently didn’t know his own strength. It was a common problem for him. “Gentle! That's right; under the heel and across the arch. Ahh! that's better. Now we'll see. Aaand hold it."

Soon the woman’s immediate needs were attended to, and Junior began to be a third wheel. He stood up and stepped back from the ladies, watching for a minute to ensure they didn’t need anything else. Then he turned and picked up his pool float, only to find Twigs directly in front of him looking surprisingly more forceful than he had known her on the ship. She snatched the float out of his hands and replaced it with a bowl, and ordered him to fetch water. Then she turned and walked away. “Yes, Ma’am” he said, watching for a moment as she went. He smiled as he walked the beach back up to the stream. “Maybe I’ll be able to find my sandals.”