Just the Two of Us, My Darling - The Sequel

Part I of Just the Two of Us, My Darling (Forever) did not end well. You can read it here if you missed it:

Tommaso held Azzurra in his arms as he started to weep. Deep soulful sobs. “Why, why, why,” he kept repeating to himself as he watched his love slipping away.

He had managed to stem a lot of the bleeding, but Azzurra had lost a lot of blood. Her skin, normally caramel-coloured, is now pale white. Her lips, normally deep cherry red, are now blue.

“Help,” he yelled out.

It seemed like the shark was the only one who heard. It kept circling the small dinghy as if it was waiting. Either that, or it was calculating where a decent shove would send them both flying into the water so he could inflict even more damage.

Tommaso watched it circle with venomous eyes. He wanted to jump over and tear it apart with his bare hands. He suddenly stopped. His face changed expression. The radio. Where was that radio the guys had given him?

He frantically searched for it with his feet while still nursing Azzurra’s head. There it was in the bag. He dragged the bag towards him with his foot and then bent down ever so gently and picked it.

Once in his hand, he switched it on and frantically pleaded, “Help. Mayday. Someone, help. Please,” he yelled into the radio.

There was no reply. Again, he yelled, “Help. Please help, she is dying!”

There was a crackle and a voice that said: “What is the problem? Where are you?”

“It is Azzurra she has been bitten by a shark and has lost a lot of blood. She is dying. Please help, she is dying,” he frantically tried to tell the guy.

“We have got your position, hang on, we are sending the speed boat, it should only be a few minutes. Keep her breathing, try to get her talking.”

“O.K., please hurry, she is dying.”

Suddenly, there was a thump on the side of the dinghy, and Tommaso dropped the phone. As he bent down to pick it up, Azzurra let out a shallow wheeze. He looked up just in time to see the face of the shark at the side of the dinghy.

“Bastard fish he yelled, I will kill you!” he yelled in Italian before once again he broke down in tears.

It seemed like an eternity waiting. His ears were tuned to any sound that might resemble the speedboat's motor. Still, the shark circled. He looked for something to throw at it. There was nothing.

Kkkkc! Kkkkc! A crackle came back on the radio. “Hello. Hello, the boat is just arriving, can you hear it?”

“No, no, I can't hear it,” replied Tommaso frantically “Oh, no, wait, yes, I can hear it is close now.”

Her turned his head as it rounded the point of the bay. Almost on cue, the shark darted out into the deeper water.

The boat pulled up next to the dinghy.

“Tommaso, Dr Robinson, let me look.” He removed the makeshift tourniquet long enough to reveal the gaping wound where a part of Azzurra’s leg used to be and reapplied a new tourniquet.

“We have to hurry, she is losing a lot of blood. Mambo, get the captain to call ahead to the Tapua hospital, the nearest island, to request a helicopter. It is going to be touch and go.”

The words echoed in Tommaso's ears, “It is going to be touch and go.” Was he going to lose his beautiful Azzurra so soon?

Back on the boat, they tended to Azzurra while waiting for the helicopter.

As Tommaso and Dr Robinson sat next to Azzurra, Tommaso turned to him and asked, “Will she live?”

“I won’t lie to you, young man. It is not looking good. Our only hope is to find someone on the boat with AB-negative blood. She has lost so much blood…” his words trailed off as there was a knock on the door. “We have found a donor; she is coming down now,” informed the ship's nurse.

“Now we just need the helicopter to arrive soon. Let me go and get ready for the transfusion,” said Dr Robinson as he got up and left the room.

Tommaso looked at Azzurra. “We will make it amore mio (my love). Ti amo, ti amo.”

A tear fell from his eye onto Azzurra’s cheek. She slowly opened one eye and gave him a feeble smile. The first response she had shown in ages.

He held her hand and stroked it as Azzurra’s eyes closed.

Till next time,

Calvin