The Sea Hawk Read Online Free PDF

the lower eighties. Even though the water was warmer, it was still less than her body temperature. She could burn to a crisp under the glaring sun while suffering from hypothermia. As the sun began its descent once again, she was shocked as she brought her hand up to wipe sea water away from her face. Blisters had begun to form on the flesh on the backs of her hands. If the blisters broke open and salt water got under her skin--she didn't want to think about how painful it could be.
    Gingerly she touched her face with her finger tips. Her skin felt hot and, as tightly as the skin was pulled, she suspected her face may have begun to swell. The sun beat relentlessly down on her head and shoulders and the water around her began to noticeably heat as well. She treaded water and spun in a tight circle, looking for anything on the horizon. Anything outside the sight of land would have to be at least as large as the Discovery . But there was nothing.
    She was a strong swimmer, but her arm and leg muscles screamed with fatigue, forcing her onto her back again. Her eyelids ached, but on her back she couldn't keep her eyes open and expose them to the blinding sunlight. Squeezing them shut eventually began to give her a headache. I have to take my mind somewhere else. I can't keep thinking about every little ache and pain, damn it! Just suck it up! But every part of her hurt too much to ignore.
    She never saw the wave coming before it curled over her, catching her just as she exhaled and pushing her beneath the water. With little air in her lungs and precious moments slipping away, she became disoriented and couldn't locate the surface. Panicking, she flailed her arms and legs, forcing her eyes open, enduring the biting salty sting of the water that blurred her vision. She wanted to breathe the air one more time. A sliver of light pierced the water and she fought the impulse to open her mouth and take a deep breath. Using the last of her energy, she forced her arms to stroke toward the light. As her head rose above the water, she gasped for air between the nauseous gagging caused by inhaling water at the same time.
    I'm sorry, Daddy. I tried to wait until church was over, but I can't. Salty tears ran down her face, adding to the water around her, as she sobbed and gave herself to the sea.

    TALBOT BLANCHARD SAT with his arm around his wife Regina, looking down at her soft profile as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, hugging her slightly. When she looked up at him, the grief in her eyes tore at his heart. Tal, Jr. and his wife sat on the other side of Regina, holding hands and listening to a litany of speakers sharing their memories of Dr. Julia Blanchard and her work. As Talbot stared at a large picture of Julia in her dive suit, her head thrown back, laughing at something as the sunlight reflected off her short sun-bleached reddish-blonde hair, he thought how beautiful his thirty-four-year-old daughter was. The picture captured her at her best, nearing the peak of her profession. Talbot was proud of his daughter although he knew he hadn't told her so often enough. He always believed there would be time for that. He'd taught his children never to brag about themselves and their accomplishments. In a strange way it made him feel good to hear others do that. Some of the memories they heard were poignant and occasionally Julia's exploits led to laughter. It felt good to be able to laugh, at least on the outside.
    The Coast Guard abandoned their search for Julia nearly one week earlier. Even though Talbot and Regina didn't want to give up hope, realistically they couldn't believe there was any way Julia could have survived alone on a vast ocean longer than a day or two. She was killed by the thing she loved, Talbot thought to himself. Although not officially declared dead, it seemed to be something they would all be forced to accept.
    As the final eulogy and prayers were said at the memorial service at St. Jude's Catholic Church in