"Hold on, Agape," Niko assured her. "It will be over soon," he prayed as he cleansed the wound. "This must be part of the steeringwheel shaft ... we got it all out."
He had pounded the fishing hook between two rocks to straighten it out. This fishing hook and the line that he had found Nikolas used to close the wound. It took thirteen stitches in all to suture the incision. Although Anna was shaking with pain, she did not utter a word. Nikolas blotted the blood with a cloth soaked in brandy and then bandaged the wound with a torn sheet. Afterward, he sat next to her, comforting her as he wiped her forehead and moistened her lips with a few precious drops of water. They did not sleep much that night. The next day Nikolas carefully cleaned the oozing incision. It seemed to be healing well.
***
Three days went by with nobody in sight. Nikolas dove into the water and collected sea urchins, small abalone, and oysters. When the fresh water was all gone, Nikolas gathered wild greens and squeezed them out to make a drink. On the eve of the third day, although it looked like it was healing, Anna's wound began to swell.
"My God, I have to get you to a doctor," Nikolas repeated several times.
"Do not worry, love, I will be fine." She did her best to reassure him, but they both knew that it was not so. They would have to get medical attention soon.