<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/f4L4H5i.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Maximus Raines<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Midday<br/><strong>Action:</strong>Being saved<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Anyone in the vicinity of the shore<br/><br/>Maximus might have objected to Bessie's plan if he had been told about it.  He might have objected to it even if the alternative was drowning.   It was crazy!  It was insane!  They'd both die, surely!<br/><br/>However, even without knowing her full plan, he did as she said.  He held onto the crate and did his best to keep it forward and upward, even as his arms ached to let the damn thing fall.  It was when they made their 'final approach' shore that he gave in to that impulse, though he didn't really notice much of those final few moments before coming to rest underneath Bessie.  Life is odd that so much can happen so quickly that you almost seem to 'blink' and vanish from one place and appear in another.<br/><br/>What he did notice was his penis straining against his wet trousers and the posterior against his face.  He thought about pushing her away, but she pulled away before he could gather himself enough to do anything.  When he saw it close up, he didn't really want to push it away.<br/><br/>It was all he could do to keep his hands to himself as he took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly.  He was on the ground.   It was sandy and uncomfortable in his wet clothes, but it was honest to goodness ground!<br/><br/>He wanted to hug the beach only a little more than his fingers wanted to reach out and touch what was in front of him.  However, his honor as a member of the Raines family held fast in the face of the mightiest temptation!  If the temptation didn't get away from him, however, he'd probably dishonor himself and Bessie in front of all viewers.<br/><br/>It took him a few seconds to stop focusing on his breathing and speak.<br/><br/>"I'm okay." He nodded, trying to smile but it came out more like a grimace.  He looked to his side, not bothering to move, and saw the crate.  "Thank you."<br/><br/>He reached to push it away from the water, but it was a faltering motion that barely let his finger tips touch the box anyway.  He gave up on it.<br/><br/>The crate's passengers were safe.  He was safe.  Bessie was safe.  That was pretty good, all told.  He was never going near the ocean again.  He could live on this island for the rest of his life.  And he'd never run into a situation where he fell off of a boat piloted by Chardonnay ever again.<br/><br/>His mind grasped on a detail he had neglected, and he gasped.<br/><br/>"I-is Chardonnay okay?" he asked with wide eyes.  He looked around, but his viewpoint was limited.  "I...I didn't see crates in the water, or her, but...so much was going on!"<br/><br/>He took another deep breath, searching for calm, and let it out.  Tears pricked at his eyes at the thought of her having not made it.   The ocean was very cruel.  It could have easily taken the whole boat and she could still be out there!  If she had hit her head on something, she wouldn't be able to swim!  He wanted to go right out there and find her.  The overwhelming fear that made him want to move away from the water entirely was just a tiny consideration.  Not the real reason that he needed to justify.  Between the fatigue and the angel of mercy nearby that would surely pin him down if he tried to go back out, he didn't have a prayer of mounting a rescue.<br/><br/>He could only hope someone else had saved her, or she had gotten ashore safely some other way, while he cowered on the shore, just seconds away from crying.