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It was supposed to be a relaxing day. Richard convinced a few of the players to rent a yacht in the south of France. It was the off-season, so most players were on trips or at home, but a few were free.
Isaac, Colín, and Jamie met Richard and Jan in France and then boarded the charted yacht, the Eclipse, from there. Isaac initially declined the invitation, choosing to spend more time with his newborn nephew. But then Isaac heard Colin and Jamie were going, and his instinct was to not let those two idiots somewhere together without his supervision. Richard and Jan were fine on their own, but they’d let Colin and Jamie drown with a “not my problem.”
Isaac was pleasantly surprised about how relaxed the trip was. Both Jamie and Colin were behaving themselves, other than non-stop rapping the lyrics of I’m On a Boat. Neither Jan nor Richard had offended anyone too horribly. Though Isaac was a bit worried that Richard would sleep with more than one staff member and cause issues that way, so far, it seemed his threesome hadn’t caused any problems with the two women. They spent four days swimming off the ship and enjoying all the food and drinks prepared by the staff.
On the last day on the Eclipse, they are anchored in another gorgeous cove in the Mediterranean somewhere, lazily enjoying the crystal clear waters when they decide to go for a swim before lunch is served.
Jamie and Colin decide to jump from the upper deck despite Isaac’s protests. Isaac, Jan and Richard make their way to the back of the yacht to grab the floats they’ve been using during the trip. So Isaac doesn’t see it happen. He hears Colin’s frantic yell, followed by a nearby splash.
“Jamie!” Colin yells again.
Isaac hears another splash. The three men rush to the ship's side and look for their teammates. They vaguely hear staff radioing each other. There’s another splash as a staff member jumps into the water after the two Greyhounds. When Isaac, Richard and Jan peer over the side to see Colin dive underwater, the staff member, an Australian named Mitch, swims towards them.
The three make it to the back of the ship and see Colin dragging Jamie towards the boat. Mitch swims alongside him, and the five can easily pull Jamie onto the yacht’s deck—a small gash on the side of Jamie’s forehead and blood dripping down his face.
Jan and Richard pull Colin and Mitch from the water, and Isaac kneels beside Jamie, his ear to his mouth to see if he’s breathing. Isaac sighs with relief when he feels Jamie’s breath against his face. Delphine, another crew member, arrives with towels and an AED. Mitch performs a sternum rub, which jolts Jamie awake.
Jamie immediately starts coughing and regurgitating water to the deck while Delphine hits him on the back to help him dispel the water. Jamie continues coughing but seems to have gotten all the water out of his system.
“Jamie,” Delphine asks once Jamie stops coughing. “Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”
Jamie looks up at her through dripping strands of hair. He lets out another painful-sounding cough before answering, “Two.”
More coughs rack his body, but the answer is correct, so Delphine seems satisfied.
“Good. Do you know what day it is?” she asks.
“Thursday,” Jamie says after a beat.
“Good, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable.”
Mitch wraps a towel around Jamie’s shoulders and puts his hands under Jamie’s armpits to lift the footballer. Isaac grabs his friend’s arms to help leverage him to stand. The group guides Jamie to the area with a couch and chairs.
Delphine and another staff member, Michaela, appear and quickly dry Jamie’s shaking body. They wrap a dry towel around his shoulders and another over his lap as he sits on the couch. Mitch sits on the coffee table before Jamie and opens a first aid kit.
Isaac sits beside Jamie, touching the younger man’s lower back. He can feel the light trembles of Jamie’s body. Colin, Jan and Richard stand nearby, as close as they can without getting in the way of the people helping Jamie.
“You got a cut on your head, mate,” Mitch explains to Jamie.
Jamie’s eyes look dazed, but that’s not surprising with the trauma of the last ten minutes. Blood is still flowing freely from the side of his face, dripping onto the towel around his shoulders.
“I’m gonna clean it up, okay?” Mitch asks, and Jamie nods and winces a little.
Mitch pulls gloves from the first aid kit and wipes the blood off Jamie’s face and neck, then holds a piece of gauze to Jamie’s head. Delphine holds open a bag for Mitch to place the used gauze and then hands him an antiseptic wipe. Jamie hisses as it makes contact with his gash.
“It’s okay, bruv, almost done,” Isaac tells his teammate.
Mitch motions for Isaac to hold the gauze as he gets up to speak with the Captain, who arrived a few moments before.
“Colin, what the fuck happened?” Isaac asks.
“He just slipped,” Colin said, shock on his face. Isaac notices he’s shaking slightly, too, still dripping wet.
“Richard, get him a fucking towel,” Isaac shouts, and Richard takes off to do as his captain instructs.
“How do you feel?” Isaac asks Jamie.
“Like I fell off a fucking boat,” Jamie says, exhaling loudly.
Isaac notices the gauze is filling rapidly with Jamie’s blood and grabs a clean one to replace it with. Isaac tries to take in Jamie’s eyes and see if his pupils are the same size. They all know the signs of a concussion, and Isaac is hopeful Jamie’s escaped either without one or with only a minor one.
Mitch returns and takes the gauze from Isaac, motioning the Captain wants to talk to the Richmond captain. The yacht Captain, another Australian named Steve, tells Isaac they’re heading to a nearby port with a small hospital within a short drive. They’ll take Jamie there to make sure he’s adequately examined. Isaac makes the short trip to Jamie’s room, grabbing a hoodie and slides for the Mancunian.
The yacht is at the port shortly and docked quickly after that. Mitch wraps gauze securely around Jamie’s head for the trip to the hospital. Isaac supports an unsteady Jamie on the short walk off the ship and to an awaiting cab, Delphine following closely behind them.
The ride to the hospital is short but bumpy, and Isaac can tell Jamie is trying hard not to wince next to him. Delphine checks Jamie in at the hospital, and Isaac is forced to remain in the waiting room while Delphine accompanies Jamie as a translator.
After what seems like days but is only about 75 minutes, Delphine and Jamie return to Isaac. The Richmond captain stands in anticipation and takes in the sight of his friend. Jamie’s not bleeding anymore, a small bandage covering the wound on his forehead.
“He has a minor concussion,” Delphine explains. “And a few stitches, but he was cleared by the doctor. But we should monitor him every few hours to ensure no new symptoms develop.”
The trio takes a cab back to the port, and Jamie seems to be doing slightly better, if very sleepy. Isaac guides Jamie to his cabin on the yacht and waits while Jamie strips off his bathing suit and into a pair of joggers and some socks.
“You hungry? Or do you want to sleep?” Isaac asks him.
“Not hungry,” Jamie says. “Can I take a kip on the couch with all of you? Don't want to be alone.”
“Of course, bruv. Whatever you want to do,” Isaac tells him.
Isaac guides a still unsteady Jamie to the couch in the lounge area and settles him. Colin leaves to find a blanket, and Michaela brings some lunch for Isaac. Colin wraps the blanket around Jamie, tucking the Englishman in.
“Is this a nautical-themed pashmina afghan?” Jamie slurs at him sleepily.
“I’m the king of the world,” Colin starts rapping, continuing the song, then stops off a look from Isaac.
“We promise, Isaac, no more riding dolphins, doing flips and shit,” Jamie smiles sleepily at him.
Isaac shakes his head, “Go to sleep, bruv.”
Jamie closes his eyes. Isaac will have to wake Jamie up in a few hours, but for now, he lets his friend sleep. This will definitely be a trip Isaac won't forget.