Wrath of the Sea Queen

by Cynthia Woods

  "Yes, but I have no idea how bad. Hopefully, once we get to Apela's hotel, Caeli can rest. It will do her good. She hasn't slept well in several days. I will talk to her then and find out the rest of the details. Maybe Salma was right about the prolonged exposure, but I don't think so. It feels different. I get the strangest feeling when I touch her stomach…but you don't need to hear about that. I'm worried about her. I will feel better once Salma has a chance to find out what's wrong with her."

  "Well, Salma's the right person to ask. In fact, she would be insulted if you didn't," Ben offered with a brief laugh in an attempt to ease Vin's anxiety. Ben was watching Apela and Max as he spoke. Max had fallen asleep again and was resting soundly. Whatever woke him did not keep him up.

  "Ben, I was wondering…" Vin started, but left the thought unfinished as he heard Caeli call him.

  "Vin, I need you!"

  Caeli's pain-filled voice in his mind interrupted whatever Vin was going to ask. He rushed off without another word. Ben did not hear the silent call, but he surmised that the abrupt departure accompanied by a brief gust of wind had to be related to Caeli. She was the only thing that moved Vin in such a manner.

  Vin had no trouble locating her using their link and was at Caeli's side within heartbeats of the call. His eyes were full of concern the minute he saw Caeli on the floor. His heart lurched when he saw Salma kneeling beside her, knowing that Salma had gone to help someone in great pain. Vin was shocked that it turned out to be Caeli. Why hadn't he heard her cry along with Salma and Max? Salma had even asked him as much. She had known it was Caeli before she walked off to help. Here Caeli was suffering unimaginable pain, and he should have been able to pick up on it. Why had he heard her this time and not the last?

  "Vin, stay with her. Don't try to move her or do anything else until I get back. I will only be gone a few minutes," Salma said.

  She ducked out quickly to avoid questions she could not and did not want to answer. Vin would do exactly what she asked. When the matter was this serious, and particularly because it involved Caeli, Salma trusted that Vin would listen to her.

  When they were alone, Vin tried to comfort Caeli and find out what was happening.

  "Caeli, Honey, I'm here." Vin dropped to his knees, sitting directly in front of her.

  "Vin…" Caeli was immediately glad that Salma had made her call him. Having Vin here made Caeli feel better. She tentatively reached out a trembling hand toward him.

  He noticed the gesture and carefully clasped her hand in his own.

  "I'm right here. What can I do?" Vin placed his other hand lightly on Caeli's shoulder, careful not to jostle her in any way, not wanting to cause her any additional pain.

  "It hurts," she answered through tears of pain as another spasm racked her body, nearly knocking her over.

  "I know, Honey. Hold on to me. It will pass. You'll be all right. I've got you."

  "Vin, I have to tell you…," Caeli started, but was interrupted by another round of pain. The small relief provided by the water was already wearing off, and the pain was increasing.

  "Ssh. Don't try to talk, Caeli. Whatever it is, it can wait. Just be still. Wait for Salma."

  "No, I need to tell…owwww, it hurts! Make it stop! Please make it stop!" Caeli begged as she fell forward onto Vin's lap, trembling so hard that it was all he could do to prevent her from sliding down to the floor.

  "I'm sorry. I would give anything to be able to fix this for you. I don't know how; but Salma will be right back. Hang on. Please, Caeli. Just hang on a little longer. You're going to be better soon. I promise." Unmistakable fear caused Vin's voice to crack.

  He placed his hand on Caeli's forehead to find that she was burning up. As soon as she stopped trembling and the current spasms passed, Vin got up and grabbed a handful of paper towels, wetting them in the cold water of the faucet. He brought the towels over and dabbed them softly across her brow. Caeli's tears were wiped away as he ran the wet towels along her flushed cheeks. Vin thought the water was helping, but Caeli suddenly began heaving the purely liquid contents of her stomach into a small trashcan he quickly retrieved from beneath the towel dispenser. Vin helped her wash up when the bout finally ended.

  Caeli could barely hold herself upright. She was exhausted. She could not remember ever feeling so weak. Vin got up a second time and returned with a cup of water. Caeli sipped at the drink, but had to force her throat to work properly. With Vin's help, she was finally able to get the water down. Vin placed wet paper towels on the back of her neck to help calm her queasiness. After a few more minutes, the pain eased somewhat and Caeli finally began to pull herself together again.

  "Better?"

  "Some. Thanks."

  "Caeli, what happened? I thought the medicine Salma gave you at the hotel was supposed to prevent this from getting worse," Vin asked when a bit of clarity returned to her eyes after the most recent spasm subsided. He couldn't believe that she had taken such a turn for the worse. And not just a little turn. She was drastically worse.

  "I'm sorry."

  "Why are you sorry?" Vin wondered.

  "I didn't make it the full hour." Caeli answered.

  "Oh, Honey, that's not important. All that matters is getting you well." A cool breeze stirred the air around them. It was comforting and eased some of Caeli’s tension, if not her pain.

  "Nice."

  "If it helps, I will keep it around you constantly. You're going to be ok, Caeli. Salma is getting medicine to help you. She will figure this out, and you will feel better soon," Vin assured her as he looked down at her slight form sitting curled up before him. He hoped he was telling her the truth and wondered if the new medicine Salma was getting would work any better than the last. Vin started to stand up to wet more paper towels. The ones on her neck were already dried out by the heat her body was producing. Caeli's hand weakly clinging to his arm stopped him.

  "Please don't leave me alone."

  "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I'm staying right here with you."

  Vin sat down and eased himself close to Caeli so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. Unfortunately, another wave of pain hit her and she could not raise her head up off his forearm. Her left arm remained wrapped around her stomach and her right arm clinched his tight enough to cause him some discomfort. It barely registered in Vin's worry-clouded mind. He gladly let Caeli have whatever she needed to get through this.

  "Hang on, Honey," Vin whispered as he kept a steady hand on her shoulder. What was keeping Salma?

  Salma returned a few minutes later carrying a syringe and knelt down beside Caeli. She injected the liquid into Caeli's left arm about an inch above her elbow. Within minutes, the medicine began to take effect and Caeli enjoyed the first bit of real relief since she spoke with Rika. As Salma intended, the strong concentration not only brought pain relief, it also dulled Caeli's senses. It was intended to knock her out for about an hour. Caeli's eyelids grew very heavy. Finally, she might get some sleep.

  "It isn't much, but it is very strong. It should take the edge off her pain and let her sleep long enough to get to a hospital. I don't want her out for too long or I won't be able to get the information I need when I examine her. Vin, can you carry her?" Salma didn't even need to voice the question.

  "I've got her," Vin replied.

  Vin scooped Caeli up sideways, across both of his arms, before she could even think about objecting. Another jolt of pain almost caused Vin to place her back on the floor, afraid that he might be hurting her. Thankfully, this wave passed quickly. Afterward, Caeli rested her head on Vin's shoulder and drifted off to a fitful sleep. Vin could not believe how unusually frail she felt wrapped in the strength of his arms.

  "Salma?" Vin's question was obvious.

  "I don't know yet, Vin. I need a chance to examine her properly. I don't even know all the details of what happened to her during the crash. I need more information. Right now, her pain is much too strong to reveal anything. Any test I run would h
urt her. I couldn't even reach through her pain with my gift. Knocking her out is the best thing for her at the moment. I will ask Apela to find a nearby hospital so that we can check for things my gift can't tell me. In the meantime, let her rest. There is no need for Caeli to endure that kind of pain while we travel. Let's go check on our ride. Apela and I can load the bags. You and Ben see about getting Caeli and Max into the car."

  "Thank you, Salma." Vin followed her out of the restroom and over to the arena door, careful not to let anyone near Caeli as they moved down the hall.

  Jeremy had already loaded their bags into the back of a large, custom, military SUV. Apela and Max were waiting inside, seated up front next to the Lieutenant so they could provide directions. Salma climbed into the side seat next to Ben, and Vin carried Caeli into the back and cradled her on his lap, refusing to sit her down. When Ben raised a questioning eyebrow, Salma placed her hand over his and shook her head negatively, letting him know that now was not the time to talk about it. Ben understood.

  It was almost too easy. Of all the people on that plane, her brother had befriended Dr. Erickson and Caeli. That meant Lorrie would be able to find out anything he might have learned about the good doctor during the trip. The more details Lorrie collected, the better the end result would be.

  When Max experienced another one of his fits, Apela habitually moved him to the open door where the fresh air would calm him down. Lorrie took advantage of the opportunity and made her way over to talk to him. She greeted her brother and inquired about Max's health. It gave her a chance to talk to Apela privately, subtly manipulating him into revealing details about the doctor and Caeli that he might not otherwise have mentioned. Lorrie learned about a portion of their plans for the next day.

  Their proximity to the door also placed them directly beside the luggage belonging to the group. Lorrie noted the name tag on one of the bags and, while Apela was momentarily distracted with Max, Lorrie slipped a manila envelope into the top zippered compartment without anyone noticing. Lorrie expected that the discovery of its contents would stir up more drama in an already tense situation. At least, that's what she hoped to do.

  A few minutes later, Lorrie caught a glimpse of Vin from her place at the medical station across the arena as he carried Caeli outside. She did not look well at all. Vin was clearly in misery with his worry for her. This caused Lorrie's grin to grow. At the very least, Caeli looked like she might suffer for several days yet. She would not have the carefree vacation originally planned. Dr. Erickson would try to help her, of course, but would find it difficult to determine the cause of Caeli's illness. Lorrie, on the other hand, was quite familiar with Caeli’s symptoms and believed she knew the exact cause of her current condition. No, she would not share her knowledge with Dr. Erickson, but preferred to let the doctor agonize over the solution. Moving to look out a large window, Lorrie's eyes followed the military SUV as it pulled out of the arena parking lot.

  "What are you looking so self-satisfied about? Did you learn anything new?" Scott walked up behind her, but did not see the vehicle turning the corner.

  "Yes. As a matter of fact, I did. I think your next opportunity just presented itself. My brother is taking the younger man with him to volunteer at the levee tomorrow," Lorrie reported, omitting Vin's name. Scott did not need to know that she was already acquainted with his intended targets.

  "Well, that's decent of them. I do hope they are careful. Those levees can be very dangerous," Scott added sarcastically.

  CHAPTER 19

  Since the hospital was too close to the conference hotel, they decided to go straight to Apela's hotel from the arena. Once there, Apela made plans to meet Jeremy at the levee around nine o'clock the following morning. After helping unload the luggage onto a wheeled cart, Jeremy drove off. Everyone followed Apela into the hotel.

  The hotel itself was a two story, rectangular building. One corner pointed directly toward the ocean, while the other sides had views with varying angles of shoreline visibility. The ocean itself splashed at the shore only fifty yards away from the hotel oasis. The oceanfront corner of the building contained a screened-in lounge with several sets of white and black wicker furniture, a treadmill and weight bench in one corner, a grill outside the door, and an overhead ceiling fan for balmy, summer nights. A tropical fish pond ran along the edge of the lounge. Thirty feet in front of the lounge, in the center of the main floor, sat the reception desk. Overall, it was an informal and inviting setting.

  Vin carried Caeli inside as she slept, restless and in pain, though not as obvious with the drug masking many of the outward signs. The pain woke Caeli several times during the short ride from the arena. Apparently, the drug was not as effective as Salma thought it would be or it was slower to take full effect than she anticipated. Either way, it was not sufficient to keep Caeli from hurting, which is what most concerned Vin. Once they got settled, Salma intended to call the hospital and see if she could make arrangements to work with one of the doctors there to perform outpatient testing. She preferred not to move Caeli again until she gathered more information.

  Apela told them to use the rooms on either side of the lounge. Both doors were unlocked, as the cleaning lady should have cleaned them earlier in the day. During their ride, Apela offered Salma the use of some medical supplies he had at the hotel, which was another part of the reasoning that convinced them not to go straight to the hospital. Right after he got Max into bed, Apela would help Salma locate what she needed.

  In the meantime, Ben and Salma hauled the luggage cart inside. Ben no longer needed to maintain the ruse of the wheelchair, now that there was no one around who needed to believe he was out of commission. Ben offered to take care of the bags so that Salma could go and check on Caeli, but she said it would have to wait until Apela was ready to round up the supplies.

  "I really want to get Caeli to a hospital. Even if I use my gift to figure out what's wrong, I still need to be able to test her blood. If my suspicions are true, and I pray for her sake they are not, I will need more details than my gift alone can provide," Salma explained.

  Apela had returned and stood unobtrusively at their open door. Salma was startled when he spoke, not knowing if he overheard the mention of her gift.

  "I actually have some medical equipment here, too; not just the medicines I mentioned. My sister keeps a lot of supplies in her lab. We even have a fully stocked exam room. We are considered the local clinic, since there is no other free facility in the area. I can show you where we keep everything. You are welcome to use whatever you need."

  "That would be great. Thank you. Are you set up to test blood on site?"

  "Yes, we have a cart with all those supplies on it," Apela confirmed, having helped Lorrie with many such procedures.

  "Can you roll the cart to their room?" Salma was relieved that they would not have to move Caeli again so soon.

  "Sure. I'll be right back." Apela disappeared in the direction of his own room again.

  "Ben, I'm going to need your help. Vin isn't going to want to leave Caeli’s side."

  "Why should he? I would not leave you under similar circumstances." The seriousness in Ben's voice left no question about his feelings on the matter.

  "I know, but I'm afraid he will distract me while I'm using my gift. In fact, I know Vin well enough to be certain that he will. He won’t be able to help it. If I can get Vin to leave the room, can you keep him out until I call him back?" Salma intended to try.

  "Salma, that's a mighty tall order. Those two are nearly inseparable on good days, much less with her in such a state. But, if you can manage to get Vin out of there, I will do my best to keep him out until you are ready."

  Thirty minutes elapsed before Salma got her medical bag unpacked and gathered everything from Apela's supplies that she believed would be necessary. Apela helped Salma roll the medical cart into the other room where Vin was sitting on the side of the bed. Caeli was curled up in a ball beside him with her arms still encircling h
er waist and her eyes squeezed shut. There was a small trashcan beside the bed and a wet washcloth on Caeli's forehead. Apparently, she had been sick to her stomach again, though there was nothing left to expel. She was feverish and sweating. Vin was trying to cool her down not only with the cold washcloth, but also with a cool, soothing breeze blowing through the room.

  "Vin, can you move to the other side? I need to look at her," Salma asked politely and softly.

  Vin complied as Salma took up his former position on the bed. She gave a quick glance at the specs of blood in the trash can, the same as she noted at the arena; it made Salma want to move quickly through the diagnosis and get Caeli into treatment. Coughing up blood was never a good sign.

  "Salma, she’s burning up. Should we try to cool her off in the tub?" Vin suggested.

  "No. Not yet anyway. Let me find out what’s wrong first."

  "What do you want me to do?" Vin readily offered his assistance.

  "There's nothing for you to do yet, Vin. Be patient."

  Vin, on more than one occasion, openly admitted that patience was not one of his best qualities. Additionally, he was of the same opinion as Salma about taking Caeli to the hospital. That noted, Vin knew that there was no better person to treat his wife than Salma. Salma was the only doctor that both Caeli and Vin trusted completely. Right now, the location of that treatment did not matter. Vin watched intently as Salma began her exam.

  "Caeli, look at me please," Salma's calm voiced prompted.

  Another voice chimed in Caeli’s mind, unheard by Vin or Salma.

  "You will regret your choice once you realize what it has cost you. Then you can suffer with the knowledge that you could have prevented it. All of this is your fault." Rika's voice held the fury of a storm unleashed. She was relentless in her accusations and assignment of guilt.

  "Go away!" Caeli, unaware that she said it out loud, surprised both Vin and Salma. Though her voice was weak, the intended vehemence in her words was clear.