"Apela takes care of the place. He said that all he really has to do is make sure the lamp is always on. If it goes out, he replaces the bulb. Other than that, the place doesn't require much attention. He and Max come by every once in a while to clean it up and do minor repairs. Sometimes he will be a tour guide for the school kids. Today, we have the place all to ourselves; exclusive dining with a spectacular view."
They reached the top and stepped outside to stand by the railing. The wind was strong here, and Salma donned her jacket as she looked out over the ocean with an unobstructed view for miles.
"Ben, it really is spectacular!" Salma rewarded him with a kiss.
Ben reached over and put his arm around his wife. They stood there for several minutes admiring the view.
"Are you ready for lunch?" Ben finally asked.
"Yes. I'm famished."
They went inside and down one level where they found a room large enough to spread the blanket on the floor. Ben opened the backpack and removed several items. There were two sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil, a Tupperware container filled with sliced apples, another container filled with fresh pasta salad, and a tall thermos. Ben also pulled out a small red box with a tiny gold bow on the top, which he placed close to Salma. Lastly, Ben pulled out two sets of plastic utensils.
As they ate, Salma kept glancing down at the red box. Ben had not said anything about it. He pretended like it wasn't even there. When the meal was finished and they returned everything to the backpack, Salma couldn't stand the suspense any longer.
"Can I open it?"
"I was wondering when you would," Ben answered with a smile.
Salma carefully opened the lid. Inside, she found a gold chain with a pendant on the end. As she looked closely at the pendant, Salma realized it was not exactly a normal pendant at all. It was the older of the two bullets that Caeli had removed from Ben's back. It had been hammered thin and rounded. There was something engraved on both flat surfaces. Salma recognized the likeness of herself and Ben on one side and two intertwined hearts on the other. Now she recognized the chain as well. It was one that used to have Ben's patron saint medallion attached to it. Ben had removed the medallion, swapping it for this new adornment. Salma was incredibly touched by the gift, but also somewhat confused.
"Ben, I don't understand. Why did you change it? You said you've worn that patron saint medal since you were a rookie."
"I changed it for you, Love, because you changed me. I wanted to give you something to show you how much you mean to me. Caeli sort of dropped the idea in my hand. I don't need a patron saint to save my life. You have already done that. Before I met you, I was merely content to work and find temporary pleasure in the small victories. I was missing out on real happiness. You have given me that. I wanted to give you something significant that represented me and the depth of my feelings for you. I think if I reached inside and pulled out a piece of myself, that bullet is probably what it would look like. Besides, for as long as I carried that hunk of metal around, it really is a piece of me," Ben laughed.
Salma slipped the chain around her neck and wiped a tear from her eye. She leaned forward and kissed him again.
"I love it, Ben. Thank you. When did you find the time to prepare any of this? Did you etch this yourself? What did you use to get such detail? Have you always been able to draw this well?"
Ben laughed again as Salma rambled on excitedly. He had been given plenty of down time since being shot. In fact, he almost felt useless. He was not able to physically help during the road trip, at the hotel, the arena, the levee, or even with Caeli; not really. If not for the distraction of creating this gift for Salma, Ben might have gone a little crazy. And, even still, it had not taken very long to etch those tiny, amateur images. But, he was on the mend and ready to do what he could to help Vin. This outing was the first step in Ben's recovery and his intent to ensure that Salma would enjoy the remainder of this trip.
They packed up the blanket and lunch items and were headed toward the ground floor when they heard a banging at the door. At first, Ben thought it must be the wind. He mentioned Apela's warning about the strong gusts to Salma. The banging persisted, and the rhythm of the pounding became distinct. It no longer sounded like random gusts of wind. It sounded urgent.
Ben stopped at the next window and looked out into the parking lot. A gray truck occupied one of the spaces, but there was nobody behind the wheel. Perhaps the truck's driver was the one banging on the lighthouse door. Yet, no one knew that they were here unless they had been spotted while they stood outside. Perhaps it was merely a concerned citizen wondering what they were doing there. If that was the case, Ben could explain and everything would be fine.
However, the person banging on the door did not call out. He did not identify himself or even ask if there was anyone inside. Just then, Ben heard more sounds in the parking lot. As he looked out the window again, two more vehicles pulled up. Several people jumped out of the back of a red truck and more got out of the back of a black van. Many of them appeared to be intoxicated as they stumbled toward the lighthouse.
They all seemed to have a single purpose. Several shouts could now be heard.
"Come out, Dr. Erickson!"
"We know you're in there."
The banging at the door became more insistent.
"Dr. Erickson, please. If you're in there, let me in. It's Dr. Jacobs."
"Ben, we've got to let him in," Salma replied in alarm.
"Ok, but you stay up here." Ben dropped the backpack, continued to the bottom of the steps, and opened the door only far enough to admit the lone man.
Dr. Jacobs rushed inside with a harried look on his face. Ben locked the door behind him and moved to intercept him as he headed toward the stairwell where Salma waited.
"Oh! Mr. Erickson! I'm glad you are here. Your wife's in danger. We've got to get her out of here," Dr. Jacobs seemed to recover from the shock of the unexpected appearance of the imposing man before him.
"What's going on? How did you know we were here?" Ben replied sternly.
"I found out from one of the locals. He is part of the group protesting the conference. He recognized your wife when she stepped out by the lighthouse railing. He and a six pack were on the beach below. The man came into a diner in town, not too far from here, to round up some of his buddies. They thought it would be a good idea to come out here and call Dr. Erickson into account. They want to make her publicly denounce her work, and then have the sheriff throw her in jail," Neal explained.
"How exactly do you know all this?" Ben insisted.
"I was at the bar having lunch and overheard them talking. They were not at all shy about their plans. While they were having a few beers to supplement their courage, I slipped out to warn Dr. Erickson. I hoped to get here ahead of them to avoid the scene outside. I brought my cell phone just in case."
"Why didn't you call the sheriff from the bar to let him know what was happening? He could have arrested them. Why come out here at all?" Ben still wasn't satisfied with the man's answer. Something about this man did not sit well with Ben. On the surface, it sounded like he was offering his help, but Ben's instincts told him otherwise. However, he could not dwell on it. His first concern was Salma's safety, not only from this man, but also from the people outside.
"Never mind. Can you call the sheriff now? See if he can do something about this? We should be safe enough in here until he arrives."
"Sure. Let me find a place where I can get a signal. The metal in this building is interfering…" Dr. Jacobs moved toward the stairwell again, but Ben placed his arm across to clasp the rail on the other side, stopping Neal at the bottom.
"Salma, why don't you come down here with me now? I think Dr. Jacobs is going to head up top to see if he can get better reception." Ben kept himself firmly positioned between Salma and Dr. Jacobs. She grabbed the backpack and started down the steps. Once Salma reached the bottom and stood behind him, Ben allowed Dr. Jacobs to move up the s
tairs, though he kept a close eye on him as he climbed.
As soon as Neal was out of earshot, Salma whispered to Ben. She wanted to know what he was thinking. Ben wanted to focus on a solution to the problem, so he only gave her a brief synopsis of his theory.
"I don't know how, but I think Dr. Jacobs is following you, and I believe that he set this up. He let these protestors know where you were so that he could rush in ahead of them and rescue you. Only, there were two problems with his plan. Drunken men can't keep to a schedule. They arrived quicker than he expected. And your doctor friend didn't count on me being here. In fact, I don't think he expected me to join you on this trip at all. After I got shot, I guess he didn't expect me to be up and about. He was genuinely surprised to see me. Now, I am very glad that Vin and I came down early. I don't want to think about what might have happened if you and Caeli were here alone."
Of course, it was already too late. Ben's angry simmered just from thinking about those very possibilities. It also gave Ben a better understanding of Vin's overprotectiveness of Caeli. Trouble did have a way of following their women. The thought of anyone threatening, much less harming, Salma made Ben want to shelter her from the world. He completely understood Vin's viewpoint now.
"What are we going to do, Ben?" Salma knew better than to questions Ben's instincts. He had proven his well-honed perception many times.
"I doubt Dr. Jacobs is going up there to call the sheriff. Even if he does, there is no way to be sure if we are going to get the help we need. I can only think of one person I trust who is capable of getting us out of here safely. We can't get cell phone reception unless we go up there with Dr. Jacobs, and I would rather not do that. I want you to stay clear of him. Salma, can you call to Vin?"
"Yes."
She leaned back against the wall, closed her eyes, and tried to focus on Vin. The shouts of the protestors outside kept interrupting her thoughts, and now they were banging on the door, too.
"Ben, the noise is too distracting. I can't focus."
"Come here, Doll." Ben pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. He laid her head against his chest to block out the noise in one ear, covering her other ear with his hand. Salma closed her eyes again. This time she succeeded, and Vin responded immediately.
"Maku, I need your help! Can you drive me to the lighthouse right now? My friends called and there is some kind of trouble. I need to get over there and lend a hand," Vin asked the big man.
"Sure. Let's go." They hopped into Maku's white truck and sped toward the lighthouse.
Vin phoned Apela while they traveled, hoping to check on Caeli. He wanted to be sure that someone was keeping an eye on her. Apela told him that Caeli was sleeping when he checked on her five minutes earlier. Satisfied, Vin turned his full attention toward Salma's situation. He contemplated the trouble Ben and Salma faced and considered his options to help. Using his gift was clearly the way to go, but Vin wasn't certain how he would explain the event to Maku. Instead, Vin came up with a solution that avoided the need for that explanation.
"Maku, when we get there, I would like you to drop me off and then go back to the levee. They really need your help, and I can handle this. My friends have already called the sheriff. I can deal with the situation until he arrives."
"Are you sure? I'm a pretty big fella. My size can go a long way to enforcing order. That's why I typically work security gigs," Maku offered.
"That's kind of you, but no, thank you. Your help will be more beneficial at the levee. I can hold off a few drunks until the police can round them up." Vin finally convinced Maku. When they pulled into the lighthouse parking lot, Maku did not get out. He drove off after watching Vin jump out and run toward the lighthouse.
Vin stopped at the edge of the parking lot. A crowd of approximately seven or eight ruffians, most of them drunk, encircled the lighthouse door. They were shouting for Salma to come out. Some were throwing their empty beer bottles at the side of the building and others were banging on the door.
The wind began to pick up rapidly. Men began to stumble as they tried to stay on their feet. Within minutes, several had fallen and a few were pinned against the side of the lighthouse by the strong wind. The shouting and the banging stopped. Several of the men decided that it was no longer worth the hassle and tried to make a break for it. Vin allowed the would-be assailants to reach their vehicles, but they weren't going any further. The red truck and the black van were kept in place as if held by an unseen hand.
The sound of sirens drew nearer. Vin glanced down the road behind him to see the sheriff's car speeding toward the lighthouse. Inside, Ben surmised what was taking place in the parking lot. He even ran up the stairs to look out the window, verifying Vin's arrival. Vin cleared a path for Ben and Salma's escape. As Ben unlocked the door and began to walk outside with Salma, two gunshots rang out from the side of the building nearest the parking lot.
"Vin!!"
Caeli bolted upright in bed as she woke in a panic. She ripped the IV line out of her arm and dressed in the first clothes she could reach, a blue and green t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. She felt no pain. Her exhaustion fled. Caeli knew only that Vin was in serious trouble, and she had to help him. She rushed out of the sliding door and ran down the beach. At the water's edge, Caeli threw herself into the water. She hardly noticed when the waves rushed in to hit her chest. She did not see Max watching her from the lounge.
Opening herself immediately to her gift, Caeli urgently sought her connection to Vin. She could not get hold of it.
"Now look what has happened. More consequences in the string of events you set in motion. Vin would not be hurt right now if you had accepted my offer."
"Don't start with me! I don't have time for your games, Rika." Caeli lashed out in frustration only to hear Rika laughing as her presence faded away.
"Salma! We have to help Vin. Please!" Caeli called desperately.
Ben instinctively moved in front of Salma and ushered her back inside. The sudden silence in the air and the fear in Caeli's mental shout stopped them in their tracks, causing them both to turn and look in the direction of the parking lot. How could Caeli be aware of the situation?
"Vin!" Salma figured out Caeli's terror right away.
She and Ben watched Vin fall and land unceremoniously on the hard concrete of the parking lot. Ben wanted to rush to Vin's aid as much as Salma did, but could not take the chance that another shot might be aimed at he or Salma if they stepped out into the open.
"Ben, I have to get over there," Salma insisted.
"Not yet. We don't know where those shots came from."
"I do."
The voice behind them caused both Ben and Salma to jump. In all the commotion, they had forgotten about Dr. Jacobs.
"I saw the shooter as I was coming down the stairs. He took off running when the sheriff's car turned onto the road. Apparently, he did not want to hang around. I have never seen anyone that drunk run so fast. It should be safe for you to go to your friend."
Ben looked over and confirmed that the sheriff had arrived with a few of his men. They were already rounding up the drunkards causing all the trouble. Dr. Jacobs walked calmly toward the parking lot. Too calmly, in Ben's opinion. But, he let that matter drop for the time being. Salma looked up at him, and Ben nodded. They ran over to Vin.
Salma knelt down beside him in a large puddle of water. She could see blood on his arm and the side of his head. The first bullet hit Vin in his right, upper arm. It wasn't serious. The second appeared to have grazed the left side of Vin's head. There was blood seeping out of the wound, though the cut itself was not very deep. The largest amount of damage seemed to have been done by the force of the bullets causing Vin to stumble backward and fall, hitting his head on the pavement hard enough to knock him out.
She placed her hand on the side of Vin's head. Salma could tell where the damage was located, but there was nothing that she could do to fix it. She pressed her hand firmly over the wound on Vin's h
ead to help slow the external bleeding, but the internal bleeding would be seriously detrimental if they didn't get Vin into surgery right away.
"Ben, call for an ambulance."
Ben dialed 911 and got an emergency dispatch underway. Immediately after that, he phoned Apela. Ben knew that Salma would want to go with Vin to the hospital, and he intended to go where Salma went. He was not about to leave her side after what just happened. That meant Caeli would be on her own for a while, and she already knew that Vin was hurt. Ben wanted Apela to keep Caeli at the hotel. Knowing Caeli as well as he did, Ben suspected that she would try to reach Vin.
"But Ben, the ambulance won't get there in time. They are notoriously slow on this side of the island. I can be there and get you to the hospital much faster. If time is important to saving Vin, then let me drive you. I will leave Max with Caeli and call one of my friends to come and watch them. You can trust him to keep your location a secret. I will call him as soon as we get to the hospital. I will see you in a few minutes," Apela told him.
"All right," Ben agreed. He did not entirely like the idea, but he had to make do with the choices provided by the current circumstances. Vin appeared to be seriously hurt, and their options were limited.
"Ben, I don't know if we have time. You made the right choice. I can feel the internal bleeding. It is bad."
"Show me, Salma. I can help him. I know I can, but I don't know what needs to be fixed. Please, let me help him," Caeli pleaded.
"How?"
"Place one hand on Vin's head wound and the other on his chest. Concentrate on his injuries. I will follow you. Tell me what needs to be fixed."
"Caeli, I don't know if we can do that. Does your gift work like that?" Salma hesitated.
"Please, Salma. It's like I did with Ben on the ship. I couldn't explain it even if we had time. We have to hurry. Please, help me save Vin. I can't lose him."
Wrath of the Sea Queen Page 33