The Nymph's Curse: The Collection

by Danica Winters

  “It’ll be okay, Beau.” She put her hand to his face and brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

  When they walked into the private room, Kaden tried to sit up, but fell back into the white sheets. “Hi, guys.” A cough rattled from his lips.

  “Hey, Kae.” Ariadne stepped beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. “You’re looking better,” she lied.

  “Do you need anything? Soda? Water? Pillow?” Beau stepped up to the bed, next to Kaden’s feet.

  “No,” Kaden wheezed. “I’m good.”

  The blood pressure cuff ballooned on Kaden’s arm and released with a wheeze. “You okay?” Beau asked, moving to his son’s side.

  “I’m fine, Dad. Promise. It’s just taking my blood pressure.” Kaden pushed the button on the bed rail to sit up. While the bed whirred upward, he motioned for Beau to sit down in the mauve vinyl chair by the window.

  A knock interrupted the pair and Ariadne stepped to the door. Before she could reach the door, a stern-faced doctor in a white lab coat and a blue face mask walked into the room. He was carrying a clipboard and he clicked his pen nervously.

  Beau stood up and let the doctor step to the side of Kaden’s hospital bed.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Dukakis.” The thin, gray-haired man stopped clicking and offered his blue-gloved hand to Kaden.

  Ariadne was sure he meant for the handshake to be comforting, but the way the doctor slightly withdrew when Kaden reached for his hand made her fear the worst.

  The doctor turned to Beau and nodded. “What’s going on?” Beau blurted out.

  The doctor’s gaze settled on Kaden. “We’ve gotten the results from your tests.”

  “And?” Beau insisted.

  The doctor looked back at Beau. His face was stoic, but his eyes were filled with identifiable pity.

  “Are you the boy’s father?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes. What’d you find out?”

  “Well, sir, after reviewing the lab and x-ray results, it looks like your son has contracted what we call active tuberculosis.”

  Beau sank to the chair behind him. “Tuberculosis?” he uttered, his gaze flickered to his son. “Okay,” he said louder, more assuredly. “Tuberculosis is treatable. When are you planning on beginning the antibiotics?”

  “That’s what I want to talk to you about.” The doctor’s voice was grim. He pulled at the collar of his jacket. “I can’t be sure until we run further tests. The lab results were inconclusive, but it currently looks as though his tuberculosis is from the resistant strain.”

  “Resistant strain?” Ariadne spoke up. “You mean you can’t treat him?”

  The doctor looked at her. “Like I said, we’ll have to run a few more tests. In the meantime, we will start treatment with a combination of Isoniazid, Rifampin, and Ethambutol. If it is the treatable strain, that should begin to kill the bacterium before there is more significant damage.”

  “What do you mean more significant damage?” Beau rumbled.

  The doctor stepped back toward the open door. “If this strain is treatable, we won’t need to worry. If not, well, in most cases the bacteria will begin to affect the heart, kidneys, and liver. There is also a slight possibility the bacteria could move into the brain and cause meningitis. We need to get on this and treat him prophylactically for the treatable strain.”

  “Yes. Go. Get it started,” Beau ordered.

  There was a crazed look in his eyes, a look filled with fear, anger, confusion, and determination. In another moment, it would have been sexy, but in the moment, it only made fear rise within her.

  The doctor wrote something on his clipboard. “There are some possible side effects from the drugs, but if this is the treatable strain, he can stay at home while he undergoes treatment.”

  Beau stood up. “I understand. But just do what you need to do. Go. Get the drugs my son needs.”

  “Just so you know — best case, it will probably take at least eight weeks for him to be totally cleared.” The doctor scanned the room, but no one spoke. They all just sat in stunned silence. There was no way Beau would be leaving the island with his son in the hospital.

  The doctor pushed his pen into his pocket. “Before we can start, you both need to leave the room as soon as possible. Tuberculosis is contagious, especially if he is coughing. We are going to move him to a negative air pressure room and get him isolated.”

  Ariadne moved toward Kaden. His eyes were wide with fear.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Beau challenged. “This is my son. I’m not leaving his side.”

  “I strongly recommend that you do. You’re doing your son no favors by staying here and possibly contracting the disease.”

  The doctor reached into his pocket and handed Beau a business card. Beau grabbed it from his hands and shoved it into his back pocket.

  The doctor pushed the clipboard under his arm and stepped to the door. “If you have any questions, you are welcome to call me. As soon as I get the culture results back from the lab, we’ll know more. I’ll make sure to get in contact with you.”

  “You do that.” Beau stepped back, but his face was filled with anguish.

  The door clicked shut behind the doctor.

  The air of the hospital room was thick with concern. What were they going to do? How could she make this better? All of a sudden, Ariadne felt horribly out of place. This was a private family moment.

  Beau stepped close to Kaden and she dropped the young man’s hand. “Do you want me to go?” She pointed at the door.

  “No,” Beau said. “I need you.”

  Kaden looked at her and nodded weakly.

  “What should I do?” Kaden’s voice trembled with fear.

  “It’s going to be fine, Kae,” Beau said, his voice resolute. “This is going to be treatable. Until we know for sure, we are going to take one day at a time. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

  “Beau … ” Kaden looked at his father. “I mean, Dad … I love you.”

  Beau smiled, but as he looked away from Kaden, there were tears in his eyes. She had never heard Kaden call Beau “Dad” before, and from the look on Beau’s face, the word was more than just a name.

  “I love you, too, Kae.” Beau patted Kaden’s arm lovingly.

  She swallowed back the emotions that threatened to spill over, but she couldn’t stop the tears that welled in her eyes.

  He dabbed his eyes as he turned to her. “I need to call his mother and let her know what they’ve found. Then I’ll call Trina and tell her she needs to get tested for tuberculosis.”

  “No … I mean I can call Trina later. She might take the news best from me.”

  Beau stared at her for a long moment. “That’s fine. Tell her I’m sorry. Okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you mind staying here?”

  “No, go ahead.” Of course Beau needed a moment alone, to collect himself. He needed to stay strong for his son.

  Beau ran his hand lovingly over Kaden’s hair and smiled. “I’ll be back in a sec, cool?”

  Kaden rolled his eyes. “I’m not dying, Dad.”

  Beau nodded and made his way to the door. “I know, kiddo. But I only got one of you, I’m allowed to worry.”

  The door clicked shut behind him.

  Kaden’s eyes were half closed, but he kept forcing them open.

  Ariadne tried to smile. “Why don’t you rest?”

  Kaden nodded. Ariadne sat down in the vinyl chair next to the bed, slid her hand under his, and squeezed. He smiled and his head fell back to the pillow. In less than a minute, he was asleep.

  While she watched Kaden’s shallow breaths, her mind wandered to Beau. She could understand that he needed to talk to Kaden’s mother. From the way Beau had spoken the
words, there was no warmth, but she found little comfort in his inflection. Was there still some relationship between Beau and the woman? And why was she so taken aback by with the thought of Beau talking to another woman?

  • • •

  The phone rang on the other end of the line as he walked out the revolving glass doors of the hospital. A part of Beau wished that Lynda would ignore the call, that he could just tell her what she needed to know without actually having to speak to his ex-wife.

  When she picked up, his stomach fell. He had only been in custody of their son for a few weeks and now he was forced to call her with unthinkable news. She was going to blame this on him.

  “Hello?” Lynda questioned.

  “Hi, Lynda. How’s the honeymoon?” Beau asked, trying to sound civil.

  “Great. We went to the Puerta del Sol last night. And tomorrow we’re going to travel to Seville, then we’re going on a cruise. It’s going to be hot, but this is just such a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” she said, sounding excited. She paused for a second, as if she remembered who she was talking to. “Why are you calling?”

  “It’s Kaden.”

  “Is he causing trouble again?” she snapped. “This is getting so goddamned old. You need to take care of it — ”

  “That’s not it,” he said, interrupting her rant.

  “Then why would you call?”

  “Lynda, I just admitted him into the hospital here in Heraklion.”

  “What?”

  “He collapsed on the beach. The ambulance brought him here.”

  “Why didn’t you call me before?” she chastised him.

  “We only just talked to the doctor. I didn’t want to interrupt you until I knew something.”

  The phone was silent.

  “So what did the doctors say?” Lynda asked.

  “They believe he has tuberculosis. They are about to start him on antibiotics, and they are going to move him into isolation.”

  Lynda tsked, as if she was thinking. “So it’s treatable?”

  “Hopefully, but I think it’d be nice if you could come back and at least see him. I think he’s having a hard time with this.”

  “The antibiotics will clear the infection, won’t they?” She sounded distant.

  Lynda won’t flake out on her sick child, will she?

  “As long as the infection isn’t the drug resistant kind … but I think you should be here,” he urged, his voice filled with anger.

  “We already bought our train passes and paid for our rooms. That’s a lot of money we’d be losing.”

  “It’s just money, Lynda. Don’t you think your son is more important than your goddamned vacation?” He already knew how this was going to play out, but he went through the motions as he had with so many fights before.

  “You said he’s treatable, right?”

  “I said ‘hopefully.’ They aren’t sure, but he’s going to be here for at least a few weeks before he isn’t contagious.”

  “Well, see, there’s really no point to me coming back if I can’t even be around him. Just tell him I love him. Won’t you?”

  “I’m not your carrier pigeon. If you want to say something to your son, you should come here and tell him yourself.”

  Lynda sighed. “You are such a drama king.”

  “Our son is sick, and just because I think you should be here, I’m being dramatic?”

  How had he ever fallen for a woman who was so devoid of normal human emotion?

  “Maybe I’ll come in a week,” she offered begrudgingly. “We should be back from our cruise by then, we’d have to cancel the trip to Italy, but maybe if we rearranged a few things … ”

  He held back from yelling at her that she needed to get her ass there. Screaming at each other would accomplish nothing, it never had. Hopefully, with a little time, she would understand how important it was for her to be at her son’s bedside. But she was going to have to come to the decision herself. He had done what he could.

  He tried to sound satisfied. “Great. See you soon.”

  “Sure,” she said, but she sounded uncertain. “Call me if anything changes. I should have service on the ship.”

  He slammed the phone shut. He slumped down on a bench and put his head in his hands. Poor Kaden, he deserved better than this.

  • • •

  Ariadne pulled a piece of lint from the dress she had grabbed from her closet. The dress reeked of the hospital antiseptic, but as strong as it was, it couldn’t mask the distant odor of death and sadness. She couldn’t wait to get the damned thing off.

  Kaden shifted in the bed and opened his eyes. “Hey.”

  “You awake? Your dad’s still gone.”

  Kaden shrugged and stared out the window.

  Ariadne didn’t know what to say. It had to be so hard for Kaden. No one this young should have to go through anything like this, but pity would help nothing. It was strange to think that not that long ago, she had felt so alone — part of nothing but the double-edged sisterhood. Holding Kaden’s hand, she could feel the bond strengthen between them, almost like love.

  “Tell me about the party. You know, the one on the top of the hill?” Kaden asked, breaking the awkward silence.

  For a moment she considered telling him the truth, but telling him she had been dancing naked with the Sisterhood of Epione didn’t want to roll off her tongue. She smiled at the thought of the questions that would follow. The young man would be open-minded enough to believe what she would tell him about nymphs and witches, elves and bulls, but would it help him? No.

  Then it struck her. There was something that she could do to help Kaden. She thought about the crystal staff of Epione. If she found it, they could heal whatever ailed him. But it was impossible on so many levels.

  Modern medicine was making progress every day. They would cure him. He and Beau would go back to America and then this confusing mess of emotions would come to an end.

  “Aria?” Kaden pressed.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said, with a weak smile. “I was just thinking.”

  “About?” He tried to hold back a cough.

  “You okay?”

  He nodded.

  She forced a bigger smile. “I was just thinking about how nice it has been to meet you and your dad.”

  Kaden looked at the door. “Yeah, my dad has really … come alive since he met you. Before it was all the dig and funding. Since you came into our lives, he … smiles.”

  He smiles? He seemed like such a happy man, at least most of the time. It was strange to think that he wasn’t always the person she saw.

  “But then again,” Kaden continued. “I don’t know him very well.”

  “What do you mean?” she inquired.

  “Didn’t he tell you?” He looked surprised.

  She shook her head.

  “The last time I saw him before Crete was ten years ago. He left me standing alone at the edge of our yard,” Kaden paused. “The last thing he said was ‘One day you’ll understand love, kiddo.’ But from what I can see, Beau doesn’t understand it any better than I do.”

  She was taken aback with his candor and for a moment she just sat and thought about what to say. “Have you ever been in love?”

  He looked down at their joined hands. “Up until now I thought I had, but Trina made me rethink everything I thought I knew. With Trina, it’s like my heart is going to beat out of my chest every time she gets close to me. I even had to buy extra-strength deodorant.” Their laughter filled the air.

  “That’s great, Kaden,” she said, still laughing. “You know it’s a good thing when you try not to smell.”

  Kaden’s eyes sparkled with life and looked out of place against the pallor of his skin. “Trina’s special. I really love her.” />
  As his words sank in, Ariadne’s heart fell. It all makes sense why he’s sick … he’s in love with a nymph. The curse …

  She jumped to her feet and stumbled on the chair leg as she burst from the room. The door closed behind her, and without looking where she was going, she bumped into a man.

  “I was wondering when you would come back to see me again,” Stavros boomed.

  She struggled to find her bearings as she stared at the man in the hospital gown with a gauze bandage wrapped around his neck. “Stavros?”

  He looked at her with a squint. “You okay? You look tired.”

  No, she wasn’t okay, but Stavros couldn’t help. No one could help. If she had only told Trina to stop seeing Kaden, this wouldn’t have happened. But wait … if Stavros would’ve just closed the site after she had found him in the office with Bunny, none of this would have happened. And an innocent teenager wouldn’t be at risk.

  “Goddamn you, Stavros.” She pushed past him and began to run — anything to get away from the mess she had helped to create.

  “Ariadne?” He called out after her, but she couldn’t be stopped.

  The revolving door of the hospital forced her to slow, and the second the warm morning air touched her skin, her guard fell. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she gasped for air, choking on her emotions. How had she let herself get mixed up with Beau and his son? Why had she allowed herself to feel? If only she was stronger.

  Her vision was blurred with tears, but she kept moving down the sidewalk in the direction of her car.

  “Ariadne?” Beau ran up beside her.

  She looked at him through teary eyes, but before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms. She pressed her face into the smooth cotton of his jacket and let her tears fall. His hands ran up and down her back. “It’s okay. It’s okay,” he whispered repeatedly.

  After a few minutes, his constant reassurance took effect and her tears stopped. She must look like a mess; she could just imagine her mascara running down her face and how red her eyes must be. Subtly, she tried to dab at her nose before she looked up.

  “What’s going on, sweetheart?” Beau asked his voice smooth and calm. “Is Kaden okay?”